A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

More good news about the Biden economy.

ABC reports, "Monthly inflation fell significantly. Prices rose 0.1% in November, cooling down from a 0.4% increase in October.

CNN reports, "Mortgage rates fell once again this week, dipping for the fifth straight week.

"The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.31% in the week ending December 15, down from 6.33% the week before, according to Freddie Mac. A year ago, the 30-year fixed rate was 3.12%.

"Mortgage rates have risen throughout most of 2022, spurred by the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented campaign of harsh interest rate hikes to tame soaring inflation. But mortgage rates have tumbled in the last several weeks, following data that showed inflation may have finally reached its peak.

"Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, cooled considerably in November and was at its lowest level in nearly a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ closely watched index, released on Tuesday."

Unfortunately, as was widely expected, the Federal Reserve announced a 0.50 percentage point interest rate hike Thursday, further increasing the costs of credit cards, auto financing and variable-rate loans.

The stock market crashed.

The fed chairman, Jerome Powell, wants to add a million more jobless in 2023 to cool inflation.

There are times I wonder which side Powell is on. Millions of Americans, including me, lost millions of dollars today.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A few days ago I wrote, "Thursday's report from the Commerce Department showed that prices rose 6% in October from a year earlier. That was the smallest increase since November 2021 and was down from a 6.3% year-over-year rise in September. Gas prices nationwide have plunged to their lowest level since February.

"The economy added 263,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate stayed 3.7%, still near a 53-year low, the Labor Department said Friday.

"The Biden economy is on fire, full employment, job growth, robust spending, and now an easing of inflation combined with lower gas prices. What's not to like?"

I have been following politics for over a half century. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever envision a part of the American government causing severe damage to our economy. The actions taken by the Fed yesterday and its announcement that it will do it again and again caused the stock market to crash.

Moreover, the Fed's actions combined with the expert naysayers promising a recession may cause Americans to talk themselves into a recession by hoarding their money, killing the robust spending that is driving our economy now. After all, Americans lost millions in their investment accounts yesterday and again today, and that is directly related to what the Fed did and is saying.

CNN reports, "The good vibes on Wall Street are fading fast: the US slide tumbled yet again on Friday as investors come to grips with a souring economy."

Question: Is a "souring economy" a bad thing? The Fed and CNN seem to think so. See what I mean!

CNN continued, "Is the Fed to blame? Sentiment on Wall Street can change on a dime, and this week is evidence of that: The Dow has tumbled about 1,050 points just since the Federal Reserve’s dour policy update at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday.

"Stocks had been riding high this month on weaker-than-expected inflation and a number of stronger-than-expected reports on the broad economy and the job market. Investors were hopeful that the Federal Reserve could slow its historic pace of rate hikes and inflation could right itself sometime next year without tipping the economy into a recession.

"That excitement continued right up until Fed Chair Jerome Powell crashed Wall Street’s party Wednesday with some tough news: Economists at the Fed believe US gross domestic product, the broadest measure of America’s economy, will barely grow next year.

"And they predict the US unemployment rate will rise to 4.6% by the end of 2023, which means roughly 1.6 million more Americans will be out of work."

According to Powell, throwing 1.6 million Americans out of work is a good thing.

It will reduce inflation.

This is nuts!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Well, we all knew this was coming, including the forum's Republicans, many of whom voted for Donald Trump.

Politico reports, "The Jan. 6 select committee is preparing to vote on urging the Justice Department to pursue at least three criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, including insurrection.

"The report that the select panel is expected to consider on Monday afternoon, described to POLITICO by two people familiar with its contents, reflects some recommendations from a subcommittee that evaluated potential criminal referrals. Among the charges that the subcommittee proposes for Trump are insurrection; obstruction of an official proceeding; and conspiracy to defraud the United States government.

"The document, according to the people familiar, includes an extensive justification for the recommended charges.
To justify incitement of insurrection, the report references U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta’s February ruling saying Trump’s language plausibly incited violence on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters besieged the Capitol in a bid to disrupt congressional certification of his loss to Joe Biden.

