Sunday was a crash day for me, so I have nothing serious to say. But I do have a few quick hits:
- Conservatives are griping that President Biden hasn't held a press conference yet. Biden's defenders say that he's held loads of small press avails, so it's not as if he's avoiding questions. Personally, I've always found formal press conferences to be fairly useless, since they encourage reporters to preen and allow presidents to filibuster and tap dance. But if the press wants a press conference, why not give them one? I'm not sure what the harm would be.
- Biden backed the Trans Pacific Partnership, a trade treaty that included nearly every country around the Pacific rim except for China. Donald Trump, naturally, pulled out of TPP because he hadn't negotiated it, and then spent four years whining about problems that wouldn't have even existed if he'd just accepted TPP in the first place. So . . . is it too late to join belatedly? Seems like it should still be possible.
- Biden really does seem to have encouraged a big surge in refugees and unaccompanied children along the southern border. You don't have to adopt Trumpish levels of cruelty to tighten this up, and it's something he really ought to do.
- Finally, enough's enough. Biden promised us a cat in the White House, and it's time for him to deliver. Please join me in demanding answers. #WheresTheCat
"But if the press wants a press conference, why not give them one? I'm not sure what the harm would be."
No? Then allow me to fill you in.
Biden is in the middle of trying to unfuck our country's response to a deadly pandemic, one where simple, nonintrusive ways to reducing deaths have already been heavily politicized. Holding a press conference does, as you pointed out, give partisan press an opportunity to preen, and subsequently, to polish up a narrative that stokes outrage and further increases resistance to efforts to rein in the spread of the disease.
But what the heck? Give 'em the news conference they're bawling for.
That really does apply to all the points.
Yup.
The White House Press Corps, after four years being cowed by El Jefe's press conferences that were 90% prevarication, 9% provocation, & 1% news, is looking to go back on Gaffe Patrol.
Catch El Tio Pepe in an error, preferably one that could be ascribed to age related memory issues, & that's the next six weeks of news cycling. & much more fun than reporting how the Biden-Harris regime has managed to outperform El Jefe on vaccine rate, etc.
(& anyway, the idea that El Tio Pepe's demented show is accomplishing more than El Jefe's businesslike administration, is just another of Jen Psaki's lies, like that El Tio Pepe wasn't president in 01/20/2021.)
Yeah this is the biggest nothingburger in a long time. Having nothing but this to whine about is a clear sign that the Biden people are executing competently, both at policy and at politics.
I say hold a news conference when he's good and ready. And if he isn't, let 'em whine. They're not convincing anyone, and they're making themselves look like fools.
Where's the cat?
Anyone else seen the third season of Disenchantment?
Yes! (at last) I enjoyed it. The story is really moving along; they've got some great characters and venues. The theme music is hard to beat.
Oh, that's not about the failed Q conspiracy movement....
Scruffles the Cat on Disenchantment,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf1J6y7K69o
Kevin apparently still hasn't heard that the TPP deliberately excluded union input. It was something that was favorable to the interests of US corporations (i.e. CEOs and stockholders) vs Chinese, but had nothing in it for US workers. If Biden is really serious about encouraging unions he will be talking about trade deals that really do have something for workers.
I guess the thing about the current state of the TPP is that since Biden's immediate predecessor simply dropped it, he left room for China to assert a new hegemony and reduce American influence in the region. Trying to restart the TPP now will suffer from the USA no longer arguing from a position of power.
Sure, the old TPP had severe flaws in "intellectual property" and in protecting the little guys (workers) on both sides of the Pacific, but now it will be even harder getting back to even that level of coöperation.
Once the US pulled out, the TPP was changed to be more favourable to both workers and the environment. The question is, will America demand a rollback weakening protections in return for joining?
Aside from that the US shouldn't be a part of any trade agreement that doesn't rollback US patent and copyright periods to those of the country in the trade block with the shortest patent and copyright periods instead of forcing our broken system on the rest of the world.
Big surge in refugee's??? It's called deportation. Something Trump didn't use much.
I think the word you're looking for is spelled "Amnesty".
El Jefe was keener on starvation, immiseration, & illness.
They also simply closed out even refugees applying for amnesty -- made them Mexico's problem -- which was perfectly fine with Trump's supporters, who are Good Christians and don't have a racist bone in their bodies no sir!
And btw, what the White House says is not very relevant to what people considering migration hear. They hear much more locally -- basically rumor mill -- and from smugglers.
$1 trillion in covid relief was already sitting in the Treasury, amassed by Mnuchin just in case Trump or the Republicans came up with their own aid plan,
https://www.rawstory.com/biden-aid-package/
And, --if they didn't?
So it only is a 900000000 plan for real???
No, but it means El Tio Pepe only needs to find 300bil more.
I'm surprised they didn't find a way to take it with them on the way out 😉
You know if Princess Tiny Paws knew it was there leaving it behind absolutely ate him alive.
