The far left joins hands with the far right to try and sink us again

[Peacetrain]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/squad-vote-against-capitol-police-funding-makes-pelosi-scramble-exposing-perils-of-slim-majority/ar-AAKcUkP


I am tired.. tired to the bone of not only having to fight the looney tunes of the right, but then to have our left edges join hands with the right looney tunes and start jumping off the proverbial cliff.. God give me strength.. and please do not message me that they knew it would pass and so they were just making a point..

The Trumpian screwballs are trying to destroy our Democracy.. can't we pull together for something like this.. to expose the far right terrorists???? We need to keep the capital police that protects our legislators funded and prepared for the next attack.. because it will come.. the right is that crazy

[madaboutharry]

1. I am with you Peacetrain.

It often feels to me that some think making a point is more important than people.

[TheBlackAdder]

17. The political spectrum isn't a straight line in opposing directions, it's circular, extremes overlap

[demmiblue]

2. They knew it would pass. n/t

[Fullduplexxx]

4. Yea it didnt just squeak by dems knew they had the votes

So they were allow to vote their way .

[bottomofthehill]

11. They did not know it would pass

The Speaker had to hold the previous vote open for over an hour to get the one vote she needed for the Bill to actually pass. For a while it did not look like it was going to pass.

[betsuni]

15. Thank you.

"Shouts of 'Let's go' and 'Order' could be heard from the floor." That hour sounds pretty chaotic to me, not like everyone knew the votes were there.

[Fullduplexxx]

3. "We cannot support this increased funding while many of our communities continue to face police brut

“We cannot support this increased funding while many of our communities continue to face police brutality while marching in the streets, and while questions about the disparate response between insurrectionists and those protesting in defense of Black lives go unanswered.”

[sheshe2]

7. So his black life doesn't matter.

Officer Eugene Goodman


Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman is being called a hero for a second time after footage shown at the impeachment trial shows him directing Mitt Romney away from an advancing mob.

snip
Officer Goodman was already being praised for his bravery that day, after singlehandedly steering a mob away from the Senate chambers.

Video footage showed him just steps ahead of rioters as they chase him up a flight of stairs.

Mr Goodman is then seen glancing towards the Senate entrance before luring the men in the opposite direction.

Five people, including a police officer, died as a result of the riots.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55623752

Sure, he survived and saved a lot of lives that day.

The vote pisses me the hell off. It is always all or nothing for some folks. Let's fix things that need to be fixed one step at a time. It is absurd to believe you can fix it all in a day.

[mcar]

24. Right?

[sheshe2]

27. I am so angry.

[betsuni]

29. All or nothing, nothing is ever good enough, incrementalism is bad.

This was for supporters of Justice Democrats. Can't wait to see the next fundraising email.

[mcar]

41. There's a thread of

gee, Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer are doing too well, we have to stand up to them and be righteous.

[betsuni]

43. "Speaking truth to power" and "taking on" ... Democrats.

[mcar]

44. And yet, I rarely see them "take on" Republicans

[betsuni]

45. Oh no, "taking on" is only for Democrats.

[brush]

5. Yeah, they need to pick their battles better. It's obvious from...

what happened on Jan. 6 the Capitol police need more resources because they were completely overwhelmed. Not smart of the squad going with the defund the police meme towards people who protect the building you work in.

213 to 212 vote and it passed, barely. One small miscalculation or mishap/accident and the bill would've failed. Fight the republicans not your own party.

[marble falls]

6. Far right GOP and far left GOP? I don't get it.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. I mean...the Capitol Police are already overfunded. Funding was not the problem on January 6.

Most of what they do is traffic stops, and then after that it's minor drug arrests. Their budget is already more than 10 percent of the entire U.S. Legislative branch. Its budget is bigger than that of DC proper's. They don't need more.

[bottomofthehill]

12. The least of what they do is minor drug arrests and minor traffic violations

That is not what the agency is charged with. Running around looking for drugs and traffic violations is actually discouraged.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

30. Half of what they report is traffic violations.

https://firstbranchforecast.com/2021/01/06/a-primer-on-the-capitol-police-what-we-know-from-two-years-of-research/

Half of the incidents reported are traffic stops: Of the 745 incidents that occured between December 19, 2018 and December 19, 2020 51.7% (385) included charges for traffic-related infractions. Furthermore, 14.2% (106) of incidents were drug related, with drug related defined as reports including the terms “marijuana,” “powder,” “substance,” “pipe,” “joint,” “paraphernalia,” or “leafy.”

