The shutdown was good for at least getting news out about how Dreamers need to be protected. Before that, most weren't paying attention while it's more of a known issue now.
American Politics thread: No Nazis Allowed
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Reuters notification:
"Justice Department confirms Special Counsel Mueller interviewed Attorney General Sessions last week" - Get updates at Reuters.com
More detail
"U.S. attorney general questioned in special counsel Russia probe: New York Times" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia/u-s-attorney-general-questioned-in-special-counsel-russia-probe-new-york-times-idUSKBN1FC219
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The shutdown was good for at least getting news out about how Dreamers need to be protected. Before that, most weren't paying attention while it's more of a known issue now.
that's not how a lot on the left see it. The Purity Politics squad is out in full force portraying this as "The Democrats betrayed Dreamers"
Get ready for another couple of years of "Just as bad" and "Might as well keep Trump since the democrats are just as awful" BS
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If this all ends in a pretty decent DACA fix, no one's going to remember this shutdown come November. Likewise, if Dems roll over for a bad DACA fix when it comes down the pipe, they're screwed.
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that's not how a lot on the left see it. The Purity Politics squad is out in full force portraying this as "The Democrats betrayed Dreamers"
Get ready for another couple of years of "Just as bad" and "Might as well keep Trump since the democrats are just as awful" BS
Are you seriously dismissing actual Dreamers’ concerns as part of thr purity left?
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Are you seriously dismissing actual Dreamers’ concerns as part of thr purity left?
I took it as more about the purity left's overblown reaction to "betraying" Dreamers.
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If this all ends in a pretty decent DACA fix, no one's going to remember this shutdown come November. Likewise, if Dems roll over for a bad DACA fix when it comes down the pipe, they're screwed.
Pretty much, no excuses on either side.
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Are you seriously dismissing actual Dreamers’ concerns as part of the purity left?
Basically this:
@sgamer82:I took it as more about the purity left's overblown reaction to "betraying" Dreamers.
I get being worried, but bringing DACA up for a vote was specifically one of the things the Dems insisted upon when doing this. This wasn't a fix to the government shutdown situation, it was a stopgap. In exchange for an immediate resolution to the CHIP situation and a promise to actually talk about DACA, they pushed this out to February 8th.
If the Dems had just folded and approved a long-term bill to avoid the shutdown, I'd agree with the sentiment that the Democrats betrayed the dreamers and that it's not ok. But really, we don't know what's going to happen here until February 8th.
But that hasn't stopped me from seeing "How dare the Democrats throw dreamers under the bus! I'm denouncing my democrat status and/or not voting now because of this!" and I'm legitimately worried we're going to end up having another 4 years of Trump and Republican control.
The article I cited wasn't the best example looking at it, but I was mostly referring to this line:
Activists said they planned to make their feelings known at the ballot box, targeting Republicans who have railed against illegal immigration as well as moderate Democrats who voted for Monday’s deal.
Why not wait until after February 8th to make declarations like this? Why not see where this actually goes before going all "Burn it all down" on the dems?
If this all ends in a pretty decent DACA fix, no one's going to remember this shutdown come November. Likewise, if Dems roll over for a bad DACA fix when it comes down the pipe, they're screwed.
Basically. Dems need to demonstrate that this isn't over. This Fight needs to continue and we need a result in February or defending them and their utter spinelessness will become impossible.
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There is, of course, the non-political part of all of this, in that it's fucking terrifying to be an immigrant, legal or otherwise, right now, and if I were one, I wouldn't want folks telling me "we may have something for you in a few weeks, and if not, we'll shut down again and lengthen the process."
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On top of trusting the word of a known bullshitter who represents a party that's the direct cause for DACA (and by extension it's rescinding) because simply doing comprehensive immigration reform out of the gate was "too hard".
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On top of trusting the word of a known bullshitter who represents a party that's the direct cause for DACA (and by extension it's rescinding) because simply doing comprehensive immigration reform out of the gate was "too hard".
It also puts McConnell on the spot. As I understand it, he made his promise to go over DACA publicly on the Senate floor, that puts pressure on him to follow through or provide the Democrats with useful PR ammo.