"The panel’s lawmakers have debated the value of referrals at length through the end of their investigation. But in recent days, they’ve made the referrals into a play for history and have stressed their symbolic nature, regardless of what DOJ might do.

"The enormous cache of evidence the panel plans to release next week, including transcripts of over 1,000 witness interviews, could prove to be an even more significant development by helping federal prosecutors determine which leads to track and which witnesses may have committed crimes themselves."

It is anticipated that the forum's Republicans will continue their silence. After all, why start now? Trump was a huge mistake on their part, and they know that now.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

ABC opines, "They've been called some of the "darkest days" for American democracy.

"The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election have become alarming inflection points in the nation's history.

"Millions of Americans have watched as a House select committee revealed the sobering results of its investigation in a series of public hearings from June to October, including moments of bombshell testimony.

"But did what the committee calls an "attempted coup" nearly two years ago have lasting political impact?
There have been some positive signs of change, political scientists told ABC News, pointing to election-denying candidates being defeated in some high-stakes midterm races.

"We've got to remember that this was not a product of just one candidate or one president," Robert Lieberman, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University told ABC News. "There are still a lot of underlying structural conditions in American politics that produce this sense of threat ... I think it would be a mistake to believe that the danger has passed."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CBS reports, "The House Jan. 6 committee voted to refer criminal charges to the Justice Department for former President Trump and lawyer John Eastman for their alleged roles in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"The whole purpose and obvious effect of Trump's scheme were to obstruct, influence, and impede this official proceeding, the central moment for the lawful transfer of power in the United States," committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin said.

"The committee made four criminal referrals for Trump: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Conspiracy to Defraud the United States; Conspiracy to Make a False Statement and "Incite," "Assist" or "Aid and Comfort" an Insurrection.

"Referrals by Congress are merely recommendations, and the Justice Department is under no obligation to bring charges against those referred for prosecution. Still, the committee's referrals could increase political pressure on the department to act, and lawmakers could unveil new evidence in their final report that federal prosecutors have not yet accessed."

“Ours is not a system of justice where foot soldiers go to jail and the masterminds and ringleaders get a free pass,” Raskin said.

Roughly 35% of the Republican base, educationally challenge rural voters, are not paying attention to any of this. They do not want to know, and their blind loyalty to Trump continues.

As will their complete silence on these issues.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

Jeremi Suri writes, "The House January 6 committee’s decision to issue criminal referrals against former President Donald Trump marks a return to old expectations about the rule of law and its equal application to all citizens. The referrals are advisory and the Department of Justice will ultimately decide whether to indict Trump, but the January 6 committee’s message is loud and clear. They believe the former president should be prosecuted for serious crimes against the country.

"The founders of our republic would approve. In creating the executive branch of the US government in Article 2 of the Constitution, the founders included a mandatory oath that affirmed the president must be deferential to the law, not vice versa. The president must “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” – the highest law of the land.

"What the founders feared most was a president who would wield his power as an unchecked king to serve his personal interests and those of his friends. That is why the founders kept the office of the executive small, gave Congress the power of the purse and subjected the commander in chief to election every four years. They expected presidents to be humble and limited in their power. The criminal referrals against Trump return our country to those wise assumptions."

That says it all. The last sentence is the antithesis of the egotistical sociopath's thinking. For Trump, everything is about Trump.

Still, the rural folks love him.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"What the founders feared most was a president who would wield his power as an unchecked king to serve his personal interests and those of his friends. That is why the founders kept the office of the executive small, gave Congress the power of the purse and subjected the commander in chief to election every four years. They expected presidents to be humble and limited in their power. The criminal referrals against Trump return our country to those wise assumptions."

Here is what I find revealing in terms of guilt or innocence.

Trump and Eastman have responded to the allegations made by the Jan. 6 committee. They completely ignored the evidence and used unflattering characterizations of the committee's massive endeavor. Nothing is said about what happened, what Trump said on that day, and the huge amount of material that proves their guilt.

“The Fake charges made by the highly partisan Unselect Committee of January 6th have already been submitted, prosecuted, and tried in the form of Impeachment Hoax # 2. I WON convincingly. Double Jeopardy anyone!” Trump wrote.

