The Senate, Task Two!

[JackLuis]

Panicked Mitch McConnell begging federal judges to retire before election as Trump’s 2020 prospects dim

On Monday, the Courier-Journal reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is privately calling Republican-appointed federal judges and urging them to retire, or take senior status, before rather than after the 2020 presidential election.

“Yes, he has made calls,” said one anonymous source close to the GOP leader.

It is unclear when McConnell started making this push, but it continues as President Donald Trump’s re-election prospects look worse than they did a month ago. Media criticism of his handling of the pandemic, the ensuing economic collapse, and the greatly diminished chances that the Democratic primary will end in a brokered convention have all made Trump’s path to a second term rockier.

 

[YDB95]

Doesn't McConnell know the president isn't supposed to appoint any judges during an election year?

 

[KeithD]

Doesn't McConnell know the president isn't supposed to appoint any judges during an election year?

Moscow Mitch is the one who should retire immediately. There's nothing that's going to make his reputation or legacy any cleaner from here on out.

 

[jaF0]

Doesn't McConnell know the president isn't supposed to appoint any judges during an election year?

It'd be cool if somebody could circulate a sound bite of him saying that.

 

[JackLuis]

Bland Moderates Are Not What We Need In The White House Or In The Senate– Let’s Replace Mitch McConnell With Charles Booker

Don't listen to Chuck! Moderation is not the way forward! The Demo Establishment wants a "Moderate" but that hasn't worked.

Blue America has been far more impressed with state Rep. Charles Booker than we have been with Amy McGrath, whose confused and ever-changing positions in 2018 kept us from getting behind her. Booker won the House seat by placing first in a crowded primary and then defeating Republican Everett Corley 76.5% to 21.3%. Please read his guest post below and consider contributing to his campaign .

If Bernie wins in November, a hostile McConnell-led Senate will be pretty deadly for all his plans. And with the Democrats very likely to lose their accidental Alabama seat, they have to win five seats for a majority. Or, one seat– Kentucky’s– to knock out McConnell. Schumer’s DSCC has picked Amy McGrath, a bland moderate who doesn’t stand for much and who couldn’t win a House seat in 2018 that is significantly more open to Democrats than the state as a whole is. McGrath has little to offer beyond McConnell-hatred. Democrats have been trying that for decades– unsuccessfully. This time, many Democrats in the state are telling Schumer and the DSCC to take a walk and they’ll pick their own Senate candidate. Charles Booker seems like a better option and not just because he endorsed Bernie for president.

 

[JackLuis]

Rand Paul Officially Worst Senator From Kentucky

Even during a global pandemic, Rand Paul is still Rand Paul. There's no cure for that. The Senate got off its ass Tuesday and prepared to vote on a coronavirus rescue package. Even Mitch McConnell said the Senate should move at “warp speed" to pass the spending package, which would fund free coronavirus testing, paid emergency leave, and enhanced unemployment insurance. That's just a start. Much more is needed, but people need help right now. And they're not getting it because Paul is a big weasel.

The legislation stalled last night because the Kentucky senator forced a vote on a stupid amendment. He loves to delay if not outright derail bills with BS amendments no one will vote for, so that he can even for a brief moment make everything all about him. Last year, he blocked unanimous consent on a 9/11 victims fund, and he briefly caused a five-hour government shut down in 2018. He was also the only “no" vote on the $8.3 billion coronavirus spending bill the Senate passed earlier this month. Paul will apparently continue to grandstand even during the last days of human civilization.

If you think for even a second that Paul is trying to force bigger and better items into the bill, you don't know Paul as well as his neighbor. His amendment reportedly would "require a social security number for purposes of the child tax credit, and to provide the President the authority to transfer funds as necessary, and to terminate United States military operations and reconstruction activities in Afghanistan."

Rand Paul, the Louis Gomert of the Senate!

 

[JackLuis]

Senators Who Led Pro-Pharma Patent Reform Get Drugmaker Cash

Early last year, as lawmakers vowed to curb rising drug prices, Sen. Thom Tillis was named chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on intellectual property rights, a committee that had not met since 2007.

As the new gatekeeper for laws and oversight of the nation’s patent system, the North Carolina Republican signaled he was determined to make it easier for American businesses to benefit from it—a welcome message to the drugmakers who already leverage patents to block competitors and keep prices high.