Also, a serious question: In light of all the talk of the Democrats giving up too quickly or betraying one thing or another, is any issue truly worth prolonging the complete shutdown of the federal government and its functions? On a purely pragmatic level, I'm not sure I can say yes.
Especially when alternatives to get the same objectives completed without the damage that could cause exist.–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Reuters notification
"Attorney general orders investigation of texts between FBI officials accused of anti-Trump bias: House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte"
--- Update From New Post Merge ---
Some Notables from https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/01/23/day-369/
A Republican senator from Mississippi was caught on a hot mic making comments about "beautiful" high-school aged girls. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) made the comments as the Senate prepared to pass the continuing resolution that would re-open the government.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/watch-hot-mic-catches-gop-senator-ogling-beautiful-teenaged-girls-fellow-lawmaker/ (There was a cspan link, too, but it apparently goes to Dailymotion)Montana became the first state to pass its own net neutrality laws in the wake of the FCC's decision to deregulate the communications industry. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) signed an executive order on Monday that requires all internet service providers with state contracts to adhere to net neutrality standards
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/technology/montana-net-neutrality.htmlThe Trump administration is waiving dozens of environmental regulations to speed up construction of Trump's proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
http://thehill.com/latino/370202-trump-admin-waives-dozens-of-environmental-rules-to-speed-up-construction-of-borderOne person was killed and multiple others wounded after a shooting at a Kentucky high school.
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2018/01/23/shooting-marshall-county-high-school/ -
There is, of course, the non-political part of all of this, in that it's fucking terrifying to be an immigrant, legal or otherwise, right now, and if I were one, I wouldn't want folks telling me "we may have something for you in a few weeks, and if not, we'll shut down again and lengthen the process."
That's true. I'm mostly thinking about this politically, and I'm really only concerned about the people making statements about abandoning the Democrats specifically already. It's just concerning because we have a de-facto 2 Party system and our options are basically "More Republicans who will do all they can to hurt immigrants" or "Democrats who might actually try to do some things that will help".
I don't know. I'm a pragmatist so maybe I'm too laser-focussed on the solution here that I'm losing sight of the emotions at play here.
Or maybe there's still a part of me that doesn't want to believe that we are basically a conservative nation now and the Republicans will maintain control regardless for the foreseeable future and that part of me is desperately trying to see how things can be fixed.
Either way, Sorry.
On top of trusting the word of a known bullshitter who represents a party that's the direct cause for DACA (and by extension it's rescinding) because simply doing comprehensive immigration reform out of the gate was "too hard".
That's more up to the Dems now to hold them to it. If the Turtle turns out to be an outright liar then the Dems need to dig in their heels and we have to be back at shutdownsville.
If the Dems back down at that point they're out of leverage or other things they need to also be concerned about, so they'll have no excuse at this point.
But the more I think about it the more I realize that yeah. The narrative here is going to be "Dems let down Dreamers". Any hope that there was to that idea of a "Democrat Wave" happening this year is basically dead at this point.
I need to stop getting my hopes up and just accept the reality of what this country is now.
Again, sorry if I upset anybody.
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It's frightening, but it's much easier to think about a lot of this stuff politically rather than in terms of human costs. But this story floored me in a way that so many others hadn't quite managed to do so far: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/22/ice-detains-a-polish-doctor-and-green-card-holder-who-has-lived-in-the-u-s-for-nearly-40-years/?utm_term=.2bcaa1ecc54e
It just feels for a large chunk of the government empathy has withered and died. Even the Dems, who I respect much more, keep falling into patterns of treating this as a political game, and it's not just that.
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"Dead at this point" seems a bit premature. At least see what happens in three weeks time before casting gloom and doom. If they actually do pull something off in the end, any bad feelings here are likely to be forgotten.
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Any hope that there was to that idea of a "Democrat Wave" happening this year is basically dead at this point.
Nahhh. Day-to-day highs-and-lows aside, there's a ton of cold hard statistics backing the Blue Wave. Terrible incumbent approval rating, dems winning or coming close on the local level in places they have no business doing so, historical precedents, etc.
You can smell the fear on the right. It's why they're trying harder than ever to destroy Mueller, quash voting rights, and support Trump only until the numbers back home show it's a bad idea.
