American Politics 3.0 - Back to Brunch

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by direwolf

My American friends can't stand these clowns. The fact that Biden's entire agenda can be so easily derailed by a couple of stubborn f***wits from their own party must be absolutely infuriating. Manchin especially holds way too much power. The Dems better figure out a way to get these two on board quick if they want to get anything through the Senate before the mid-terms.

I mean there's a nuclear option. Pull the two idiots aside and tell them the party is going to throw all its money and resources behind their primary opponents. Neither are up for re-election in 2022, but that's still a credible threat, IMO.

EDIT: That probably only works with Sinema because Manchin seems like he'd just crossover to the GOP and he's in a heavily red state.

[Duruss]

Originally Posted by rubecube

I mean there's a nuclear option. Pull the two idiots aside and tell them the party is going to throw all its money and resources behind their primary opponents. Neither are up for re-election in 2022, but that's still a credible threat, IMO.

EDIT: That probably only works with Sinema because Manchin seems like he'd just crossover to the GOP and he's in a heavily red state.

If they cross the floor at least they will be unmasked.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Duruss

If they cross the floor at least they will be unmasked.

Could see Manchin sitting as an independent and surviving, but Sinema has zero appeal to GOP voters and is dead in the water without the DNC behind her.

[direwolf]

'Murica!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/05/us/ca...ned/index.html

A federal judge overturned California's longtime ban on assault weapons on Friday in a ruling that likened the AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife.

Assault weapons have been banned in California since 1989, according to the ruling. The law has been updated several times since it was originally passed.

According to the ruling by US District Judge Roger Benitez of San Diego, the assault weapons ban violates the Second Amendment's right to bear arms and deprives Californians from owning assault-style weapons commonly allowed in other states.

Benitez issued a permanent injunction Friday so the law cannot be enforced.

"Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment," Benitez said in the ruling. "Firearms deemed as 'assault weapons' are fairly ordinary, popular, modern rifles."

The comparison of the AR-15 to a versatile pocket knife favored by campers drew sharp criticism from California officials including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called the AR-15 a "weapon of war."

The comparison, he said in a statement, "completely undermines the credibility of this decision and is a slap in the face to the families who've lost loved ones to this weapon."
Newsom added: "We're not backing down from this fight, and we'll continue pushing for common sense gun laws that will save lives."

The ruling and injunction are stayed for 30 days, during which time the attorney general may appeal and seek a stay from the Court of Appeals.

[Fuzz]

If "the right to bear arms" means any and all weapons are legal, what's to stop people from owning bazookas, rocket launchers, high energy lasers, flame throwers, and whatever else is invented in the future? Anything goes, as long as you can hold the boomy end in your hand?

[GirlySports]

I don't understand how one district judge has so much power? I think this is easily appealed.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I don't understand how one district judge has so much power? I think this is easily appealed.

Agreed. His swiss army knife argument is ridiculously stupid, and the law has been in place for over 30 years. I'm guessing that other people have also tried to overturn it over the years and have obviously been unsuccessful to this point. Seems strange that this one would suddenly stick after all this time.

[btimbit]

Yeah I'm struggling to understand this move. I like guns and am anti gun ban (but very pro gun control, let me say that before I get jumped on again) but regardless, the reasoning for the decision is just ridiculous. Comparing it to a swiss army knife? Really?

[CliffFletcher]

Highly recommend Big News, a new CBC documentary about the role of the media in political polarization in the U.S.

https://gem.cbc.ca/season/big-news/s...3-8f77593eb348

[Derek Sutton]

Sounding more and more like Harris/ Biden have adopted Trumps border policy. Legal migration welcome, everyone else, stay home.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57387350

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

Sounding more and more like Harris/ Biden have adopted Trumps border policy. Legal migration welcome, everyone else, stay home.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57387350

Telling asylum seekers to stay home is particularly egregious. Crickets in this thread though.