Less than three weeks after introducing a bill that would make it harder for generic drugmakers to compete with patent-holding drugmakers, Tillis opened the subcommittee’s first meeting on Feb. 26, 2019, with his own vow.

“From the United States Patent and Trademark Office to the State Department’s Office of Intellectual Property Enforcement, no department or bureau is too big or too small for this subcommittee to take interest,” he said. “And we will.”

Rethug's shaking down the Pharma!

 

[JackLuis]

Major coronavirus bill with CEO bailout fails as Republican senators go into quarantine

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is now under quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus or COVID-19. Because of his contact with other senators, like Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT), it is causing the GOP’s lead in the chamber to dwindle.

At the same time, a person in Vice President Mike Pence’s office tested positive for coronavirus as well.

The Senate held a vote for a massive package that included $500 billion in bailouts for CEOs that Democrats did not support. Republicans needed 60 votes to get the bill to a full vote of the Senate, but it failed to meet the number.

Given so many Republicans are now out of the Senate, it would mean that there would be 48 Republicans to 47 Democrats.

Can we get a Bi-partizan bill now Mitch?...

 

[JackLuis]

‘Grow up!’ GOP’s John Cornyn pounded for ‘tone deaf’ response to COVID-19 relief bill’s failure

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) rudely dismissed criticism by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — and he was blasted by other social media users.

Schumer explained why he and other Democrats voted against the Republican coronavirus relief package, saying it did not focus on hospitals and health care workers, and Cornyn replied by saying, “Blah blah blah.”

 

[anniebaby10]

The fact they cannot get a stimulus passed when so many small businesses are going to go under and that middle class people are suffering is a disgrace. Both parties at fault but from my view, Schumer is holding this up for what? More power to labor unions, cutting 10K in student debt, and other things that have not one damn thing to do with this problem. I am a proud libertarian and my view of government is to protect the people first and foremost. Fuck all these people. Term limits solves this kind of bullshit.

 

[JackLuis]

The fact they cannot get a stimulus passed when so many small businesses are going to go under and that middle class people are suffering is a disgrace. Both parties at fault but from my view, Schumer is holding this up for what? More power to labor unions, cutting 10K in student debt, and other things that have not one damn thing to do with this problem. I am a proud libertarian and my view of government is to protect the people first and foremost. Fuck all these people. Term limits solves this kind of bullshit.

I agree, Senators should serve no more that two terms for their lifetime pensions!

They can be limited by voters you know.

 

[anniebaby10]

I agree, Senators should serve no more that two terms for their lifetime pensions!

They can be limited by voters you know.

We do not allow commercial pilots to fly after age 65. Most surgeons retire around the same time or stop doing high risk procedures. Yet we trust old demented fucks to make our laws? This crisis will wake up a lot of people that we have fucking morons in DC. All of them. No statesmen. Only assholes that want power and money. Everyone leaves office a millionaire. Their spouses and children all have high paying jobs from lobbyists around the world not for their expertise but access to the dumb fuck in power. I am so angry right now about this I cannot fathom how anyone their right fucking mind could not get this done. Truly pathetic and there will be hell to pay when this is over for ALL of these assholes.

 

[KeithD]

The fact they cannot get a stimulus passed when so many small businesses are going to go under and that middle class people are suffering is a disgrace. Both parties at fault but from my view, Schumer is holding this up for what? More power to labor unions, cutting 10K in student debt, and other things that have not one damn thing to do with this problem. I am a proud libertarian and my view of government is to protect the people first and foremost. Fuck all these people. Term limits solves this kind of bullshit.

Bullshit. Schumer is holding it up because the Republicans are trying to make it into yet another screw everyone but the fat cats and give the fat cats another payday exercise. Defend the sticking point--the Republicans' insistence on an unaccountable $500 million slush fund to be doled out by a corrupt Trump administration. How much of that goes to the workers? Have you no historical perspective on how these Republican shenanigans work out?

 

[JackLuis]

Bullshit. Schumer is holding it up because the Republicans are trying to make it into yet another screw everyone but the fat cats and give the fat cats another payday exercise. Defend the sticking point--the Republicans' insistence on an unaccountable $500 million slush fund to be doled out by a corrupt Trump administration. How much of that goes to the workers? Have you no historical perspective on how these Republican shenanigans work out?