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It also puts McConnell on the spot. As I understand it, he made his promise to go over DACA publicly on the Senate floor, that puts pressure on him to follow through or provide the Democrats with useful PR ammo.
With this being the same guy that vowed the make the 44th president a one term president, along with blatantly lying about just who decides the nomination of a supreme Court nominee you kind of have to wonder will Democrats (and the media) actually use the ammo in a way that hurts him substantially to the point it'll endanger him once he comes up for reelection or making quit like a punk.
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McConnell also made promises to Flake and Collins that he broke immediately.
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Trump not getting his wall after all.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/23/chuck-schumer-trump-wall-offer-359156
Chuck Schumer is taking his big spending boost for Donald Trump’s border wall off the table.
The Senate minority leader, through an aide, informed the White House on Monday that he was retracting the offer he made last week to give Trump well north of the $1.6 billion in wall funding Trump had asked for this year, according to two Democrats. And now they say Trump will simply not get a better deal than that on his signature campaign promise. -
Trump massively raised tarrifs on solar panels.
This naturally, is going to fuck thing up for everybody, as like 95% of solar panel production is done outside the US. It's going to hurt the implementation and growth of the industry.
But yaye coal, right?
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Trump massively raised tarrifs on solar panels.
This naturally, is going to fuck thing up for everybody, as like 95% of solar panel production is done outside the US. It's going to hurt the implementation and growth of the industry.
But yaye coal, right?
It's also estimated to cost 23,000 jobs this year. What a pro-growth President.
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South Carolina in particular is going to be hurt by this move so business as usual for Trump voters.
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As much as I dislike the fact that Schumer even considered giving money for the wall, a part of me does wonder what it would be like to have a hardlined compromise on the immigrants in this country currently.
Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate for a border wall. There are obvious issues of geographical interference, having to go through eminent domain to seize the thousands of square feet of land on the border that belongs to American citizens, and the sheer cost required to build and maintain such a border.
However…..
Just in a pure hypothetical situation(because there is no fucking way the Republicans would allow this) I wonder what the results would be if a compromise was made to allow all illegal immigrants inside of the United States to receive citizenship in a speedy manner without repercussions, with the caveat being a border wall being constructed and maintained.
Again, you need to ignore the obvious reasons why the wall is a waste(including the fact that something like 40% of undocumented immigrants came though plane and overstayed their visas), however if the trade off for hundreds of thousands of people being able to properly receive citizenship and integrate in American society without the shadow of ICE looming over them is us wasting money on beginning(because there is no way that gets even close to finished) to create a wall.....I'd honestly be for it.
Because at the end of the day what all of us are upset about isn't the fact that he wants to build a wall to "keep immigrants out". It's that the entire immigration policy in this administration's perspective is that building this wall will solve all of the problems. It's purely symbolic. So in this purely hypothetical situation, I'd say lets give them some funding to start building like a 30th of this planned wall before they start to realize the actual problems in constructing it.
And of course I know the Republican base voters would never want such a compromise. Even if they got a full, coast-to-coast geography defining wall fully paid for by the American Peo.....I mean Mexico, they'd still never accept the idea of granting citizenship to those currently here.
But the more and more I hear stories from people I know personally, and the accounts I read from others, I think that making a hardlined compromise of "everyone here today can become fully legal, but from here on out the border is a wall" is what is necessary. While DACA is in a weird area because it specifically revolves around people raised in America and brought here not of their own will, there is little talk from Democrats about an actual solution to this problem with those that have stayed here illegally.
And of course, I'm well aware that the number of immigrants crossing the border to stay illegally has continued to drop. Let them build a symbolic wall that does nothing to help the problem, if we can get an actual solution out of it.
Does this solve the issue of immigrants still applying legally to come into the US? Of course not. Immigration reform is needed in every aspect of our current legislation regarding it. And as cynical and Republican as this sounds, I'm alright with cutting ourselves off from allowing immigrants in for a short while if it means dealing with the problem that is going on in the country right now with those who have already come from another country.
Do I think turning a back to refugees is justified? No. It's hard to justify not trying to help people seeking refuge , or not helping people coming from a poor country that need an opportunity. But if it meant getting thousands of people to be able to properly become citizens and not have to fear ICE tearing their families apart, I think it gives a solid enough reason to regrettably stop allowing people in.