This has been going on for months. Never once has Trump dealt with the evidence, and Trump refused to appear before the committee to explain his innocence.

Is this conscience of guilt?

Sure as hell is.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump and Eastman have responded to the allegations made by the Jan. 6 committee. They completely ignored the evidence and used unflattering characterizations of the committee's massive endeavor. Nothing is said about what happened, what Trump said on that day, and the huge amount of material that proves their guilt.

The Hill reports, "Senate Republicans are stepping out of the way of the House Jan. 6 committee’s recommendation that the Justice Department prosecute former President Trump for crimes related to the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"GOP senators, especially those allied with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), say the Jan. 6 committee interviewed “credible” witnesses and added to the historical record in a substantial way, even though they have qualms about how Democrats have tried to use the panel’s findings to score political points."

Note: Can't find any Republican, Senator or otherwise, who will explain the second half of that sentence. Of course, most Republicans, Senator or otherwise, are staying silent about the former President's coup attempt and are staying away from the colossol amount of evidence proving Trump's guilt.

The Hill continued, "Now they say it’s up to Attorney General Merrick Garland or Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith to investigate or indict Trump, but they’re not waving federal prosecutors off from prosecuting the former president.

“The entire nation knows who is responsible for that day,” McConnell said in a statement, pointing the finger squarely at Trump in response to the House Jan. 6 committee referring four criminal charges against Trump to the Justice Department."

“The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their President,” the Republican Senate minority leader said in February 2021.

Trump is still the leader of the Republican Party because of his support from rural America and is the Republican candidate for President in the 2024 election.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

More problems for Trump. This is what happens when a man thinks he is above the law or steeped tradition.

In this case, it is tradition. Starting with Jimmy Carter every President up through Barack Obama voluntarily disseminated their tax returns for every year they were in office.

That ended with Trump.

Perhaps that is because the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, helped Trump get elected in 2016 and there is a financial connection between the two.

Now that may change.

The Post reports, "Today, the House Ways and Means Committee is meeting to decide whether to publicly release six years of former president Donald Trump’s federal tax returns that it obtained after a lengthy court battle. The move by the Democratic-led panel could be the latest headache this week for Trump after the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol voted unanimously Monday to refer four criminal charges against him to the Justice Department."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Post also reported, "Meanwhile, Democratic and Republican negotiators early Tuesday unveiled a roughly $1.7 trillion deal to fund the U.S. government through most of 2023, setting up a late-hour scramble on Capitol Hill to approve the sprawling package and avert a potential shutdown on Friday.

"In a sign of Republican support for the omnibus spending legislation, several Republicans joined the Democrats in the majority on a procedural vote about the bill. The procedural vote passed 70-25.

"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) supports the legislation even though the leaders of Republicans in the House are urging party members to oppose it."

Please note, the House is still controlled by Democrats, and the omnibus bill is expected to pass this week.

 

[Common Sense 1]

Look to our Southern border. There is no way that disaster can be anything but a big fat F!!

3 to 4 million illegal aleins have invaded the country. Biden has sole and complete responsibility.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

3 to 4 million illegal aleins have invaded the country. Biden has sole and complete responsibility.

Why? Please tell us why or your statement is meaningless.

The Trump administration passed Title 42 three years ago, sharply curtailing the flow of illegal immigrants. Now Title 42 is coming to an end, so instead of migrants crossing the border over a three-year period, they are all coming at the same time.

The Trump administration is responsible for the current problems at the border.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

More problems for Trump. This is what happens when a man thinks he is above the law or steeped tradition.

In this case, it is tradition. Starting with Jimmy Carter every President up through Barack Obama voluntarily disseminated their tax returns for every year they were in office.

That ended with Trump.

Little wonder as to why the forum's Republicans are staying quiet about the worst President this country has ever had, the President they voted for.

In addition to being impeached twice and having been criminally referred by Congress on four charges, what is Trump hiding in his tax returns?

Maybe we will find out.