[troutman]

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/harr...ry?id=78151451

"This is disappointing to see," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "First, seeking asylum at any US border is a 100% legal method of arrival. Second, the US spent decades contributing to regime change and destabilization in Latin America. We can't help set someone's house on fire and then blame them for fleeing."

Under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 protocol, and adopted into U.S. law, the U.S. must recognize refugees that fear persecution and are not able to get help from their home country. Asylum seekers are typically given administrative court dates and released while some are detained on a case-by-case basis ahead of their asylum hearings.

Speaking with reporters on the tarmac in Guatemala City Monday evening, Harris didn’t respond to AOC's criticism when presented with it directly but pivoted to the focus of her trip.

"I'm really clear: We have to deal with the root causes and that is my hope. Period," she said.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

Sounding more and more like Harris/ Biden have adopted Trumps border policy. Legal migration welcome, everyone else, stay home.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57387350

I don't see the Trump connection? That rhetoric isn't exactly new for the US, certainly not a particularly Trump in style, or in content?

As regards to what goes on at the border, the average time for minors to stay in border patrol camps was around 32 hours last time I checked, well below the promised 72 hours, and really pretty good all things considered. Biden has also quadrupled the number of legal immigrants allowed...

Those two alone are pretty significant changes.

I really don't get this equivalency people want to draw between Biden and Trump when it comes to immigrations.

I just don't see the similarities.

[GirlySports]

I don't see AOC's argument. America didn't burn everyone's house. I mean would she prioritize some countries and not others based on the sliding scale of how much American ####ed them? Like would she not accept Haitians? American has had nothing to do with Haiti at all.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I don't see AOC's argument. America didn't burn everyone's house. I mean would she prioritize some countries and not others based on the sliding scale of how much American ####ed them? Like would she not accept Haitians? American has had nothing to do with Haiti at all.

You're kidding right?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

You're kidding right?

Are we really going back to the 30s? It doesn't affect the current immigration issue.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Are we really going back to the 30s? It doesn't affect the current immigration issue.

You aren't aware of Papa Doc, his son baby doc and the tonton macoute? some of the most feared and brutal secret police in the 'war against communism' through the 50's 60's 70's Graham Greene wrote a book about it called 'The Comedians' (which they made a film out of as well), they were wholly kept in [place by US assistance until Baby Doc was overthrown in 1986

Everything Haiti is today is due to the US propping up a brutally repressive dictatorship for 40 years

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Are we really going back to the 30s? It doesn't affect the current immigration issue.

ok then. let's start with Operation uphold democracy in 1994 and up to today.

here's just one article.

https://time.com/5682135/haiti-military-anniversary/

If you look at the operation now with hindsight, you can say that it was a major failure — it didn’t change Haiti, it didn’t democratize Haiti. If anything, the situation now is probably more catastrophic than it was in the mid-1990s… It was a euphoric moment, which ended in disaster.”

[Itse]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Are we really going back to the 30s? It doesn't affect the current immigration issue.

US is extremely heavily involved with Haiti. It's effectively a colonized country.

US has been guiding Haitian economics and politics for a century to it's own advantage, using aid, threat of military action and embargoes as levers. They've been dictating everything from tariffs to law enforcement to minimum wages and environmental policies in Haiti.

Clinton recently officially apologized for destroying Haiti's rice farming. (Well he didn't personally destroy it, but his administration forced Haiti to adopt economic policies which ended up destroying it.)

This is currently one of the big reasons why Haiti suffers from mass starvation.

EDIT: Oh and let's not forget that the US for quite a long time been bringing US grown, US guided politicians, often known for their extreme brutality towards Haitian citizens, to Haiti.

[GirlySports]

Ah, as recent as the 90s. You guys are right. It was a failed result.
But wasn't the goal to remove the violent military junta and restore democracy with Aristide?
Wouldn't it have been even worse without US intervention and the continued killings? These things seemed to be looked at one way, conditions didn't improve or may got worse and it's the US' fault for being there.


I just think calling it as 'burning people's houses down' is unfair.