Of course, this is all as fictional as Hillary's pedophile pizza ring. There is no way in a million years even if the base far right came around to the idea of a wall for citizenship for those here, they'd never pass such legislation due to the obvious result of a a bunch of hispanic families having clear rights to vote. Pretty easy guess as to which party these families would be leaning toward.
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Does this solve the issue of immigrants still applying legally to come into the US? Of course not. Immigration reform is needed in every aspect of our current legislation regarding it. And as cynical and Republican as this sounds, I'm alright with cutting ourselves off from allowing immigrants in for a short while if it means dealing with the problem that is going on in the country right now with those who have already come from another country.
What the hell do legal immigrants have to do with legislating over illegal immigrants? This is completely nonsensical from top to bottom.
Someone coming in from Vietnam has to be put on hold because something something Mexican illegals?????
Even straight up putting immigration entirely on hold is some ridiculous disruptive chaos shit, the sort of thing you only see in closed off autocracies. -
Considering that the geopolitical "game" is what caused most of those third world countries issues, and it takes very special kind of minds to chose to live in Russia or China.
USA, the red bois, and specially Europe built these issues themselves.
Certainly, isolationism instead of the wonders of colonalism would have caused another crop of problems, stagnant science, more localized diseases, even more of a narrow perspective.
but we live in a post colonial world, where some countries and people took value from others and forced the blueprints of their civilization in return, either help fix the issues left behind in their wake, or stop complaining when people go to their homeland, built on the meat and bones of ugh whatever
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Spain hurt me this week.I'm angry. Well more angry at venezuela and more angry at the average spaniard's reaction.
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To quote a commonly used phrase on the other board I follow stuff on: Disgusted but not surprised.
The Alabama House voted 67-31 to end special elections for U.S. Senate appointments, per the Montgomery Advertiser's Brian Lyman.
Why it matters: Democrat Doug Jones was elected to the Senate in a special election, rocking a deep red state. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Steve Clouse, said it was meant to save the state money as last year's election cost $11 million. The bill now advances to the Alabama Senate.
A more detailed local source: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/politics/southunionstreet/2018/01/23/alabama-house-votes-end-special-u-s-senate-elections/1060217001/
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"Furthermore, I hereby decree that the usurper Doug Jones be stripped of his seat retrospectively and the honorable Roy Moore be seated in accordance with this righteous legislation"
-Some good old boy pol in Alabama, probablyCan someone please just sell off Alabama and Mississippi to Chinese investors for strip mining or some shit. Or trick the French into thinking they were part of the Louisiana Purchase and cash in that gift receipt.
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Reminds me of, was it South Carolina?, where a Democrat won the governor seat and the start Congress acted immediately to restrict executive power, with most of the attempt getting struck down in court.
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It was in North Carolina (which also has the second most absurd gerrymander map after PA).
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Reminds me of, was it South Carolina?, where a Democrat won the governor seat and the start Congress acted immediately to restrict executive power, with most of the attempt getting struck down in court.
North Carolina, where the state legislature has since shifted to focus on gerrymandering judiciary districts.
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@CCC:
Can someone please just sell off Alabama and Mississippi to Chinese investors for strip mining or some shit. Or trick the French into thinking they were part of the Louisiana Purchase and cash in that gift receipt.
I mean, admittedly, it took lots of crazy good luck and horrible Republican decision-making, but 670,000+ people in Alabama did just vote for Doug Jones. It's not irredeemable. None of this is.
Just don't know how we can pursue a whole lot of progress where politicians and "base" are reinforcing each other's worst qualities rather than seeking any legitimate improvement.
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Today's What The Fuck Just Happened Today news dump
Michael Flynn didn't tell the White House about his 2017 interview with the FBI. Flynn met privately with FBI investigators a year ago today to discuss his communications with Russia's ambassador. The meeting took place without a lawyer present and without the knowledge of the president or top White House officials.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/flynn-kept-fbi-interview-concealed-white-house-trump-n840491Robert Mueller's team has interviewed Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, National Security Agency director Mike Rogers, and CIA director Mike Pompeo. The three have been described as "peripheral witnesses" to the James Comey firing. Of note: Pompeo "was allegedly asked by Trump to lean on Comey to drop his investigation."