CNN reports, "It will take time for lawmakers and the public to digest the trove of documents relating to former President Donald Trump’s tax returns released Tuesday night by the House Ways and Means Committee.

"Trump repeatedly defied convention and refused to release his tax returns both as a presidential candidate and as a sitting president.

"The committee, which is responsible for IRS oversight and writing tax policy, had long sought and finally obtained just a few weeks ago Trump’s tax returns for 2015 through 2020. Its stated aim was to review “how the IRS enforces the federal tax laws and ensures compliance by a president.”

"Here are some of the top initial takeaways from the committee’s report.

"The Ways and Means Committee assert that the IRS presidential audit program was “dormant” during Trump’s term.

Note: The IRS is a part of the executive branch of government.

"Trump paid a combined $1.1 million in federal income taxes in 2018 and 2019, a stark contrast to the $750 he paid in 2017 and $0 in 2020.

"The Ways and Means Committee said it intends to release Trump's actual tax returns.

"The release could come in a matter of days. First, Neal said, sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers and account numbers must be redacted."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "The final report the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack is set to release Wednesday launches a new era for criminal investigators, politicians and members of the public who have been eager to see the nuts and bolts of its work."

There has been a change caused by the hoopla created by Zelensky's visit to the White House and the capitol.

CNN explains, "In an updated guidance, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol said it “now anticipates its final report will be filed and released tomorrow.”

CNN added, "In addition to the report, the committee will start the much-anticipated rolling release of thousands of pages of witness transcripts, the behind-the-scenes building blocks to its investigation that the Justice Department, Republican lawmakers and witnesses themselves have been calling for."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "House Republicans on Wednesday released a report focused on security failures at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, highlighting well-documented breakdowns in intelligence sharing, Capitol security and coordination between various law enforcement agencies that responded that day.

"Their primary recommendation centers around reforming the US Capitol Police Board and bolstering congressional oversight of the Capitol Police force – two issues that were identified by lawmakers of both parties in the wake of the January 6 attack.

"The GOP report is silent on other efforts to disrupt the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election and selective in its criticism of political leaders and their culpability in the security breakdowns on January 6. The report resurfaces largely unfounded allegations to cast blame on Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while glossing over former President Donald Trump’s own role.

"Republicans cast the report as a rebuttal to the House select committee’s investigation into January 6 as they are set to take control of the chamber and endeavor to take back the narrative. Republican lawmakers have said the security failures are paramount and that the select committee overstepped its mandate in its 17-month probe."

That's it. Republicans have a difficult job. They are trying to defend a guilty man.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A few days ago I wrote, "Thursday's report from the Commerce Department showed that prices rose 6% in October from a year earlier. That was the smallest increase since November 2021 and was down from a 6.3% year-over-year rise in September. Gas prices nationwide have plunged to their lowest level since February.

"The economy added 263,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate stayed 3.7%, still near a 53-year low, the Labor Department said Friday.

"The Biden economy is on fire, full employment, job growth, robust spending, and now an easing of inflation combined with lower gas prices. What's not to like?"

Now ABC reports, "Shrugging off rampant inflation and rising interest rates, the U.S. economy grew at an unexpectedly strong 3.2% annual pace from July through September, the government reported Thursday in a healthy upgrade from its earlier estimate of third-quarter growth.

"The rise in gross domestic product — the economy's output in goods and services — marked a return to growth after consecutive drops in the January-March and April-June periods.

"Driving the third-quarter growth were strong exports and healthy consumer spending."

Despite all the positive signs of our powerful economy, there are still pessimists amongst us predicting a recession, most lean Republican. They prefer our economy failing while President Biden is in office.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This has been going on for months. Never once has Trump dealt with the evidence, and Trump refused to appear before the committee to explain his innocence.

Is this conscience of guilt?

Strange how Republicans as a whole are remaining silent about what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and the developments that led up to that fateful day that caused a sitting President to incite an unsuccessful coup.

CNN reports, "The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection released more than 30 witness interview transcripts Wednesday from key figures who aided former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including the likes of conservative attorney John Eastman and one-time national security adviser Michael Flynn.