Correction Pilot. $500 BILLION!!! which is almost as much as the DOD budget and we don't even get cool aeroplanes that go zoom zoom zoom!

All that money and no Boom Boom!


Americans rage against #GOPSlushFund and #TrumpSlushFund as stimulus bill fails for second time

 

[KeithD]

Correction Pilot. $500 BILLION!!! which is almost as much as the DOD budget and we don't even get cool aeroplanes that go zoom zoom zoom!

All that money and no Boom Boom!


Americans rage against #GOPSlushFund and #TrumpSlushFund as stimulus bill fails for second time

Oh, well, that's OK then. As long as they are talking more beautiful, more bigger.

 

[JackLuis]

Senate to move forward on coronavirus stimulus bill after striking deal

Washington The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on a $2 trillion stimulus bill responding to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, after lengthy negotiations between congressional Democrats and Trump administration officials resulted in an early morning breakthrough.

The legislation is the largest stimulus package in American history, and includes an expansion of unemployment benefits, direct payments to taxpayers and hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to companies, hospitals and state and local governments. Congressional aides were finalizing the legislative text of the bill Wednesday morning.

McConnell announced in a speech on the Senate floor early Wednesday morning that there will be a vote to pass the legislation later in the day. The Senate is back in session at noon.

If approved by the Senate, the measure will go to the House for a vote. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who introduced her own competing bill earlier in the week, indicated in a statement that she was pleased with the final Senate package.

"The Republican bill proposed by Senator McConnell on Sunday was a non-starter. This bipartisan legislation takes us a long way down the road in meeting the needs of the American people," Pelosi said. "House Democrats will now review the final provisions and legislative text of the agreement to determine a course of action."

Mnuchin told reporters Wednesday morning that President Trump would "absolutely" be pleased to sign the newly negotiated bill.

"This is a very important bipartisan piece of legislation that is going to be very important to help American workers, American business, and people across America. So, we couldn't be more pleased," Mnuchin told reporters. "I've spoken to the president many times today and he's very pleased with this legislation, and the impact that this is going to have."

The timing of the Senate vote remains uncertain. Schumer told CBS News that aides are still drafting legislative text to reflect some of the final elements of the bill that were agreed upon last night. That text needs to be reviewed by the leadership offices on both sides, plus administration officials, and any necessary tweaks must be made before it can be inserted into the bill.

Schumer could not say how long all that would take, but he and McConnell still insisted that a vote will take place sometime Wednesday.

The finalized plan, according to Schumer's office, includes expansion of the unemployment insurance program, increasing the maximum unemployment insurance payment by $600 per week for four months. It also provides $150 billion to invest in hospitals, and increases in funding for state, local and tribal governments to respond to the crisis.

The newly negotiated package also resolves some of the criticisms by Democrats about transparency. The bill would prohibit businesses controlled by the president, vice president, members of Congress and heads of executive branch agencies from receiving loans or investments from Treasury programs. It would also require any loans granted to big businesses to be disclosed, a key sticking point in earlier talks.

The initial proposal by McConnell also included direct cash payments of $1,200 to most Americans earning under $75,000 per year. Schumer's summary of the deal didn't indicate there had been any changes to this provision.

 

[JackLuis]

What's in the Senate's $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package?

What's in the Senate's $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package?

The legislative text has yet to be released, but Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a summary of its provisions to colleagues early Wednesday. Here's what's in the $2 trillion package, the largest in U.S. history:

Direct payments of $1,200 to most individuals making up to $75,000, or $2,400 for couples making up to $150,000. The amount decreases for individuals with incomes above $75,000, and payments cut off for those above $99,000.

Expanded unemployment benefits that boost the maximum benefit by $600 per week and provides laid-off workers their full pay for four months

$367 billion in loans for small businesses

$150 billion for state and local governments

$130 billion for hospitals

$500 billion in loans for larger industries, including airlines

Creation of an oversight board and inspector general to oversee loans to large companies

Measure prohibiting companies owned by President Trump and his family from receiving federal relief

 

[JackLuis]

Stock on edge after the Dow's biggest rally since 1933

Stocks were mixed on Wednesday as investors weighed whether the $2 trillion stimulus package may offset some of the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic. The package would provide direct payments to most Americans, expand jobless benefits, provide $367 billion to small businesses, and assist state and local governments.