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/flynn-kept-fbi-interview-concealed-white-house-trump-n840491Trump asked the acting director of the FBI how he voted in the 2016 election shortly after he fired James Comey in May 2017. Andrew McCabe said he didn't vote. Trump then "vented his anger at McCabe over the several hundred thousand dollars in donations that his wife, a Democrat, received for her failed 2015 Virginia state Senate bid from a political action committee controlled by a close friend of Hillary Clinton."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-asked-the-acting-fbi-director-whom-he-voted-for-during-oval-office-meeting/2018/01/23/2cb50818-0073-11e8-8acf-ad2991367d9d_story.html?utm_term=.184959a14dcaSarah Sanders: Trump hasn't fired Robert Mueller partly because of how the press would react. Sanders told reporters that "I think we all know what everybody in this room would do if the President did that, and I don't think that is helpful to the process."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/politics/robert-mueller-donald-trump-fire-white-house/index.htmlFormer Trump campaign aide Rick Gates added a white-collar attorney to his legal team. The move to hire Tom Green suggests there is an on-going negotiation between Gates and Robert Mueller's office. Gates pleaded not guilty in October to eight charges of money laundering and failure to register foreign lobbying and businesses.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/politics/rick-gates-new-attorney-mueller-russia-investigation/index.htmlTrump will declassify the Devin Nunes memo that alleges FBI surveillance abuse if the House Intelligence Committee approves the release. The four-page summary of Nunes' investigation into the FBI and Justice Department's use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was written by staffers for Republican members of the House.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/politics/trump-nunes-memo-declassified/index.htmlpoll/ 78% of Americans say Trump should testify if Robert Mueller asks him. 51% say Trump has obstructed justice, while 41% say he has not.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/politics/cnn-poll-trump-russia-testify/index.htmlThe Justice Department threatened 23 so-called sanctuary cities with subpoenas if they fail to provide documents showing compliance with federal immigration officials.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/24/justice-department-threatens-sanctuary-cities-subpoenas-escalating-trumps-immigration-enforcement-ca/1061225001/The Justice Department wants to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census. Noncitizens are counted for the purposes of distributing federal funding, assigning congressional seats, and drawing district maps for elections.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/potential-citizenship-question-in-2020-census-could-shift-power-to-rural-america/2018/01/23/c4e6d2c6-f57c-11e7-beb6-c8d48830c54d_story.html -
@Monkey:
What the hell do legal immigrants have to do with legislating over illegal immigrants? This is completely nonsensical from top to bottom.
Someone coming in from Vietnam has to be put on hold because something something Mexican illegals?????
Even straight up putting immigration entirely on hold is some ridiculous disruptive chaos shit, the sort of thing you only see in closed off autocracies.What does legal immigration have to do with illegal immigration? The fact that we don't have a system for them to easily apply and receive citizenship in a timely fashion results in many crossing the border. In this hypothetical, I'm saying that if they took, say a month, to direct all immigration resources towards granting proper citizenship to those in the country and drafting a system that won't result in people needing to cross the border.
I'm not saying tell the guy in Vietnam who has been going through the process for months to come here "Sorry, not gonna happen now. Try again later". But yea, I'm saying they could be put on hold because something something mexican illegals.
Those currently in the country illegally are a higher priority than those who are in the legal process of coming here. Again, this is all a hypothetical that is never happening. But if we have a finite amount of resources and money to devote to immigration as a whole, legal and illegal, I don't think it's a radical idea to put temporary delays in the immigration process if there is a concrete program established with the priority of granting citizenship to all of those that are currently here. Take that time, still allow Visa and green card applications to be sent in. However spend the time and resources normally devoted to that stuff all towards solving the problem those are facing right now in this country while establishing a better system of quickly vetting and accepting immigrants.
If I could wave a magic wand and say "No new immigrants for a month or two, but as a result we're going to have a much better system of getting people in the country and everyone who was afraid of being deported does not need to fear their family being torn apart" I would.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
The Justice Department wants to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census. Noncitizens are counted for the purposes of distributing federal funding, assigning congressional seats, and drawing district maps for elections.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/potential-citizenship-question-in-2020-census-could-shift-power-to-rural-america/2018/01/23/c4e6d2c6-f57c-11e7-beb6-c8d48830c54d_story.htmlGreat way to get even more immigrants to not answer the census.