[bottomofthehill]

14. Also, the USCP budget is not larger than the Metropolitan Police budget

[WhiskeyGrinder]

31. Fair, that's what I get for posting while drinking. A person could argue they're comparable, though.

DC police budget:

But DC Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, which oversees MPD spending, cut more than $9.5 million from that, recommending DC Police get a roughly $568 million operating budget in fiscal year 2021.

Source: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/defund-police-mpd-black-lives-matter-protests/65-29baa332-d23d-40b3-82e1-6e0e8d8de384

Capitol Police budget:

The little-known department has a budget that exceeds $515 million for FY 2021— constituting almost 10% of Legislative branch funding — and nearly 2,450 employees, around 2,000 of whom are sworn officers.

Source: https://firstbranchforecast.com/2021/01/06/a-primer-on-the-capitol-police-what-we-know-from-two-years-of-research/

[bottomofthehill]

32. You are right, they are close

And it is Friday night so hopefully you are enjoying getting your drink on. What is the drink of choice.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

35. It's been a long week so I broke out the Bombay Sapphire.

[bottomofthehill]

36. I was never much of a Gin Drinker.

Captain and Ginger in the winter and Mr Gay and tonic in the summer. Always plenty of lime.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

37. I can't do rum, so we could drink together without poaching.

We'll get someone else to provide the tonic.

[bottomofthehill]

39. Winner!

[Hekate]

9. KnR

[Fiendish Thingy]

10. This does not bother me in the least- Manchin and Sinema's obstruction is way more destructive. Nt

[aocommunalpunch]

13. Same reply Manchin and Sinema get:

elect more Democrats.

[RegularJam]

16. I don't mind their vote or position on this.

They did not join forces with the right. The republicans who voted to pass it aren’t joining forces to fight with Democrats.

I’m not going to like everything this faction of our party does. With that, I’m proud of the group holding down our flank on the left. They are not extremists and bring something to the table. The Green New Deal has influenced members of our party and the concept of defunding the police has departments across the country taking action for the better.

[c-rational]

18. I was reminded today that we are not out of the woods yet, and we only just saved

our democracy. Not a good time or vote just to make a point.

[Autumn]

19. The Squad would have changed their votes if if looked like it was going to sink

I support them not voting for it, police budgets do not need to be increased. They should get the same response the esteemed Dems from AZ and WV receive when they vote their conscience.

[DFW]

20. Bush, Pressley and Omar equated the funding with White Supremacy

That is sloganeering worthy of Lee Atwater. Needless to say, I‘m not buying it. Protecting Nancy Pelosi (and themselves) from the wild animals that attacked the Capitol on January 6th didn‘t have a whole lot to with white supremacy. You don‘t fight the Battle of Gettysburg on Bunker Hill.

[betsuni]

22. +1

[sheshe2]

28. Truth.

[mcar]

42. This

[BannonsLiver]

21. The lack of basic political intuition is spectacular.

[mcar]

23. The horseshoe gets closer to meeting

Some of these so-called "progressives" still seem to want "the revolution" rather than saving lives and helping people.

[hurl]

25. Manchin and Omar coexist in the same party

If that's not evidence of the bigger tent concept, I don't know what is. Whether I agree with everyone all the time or not, the more of us, the better. We are not authoritarian Republicans who face political consequences if they fall out of line.

[PatrickforB]

26. Peacetrain, I gotta tell you...

This Washington Examiner that actually printed this (though it was picked up by MSN, so I suppose it makes fair game) is a right-wing tabloid. The Washington Examiner is owned by Phillip Anschutz.

Anschutz is a Coloradan, or at least he has a residence here. He is a billionaire parasite, worth over $10 billion. He is also a crazy Evangelical who (according to Wiki) "has donated to conservative causes and groups that are pro-family and pro-life. Anschutz contributed $1 million to conservatives during the 2016 U.S. elections, and $200,000 to Republican politicians and political action committees during the 2017 elections.