The Dow was little changed at 20,704 in early trading. The broad-based S&P 500 slipped less than 1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 1.2%.

The mixed reaction comes after the Dow on Tuesday surged 2,113 points, or 11.4%, marking the biggest ever point gain in the index and the largest percentage gain since 1933. Investors were hopeful that the $2 trillion package may offset some of the economic damage inflicted on the U.S. economy by the pandemic.

The two-day rise in the Dow is far from reversing the extended slump that began in February. Since notching an all-time high on February 12, the index has shed almost 30% of its value. That means the market remains in "bear" territory, or when stocks lose at least 20% of their value from their most recent high.

 

[JackLuis]

McConnell's Toxic, Partisan Game Has Wasted 10 Days Of Critical Coronavirus Response Time

With Senate Democrats and the White House about to forge an agreement on a coronavirus package, it's worth revisiting how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has wasted 10 critical days of Senate time—in the middle of a pandemic—playing a toxic, partisan game.

Pretty grim, Mr Reaper!

 

[JackLuis]

The Senate corporate bailout package is a ‘robbery in progress,’ warn critics

“This is a robbery in progress,” wrote David Dayen, executive editor at The American Prospect. “And it’s not a bailout for the coronavirus. It’s a bailout for twelve years of corporate irresponsibility that made these companies so fragile that a few weeks of disruption would destroy them.”

“We can call it a bailout. But this is so big it is more like Congress is creating a new government for our economy, replacing our old government. And this one doesn’t have any meaningful democratic protections. A pandemic coup.”

So like TARP the Govt doesn't take an equity position, just pours money down a rat's ass? Govt should just buy stock in the Co's, at market, then the Co's can buy it back at Market when they get well. Meanwhile all CEO's/ CFO's work for $1 a year until they get even.

 

[JackLuis]

McConnell hits brakes on next economic stimulus package

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hit the brakes Tuesday on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) plan to move ahead with a fourth stimulus package that would include major infrastructure spending and other Democratic priorities.

“I think we need to wait a few days here, a few weeks, and see how things are working out,” McConnell said on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”

“Let’s see how things are going and respond accordingly,” he added. “I’m not going to allow this to be an opportunity for the Democrats to achieve unrelated policy items that they would not otherwise be able to pass.”

The GOP leader said the Senate will resume confirming Trump’s judicial nominees when it reconvenes later next month. Confirming federal judges was McConnell's top priority on the Senate floor before it was interrupted by Trump’s impeachment trial and debate on coronavirus legislation.

“We will go back to judges,” he said. “My motto for the rest of the year is leave no vacancy behind.”

 

[JackLuis]

‘You deserve to lose!’ Lindsey Graham gets shredded for begging for campaign cash during pandemic

Sen. Lindsey Graham issued a somber plea for campaign donations during the coronavirus outbreak — and he was met with furious mockery.

The South Carolina Republican faces a strong Democratic challenger in Jaime Harrison, as well as criticism from fellow Republicans, and he asked supporters for campaign donations for himself and prayers for health care workers on the front lines of the global pandemic.

His plea was met with disdain for the shit stain of this Trump Sucker!

 

[JackLuis]

Lindsey Graham’s ouster called for by ex-GOP congressman: ‘You sold your soul to Donald Trump’

“Respectfully Lindsey, even though I’m a conservative, I’m supporting your opponent Jaime Harrison,” Walsh wrote.

“I’m not a Democrat, but you’ve been in DC too damn long, and you sold your soul to Donald Trump,” he explained.

 

[phrodeau]

The Senate could have better prepared the country for a pandemic back in January, but they refused to remove Trump from office.

That one fact overshadows all the charitable handouts they might agree to.

 

[YDB95]

The Senate could have better prepared the country for a pandemic back in January, but they refused to remove Trump from office.

That one fact overshadows all the charitable handouts they might agree to.

I don't know that President Pence would have done a better job. He probably thinks bringing prayer back to schools would have taken care of it.