Didn't know if you meant El Jefe or Ivanka, at first.
Kushner said UAE & Qatar needed a new pair if shoes.
One rather suspects Trump et al. intended it basically as a slush fund, which Trip would spend as he pleased and then dare Congress to try to do something about it -- IOW, usurping Congress's power of the purse and behaving still more autocratically.
No other impression would be reasonable given the characters involved.
How else to pay off Barf O'Chavanaugh's debts?
^^^So . . . is it too late to join belatedly?^^^
I think this depends on whether it requires GOP votes. I believe it does, as I'd imagine one or two Dems in the Senate (Sanders?) would vote against it. (To say nothing of breaking a filibuster).
So, my guess is it's too late to join, unless this is one of those deals where we can be a party to the agreement via executive order (which obviously can be undone by a future president). And I don't think it is such an agreement, or Obama would've had us join.
We should join, though. The United States is not in a position to be passing up giftwrapped opportunities to substantively counter Beijing's influence (and doing so without involving displays of military force, for a change).
Formal treaties require 2/3 majorities.
Presidential action to go along with the goals of a treaty can only go so far, and can easily be overturned by the next President.
Sure, but there are also "regular economic legislation" deals that require simple majority. Classic article one treaties are used increasingly infrequently IIRC.
NAFTA was like that, fwiw.
That's not a selling point for the #OurRevolution & #MAGA crowd.
Let me come clean on this. Cats are the second most invasive murderous mamnals on the planet, second only to us. If you do not fix your cat you are derelict. If you allow your cats to roam out doors, you are derelict. Cats who are neither fixed nor confined to a yard should be summarily killed.
So, keeping us out of TPP was one of maybe 5 good things Trump ever did. TPP was a vehicle to enshrine the second most broken IP regime ever into law across the entire rim. Only the European regime is worse because I am fairly sure it is actually insane. This is my issue and it is a hill I am willing to die on.
I see I have found another proprietor for my Michael Vick inspired catfighting ring.
No sorry, I can't support. While I have no moral objections to animal fights, as a public health matter they are a troubling vector for zoonotic diseases so I support a ban.
The cat issue must be addressed immediately. Other issues can wait......
https://www.facebook.com/WherestheCatcom/
"Who said there's nothing to do in Toledo?"
Where would the litter box go? There are no corners in the Oval Office.
You make me continue to miss the "Like" button.
Where would the litter box go? Under the president's desk of course. The real question is whether or not the Secret Service would allow a cat flap in the door(s) to allow the cat to come and go as it pleased, and if so, whether the cat would still insist the president play doorman.
Cats are territorial animals. WhiteHouseCat should be an established civil servant, like Larry and Palmerston n London, and not a personal pet the president. The federal budget can stand the expense.
He should have jurisdiction over all over animals.
On the TPP/China stuff: I’m not an expert, but I do waste a lot of time every day reading and listening. There was a new agreement that the Pacific Rim countries signed with China and without the US. The Chinese wanted to lock in their rules so the US would be excluded - makes sense from their point of view. So we are already playing catchup on the issue.
The news I heard was that the Chinese agreement was pretty basic, so we should be able to get in front of the issue, but it will take more work and effort than before.
On a separate but related note, Japan-India-Australia-US have been trying to form a counter to China and announced an agreement to help India produce a billion vaccine doses. That doesn’t include all the other TPP countries, but it looks like a lot of things could start to move in the next few years on the China front.
I may get banned for this, but I care about a cat in the White House just about as much as I care about the Press Corps' feelings.
What I DO care about is vaccinations, testing, $15 minimum wage, redistricting, and putting everyone with a Trump on their name in jail for a very long time.
Well, not everyone with a Trump name. Not Mary Trump. Barron hasn't done anything yet. But you get the idea.
I really miss the “like” button.
"Biden really does seem to have encouraged a big surge in refugees and unaccompanied children along the southern border. You don't have to adopt Trumpish levels of cruelty to tighten this up"
How has biden encouraged it and what steps are not being taken would "tighten it up"?
Has Biden said "Come-on in!" - no. However, more people believe they will be able to enter the country, and likely stay, based on Biden talking about undoing what Trump did, so more people are showing-up at the border. Is that according-to-Hoyle "encouragement?" No, but the net effect remains.
"undoing what Trump did"
meaning what exactly? what is biden talking about undoing that kevin thinks is a problem? he stated it like the problem and solution were obvious, but i honestly don't know what he is suggesting.
'Conservatives are griping that President Biden hasn't held a press conference yet. '
LOL
Trump did away with White House press conferences, attacked the Press, calling the "Enemy of the People", worked only with propaganda outlets, threatened critics with legal action, and generally did everything that he could do to sabotage any and all real transparency of this administration.
So conservatives can have a nice cup of STFU.
But Maggie Haberman isn't getting the same nuggets from Jarvanka in exile!