To be fair, he donated $1 million to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation LGBT Fund in 2018.

But he is still a right-wing nut-job who has acquired a bunch of right-wing tabloids. Please, think about this. Ask yourself cui bono - who benefits from an article like this, and why? Let me assist our speculation:

1. A right-wing tabloid is written for a right-wing audience for the purpose of feeding them talking points. (and making money).

2. Because it is Phillip Anchutz, such an article might have been 'picked up' by MSN. Perhaps the editor of the Washington Examiner knows someone at MSN. Who knows? But it was picked up and 'mainstreamed.'

3. How would MSN benefit by parroting on this story? Easy. It creates 'controversy' and so raises ratings. Higher ratings = higher advertising profits.

4. How does it benefit the right? Because when it gets published on here, it serves to drive a wedge, which we can plainly see in the thread.

5. Why does driving a wedge between centrist and progressive Democrats benefit the right? Because, right now the GOP is imploding. It has been in disarray since the treasonous insurrectionists were incited by Donald Trump to storm the Capitol on January 6. Now, it is splitting right down the middle. Look at their internacine battles in WY and AZ with the absurd recount. They have truly, obviously, and publicly become the party of crazy conspiracy theories, religious nut-jobs, and stupid traitors.

6. In the meantime Biden's popularity still stands at 59%, and his Administration's personifies hope and competence. Stunning competence. Aggressive competence. They are great, and Biden is proving transformational.

But now, we have to have a wedge because three young and relatively inexperienced members of the House voted no on the capitol police finding, and several voted 'present.' It passed, but by one vote. In the House. And this article lays out a whole case that there is a huge wedge in the Democratic Party, because, hey, these guys don't HAVE anything else.

Again, please, I implore you, do not make a wedge out of this event, and certainly do not allow a crazy conservative tabloid owned by a right-wing religious nut-job to even drive a wedge. There need not be one.

[Mysterian]

33. WTF is the "far left?"

Sounds like some Tucker fucking Carlson.

[betsuni]

34. Justice Democrats.

They think corrupt "corporate Democrats" don't want progressive legislation, will do anything to stop it, because they're bribed and only care about money:

"The Democratic establishment is simply unwilling to take action on transformative polices the working people of this country need. They're unwilling to take on this fight because so many Democratic politicians take money from the corporate PACs and Wall Street CEOs that benefit from inaction."

"The Democratic establishment sometimes seems like one big bucket of Wall Street and corporate PAC money, all going towards protecting the status quo."

When Democrats are "corporate Democrats" but Republicans are just Republicans, when Democrats are the "conservatives holding Congress hostage" (Saikat Chakrabarti, Justice Democrats founder), when both sides are the same but Democrats are the bigger enemy to be hated more (think Michael Moore calling the "old guard" of the Democratic Party "a greater roadblock to social progress than Trump is" ).

That's far left. Democrats and Justice Democrats have the same equality goals. They can't really make it about policy except for the idea that if you don't support particular slogans you aren't progressive, so they make it about character attacks.

[GulfCoast66]

38. Excellent summary!

And you did not even mention supporting very liberal candidates in an attempt to primary more mainstream democrats running in swing districts. That’s what pisses me off the most. Tells me they are not interested in actual change, but clicks and media attention.

I doubt I’ll ever see a Democratic Congress representative. But if I do he or she will not be someone the squad will like. Nature of my district.

[wellst0nev0ter]

40. Yeah, throw more money at the problem, that's the ticket

The capitol police already has a bigger budget the Dallas, Houston, Detroit and Atlanta police departments.

This bill will make the capitol police budget a hell of a lot more than that of the DC police itself.

As we have already seen, the capitol police had absolutely no problems busting heads and protecting the privileged against BLM protestors last summer. Wonder what made 1/6 such a colossal failure?

[wellst0nev0ter]

46. Bookmarking this thread when Manchin inevitably blocks the bill

Will be needing a lot of popcorn watching the usual suspects twist themselves in knots explaining how Manchin is being a noble statesman in upholding the filibuster or voting against the bill for some reason or another.