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I still say we should just build 100 feet of wall somewhere and then photoshop that and just SAY we built a wall. The people that actually run the border right now actually understand how it all works, and no one further than the border is ever going to travel down specifically to look at it. If it's just a fence and not fancy like the great wall of CHina who cares?
No one north of El Paso is ever actually going to physically go to the border to check.
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I still say we should just build 100 feet of wall somewhere and then photoshop that and just SAY we built a wall. The people that actually run the border right now actually understand how it all works, and no one further than the border is ever going to travel down specifically to look at it. If it's just a fence and not fancy like the great wall of CHina who cares?
No one is ever actually going to physically go to the border to check.
One reason I'm not so sure signing off on the wall isn't such a bad thing. I feel like it's going to happen regardless, will be bogged down in red tape and eminent domain and corruption, and is just going to be more of a massive embarrassment than anything. And honestly, if we're putting all our efforts into that garbage, it's better than it going to, say, ICE, which is both more effective and much more evil.
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One reason I'm not so sure signing off on the wall isn't such a bad thing. I feel like it's going to happen regardless, will be bogged down in red tape and eminent domain and corruption, and is just going to be more of a massive embarrassment than anything. And honestly, if we're putting all our efforts into that garbage, it's better than it going to, say, ICE, which is both more effective and much more evil.
Agreed.
Let them take 4 years of dealing with lawyers so they can build like 30 feet of wall.
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To quote a commonly used phrase on the other board I follow stuff on: Disgusted but not surprised.
A more detailed local source: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/politics/southunionstreet/2018/01/23/alabama-house-votes-end-special-u-s-senate-elections/1060217001/
This was planned before Doug Jones won.
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2017/10/alabamas_senate_special_electi.html
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What does legal immigration have to do with illegal immigration? The fact that we don't have a system for them to easily apply and receive citizenship in a timely fashion results in many crossing the border. In this hypothetical, I'm saying that if they took, say a month, to direct all immigration resources towards granting proper citizenship to those in the country and drafting a system that won't result in people needing to cross the border.
You're framing this like the volume of undocumented immigrants is the problem, and not the legal issues and barriers. Which is really bizarre.
Those currently in the country illegally are a higher priority than those who are in the legal process of coming here.
You're talking about it as if they fill out paperwork in their home country and then hop on a plane and arrive here. Do you not understand what a Green Card is? People pretty much HAVE to live in the US for a time before they can apply for citizenship. Meanwhile all sorts of paperwork (even stuff that is handled outside the US) can be on shaky and transient financial and circumstantial grounds. No system like this could ever possibly be just stopped dead in it's tracks without it being a horrible mess that rips through tons of lives.
Moreover, as much sympathy as I have for many illegal immigrants, essentially punishing legal ones to work with illegal ones is about as ass-backwards a solution as I can think up.Take that time, still allow Visa and green card applications to be sent in. However spend the time and resources normally devoted to that stuff all towards solving the problem those are facing right now in this country while establishing a better system of quickly vetting and accepting immigrants.
Normal legal immigration processes are years long grueling marathons. If you put all that on hold to work on a large specific population then you're talking putting all that on hold for years.
Not
a month or two
Years.
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@CCC:
"Furthermore, I hereby decree that the usurper Doug Jones be stripped of his seat retrospectively and the honorable Roy Moore be seated in accordance with this righteous legislation"
-Some good old boy pol in Alabama, probablyCan someone please just sell off Alabama and Mississippi to Chinese investors for strip mining or some shit. Or trick the French into thinking they were part of the Louisiana Purchase and cash in that gift receipt.
Gubernatorial appointments are pretty common for offices like Sessions' former seat. Look at Minnesota, for example. The governor there appointed a Democrat to replace Franken without any special election.
Sure it's cynical but the change is far from scandalous. It's nowhere near as bad as the farce over in North Carolina.