"While the transcripts largely confirm that most of these individuals invoked their Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination during their interviews with the committee, a review of their complete testimony sheds some new light on the panel’s closed-door depositions.

"Several of the witnesses whose transcripts were released in full Wednesday appeared in the committee’s report summary that was produced this week, which noted they largely refused to provide substantive answers to the panel’s questions. But at the same time, the transcripts show how witnesses like Eastman and Flynn – both of whom pushed baseless claims about widespread election fraud – failed to provide the committee with any proof of their assertions (that Trump was the true President).

"Flynn asserted his Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination to nearly every question.

"Conservative lawyer Eastman – whose role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election has come under scrutiny -- invoked the Fifth Amendment to every question asked by the panel.

"Roger Stone’s interview with the select committee lasted 51 minutes and he took the Fifth Amendment with every question.

"Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, whom Trump wanted to install as attorney general, invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 120 times – including when asked if he had worked at the Justice Department on January 6, 2021.

"Investigators seemed particularly focused on who paid for Proud Boys to travel to and stay in Washington. Former Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio did not provide the committee any information about Proud Boys donors or finances."

Trump and his associates are convicting themselves. Only a person who committed a crime wants to hide that fact (pleading the Fifth).

The forum's Republicans will plead the Fifth by remaining silent on these issues.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"The Biden economy is on fire, full employment, job growth, robust spending, and now an easing of inflation combined with lower gas prices. What's not to like?"

McCarthy and House Republicans aside, this is our government should work, not daily controversies, but solid progress, the hallmark of the Biden administration.

NBC reports, "The Senate voted Thursday to pass a $1.7 trillion government funding bill, sending it to the House to avoid a holiday shutdown.

"The vote was 68-29 on sweeping legislation that would keep the government funded through next fall and overhaul election laws in an attempt to prevent another Jan. 6. It came after votes on a potpourri of amendments, including landmark workplace protections for pregnant and breastfeeding employees.

"The bill also includes nearly $45 billion in aid to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a joint meeting of Congress that U.S. support is “crucial” in helping it fend off Russian aggression. The package includes $9 billion for weapons and more than $15 billion in economic and humanitarian aid.

"The bill now heads to the House, which has one more day to pass it before a government shutdown at midnight Friday. After it passes the House, the legislation goes to President Joe Biden, who will sign it into law."

This President gets things done.

During the previous administration, the government was shut down twice.

 

[Ishm]

Strange how Republicans as a whole are remaining silent about what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and the developments that led up to that fateful day that caused a sitting President to incite an unsuccessful coup.

CNN reports, "The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection released more than 30 witness interview transcripts Wednesday from key figures who aided former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including the likes of conservative attorney John Eastman and one-time national security adviser Michael Flynn.

"While the transcripts largely confirm that most of these individuals invoked their Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination during their interviews with the committee, a review of their complete testimony sheds some new light on the panel’s closed-door depositions.

"Several of the witnesses whose transcripts were released in full Wednesday appeared in the committee’s report summary that was produced this week, which noted they largely refused to provide substantive answers to the panel’s questions. But at the same time, the transcripts show how witnesses like Eastman and Flynn – both of whom pushed baseless claims about widespread election fraud – failed to provide the committee with any proof of their assertions (that Trump was the true President).

"Flynn asserted his Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination to nearly every question.

"Conservative lawyer Eastman – whose role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election has come under scrutiny -- invoked the Fifth Amendment to every question asked by the panel.

"Roger Stone’s interview with the select committee lasted 51 minutes and he took the Fifth Amendment with every question.

"Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, whom Trump wanted to install as attorney general, invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 120 times – including when asked if he had worked at the Justice Department on January 6, 2021.

"Investigators seemed particularly focused on who paid for Proud Boys to travel to and stay in Washington. Former Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio did not provide the committee any information about Proud Boys donors or finances."

Trump and his associates are convicting themselves. Only a person who committed a crime wants to hide that fact (pleading the Fifth).

The forum's Republicans will plead the Fifth by remaining silent on these issues.

"According to Trump, pleading the 5th is the refuge of mobsters." "Why would you plead the 5th if your not guilty?" So, it seems we can safely assume that the ex-president, by his own admission, was working with mobsters.