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Mueller set to question Bannon on Flynn and Comey
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/politics/robert-mueller-steve-bannon-questioning/index.html
Bannon's attorney has said that his client will not be able to use the protections of executive privilege
Last week Bannon infuriated lawmakers from both parties after he refused to answer questions
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Take this as you will:
"Trump says willing to be interviewed by Mueller under oath" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-interview/trump-says-willing-to-be-interviewed-by-mueller-under-oath-idUSKBN1FD388
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BREAKING: President Donald Trump says he's "looking forward" to being interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller.
BREAKING: Trump says he's willing to talk to Mueller under oath, says interview could come in 'two or three weeks'
lol what a dumbass.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Senate Democrats are willing to drop their demand that relief for Dreamers be tied to any long-term budget agreement
Traitors.
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What's a Dreamer?
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So, after this "secret society" stuff has blown up in their faces, really curious.
Who is the dumbest legislator?
My options at the moment: Ron Johnson, Chuck Grassley, Trey Gowdy.
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What's a Dreamer?
People who were brought to the US illegally at young ages (by parents usually) and have since grown up here, in some cases this is all they know.
So basically you'd have to be an enormous piece of shit to deport them.
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Traitors.
God damn right they are traitors if they caved this easily.
Do they have the PDF for "How to lose really easy to win elections for dummies" loaded up on their phones as they're negotiating?
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Today's dump from https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/01/25/day-371/
Trump said he's willing to consider a path to citizenship for DREAMers, undercutting his administration's messaging. Trump's off-the-cuff comment – to allow young undocumented immigrants to "morph" into citizens after 10 to 12 years – sent White House staffers scrambling in what one official called a "fire drill."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/01/24/white-house-promises-new-immigration-framework-amid-stalled-negotiations-on-dreamers/Ty Cobb walked back Trump's statement that he was "looking forward" to speaking with Robert Mueller's teamand that he would "absolutely" do so under oath. The White House lawyer said Trump was speaking hurriedly and only wanted to say that he was willing to meet, adding that Trump is "ready to meet with them, but he'll be guided by the advice of his personal counsel."
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/us/politics/trump-mueller.htmlRobert Mueller gave Trump's lawyers a list of potential topics he wants to ask Trump about. The move is part of the ongoing negotiations surrounding an interview between Trump and the special counsel. The topics are focused primarily on obstruction of justice issues, including the firings of Michael Flynn and James Comey.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/politics/special-counsel-trump-interview/index.htmlDemocrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee want to share Trump Jr.'s testimony with Robert Mueller. Democrats suggested that Trump Jr. may have made false statements to the committee, and are pressing the committee's Republican chairman to give Mueller the transcripts from the panel's interviews with key witnesses in the Russia probe.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/24/donald-trump-jr-congress-testimony-mueller-366653The Justice Department warned the House Intelligence Committee chairman that releasing The Memo[emoji769] would be "extraordinarily reckless." The memo claims that the FBI abused its powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in order to spy on the Trump campaign.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/us/politics/devin-nunes-fbi-russia.htmlpoll/ 60% of Americans support marijuana legalization. 37% of Trump voters support legalization.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/nbc-wsj-poll-60-percent-americans-now-support-marijuana-legalization-n840381The NSA has deleted "honesty" and "openness" from its core values website. The page outlines the agency's mission statement, which now features “commitment to service" as its top value, instead of honesty.
https://theintercept.com/2018/01/24/nsa-core-values-honesty-deleted/The Trump administration wants to end support for the International Space Station program by 2025. The ISS costs NASA between $3 to $4 billion each year, and represents a more than $87 billion investment from the US government.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/24/16930154/nasa-international-space-station-president-trump-budget-request-2025A one-page memo from Paul Manafort suggests that federal investigators have an informant inside of Manafort's consulting firm. Manafort's attorneys appear to have accidentally filed the memo in court as part of a routine scheduling motion
https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2018/01/24/mueller-manafort-errant-court-filing-suggests-informant-367464The Doomsday Clock moved forward 30 seconds as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists called the current state of geopolitical affairs "grim." It's now 2 minutes to "midnight."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/01/25/after-a-missile-scare-and-insult-war-with-north-korea-its-time-to-check-the-doomsday-clock/ -
Article headline:
How the GOP Rigs Elections
With a combination of gerrymandering, voter-ID laws and dark money, Republicans have tipped the political scales in their favor. Will it be enough to keep Democrats from claiming victory in 2018?