 

[Davin]

So foolish. Half the nation, the democrats may be having a feelingof optimism but the other half, republicans don't share that feeling.
So a former press secretary for Biden has come out with more dirt on the Bidens, Joe and Hunter. I'm curious, if we find out that all the dirt on Hunter and Joe taking money from Ukraine, China and Russia is true, what would be your reaction?

Wait I thought you all said “tell-all”’books were political garbage? Or was that only when they were about Trump?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The forum's Republicans will plead the Fifth by remaining silent on these issues.

Devoted Trump Republicans, largely educationally challenged rural voters, farmers, farm hands, rural shopkeepers, do not have the knowledge to deal with the issues pertaining to the Trump-led Jan. 6 insurrection. The proof of that is their persistent silence on the issues.

Moreover, they don't want to know.

What is really sad is that they chose our President in 2016 completely unaware Vladimir Putin wanted Trump to be our President. Noting all the turmoil created by Trump, Putin has been richly rewarded.

NBC reports, "The House Jan. 6 committee on Thursday unveiled its formal report, the final product of its historic 18-month investigation into the deadly attack on the Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election."

“[A]fter nearly a year and a half of investigation, I am frightened about the peril our democracy faced. Specifically, I think about what that mob was there to do: to block the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another based on a lie that the election was rigged and tainted with widespread fraud,” Jan. 6 committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., wrote in the foreword of the report.


“The rioters were inside the halls of Congress because the head of the executive branch of our government, the then-President of the United States, told them to attack. Donald Trump summoned that mob to Washington, DC. Afterward, he sent them to the Capitol to try to prevent my colleagues and me from doing our Constitutional duty to certify the election."

"They put our very democracy to the test,” he added.

Republicans chosen by rural voters blamed Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the coup attempt. "Reps. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Rodney Davis, R-Ill., Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., and Troy Nehls, R-Texas, largely blamed bureaucratic mismanagement and "political pressures" [on] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ho...ounter-report-jan-6-security-failures-capitol.

Devoted Trump Republicans, largely educationally challenged rural voters, farmers, farm hands, rural shopkeepers, do not have the knowledge to deal with the issues pertaining to the Trump-led Jan. 6 insurrection.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

“The rioters were inside the halls of Congress because the head of the executive branch of our government, the then-President of the United States, told them to attack. Donald Trump summoned that mob to Washington, DC. Afterward, he sent them to the Capitol to try to prevent my colleagues and me from doing our Constitutional duty to certify the election."

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
*************************************************************************************Donald J. Trump, Jan. 6, 2021

 

[Sandy Shanks]

McCarthy and House Republicans aside, this is how our government should work, not daily controversies, but solid progress, the hallmark of the Biden administration.

ABC reports, "A measure of inflation closely watched by the Federal Reserve slowed last month, another sign that a long surge in consumer prices seems to be easing.

"Friday's report from the Commerce Department showed that prices rose 5.5% in November from a year earlier, down from a revised 6.1% increase in October and the smallest gain since October 2021. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation was up 4.7% over the previous year. That was also the smallest increase since October 2021.

"Higher prices and borrowing costs may be taking a toll on American consumers. Their spending rose just 0.1% from October to November and didn’t rise at all after adjusting for higher prices.

"Americans' after-tax income, however, rose 0.3% in November even after accounting for inflation."

Republicans will be disappointed. They want the successful Biden economy to fail and slip into a recession. You don't have to believe me. That is what they are saying.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

It is hard to imagine that Americans allowed the election of a man so evil and so stupid, a man so stupid his supporters are not able to defend his actions.

That cannot happen again.

Jill Filipovic writes, "After more than a year of digging through evidence to understand what happened on one of the darkest days in American history, the House January 6 committee has issued its findings: Former President Donald Trump aided an insurrection and should be charged with multiple felonies.

"That conclusion is extraordinary, unprecedented and wholly necessary exactly two years after Trump sent a late-night tweet to his supporters to come to Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, promising that it “will be wild!”

"The question, though, is what the Department of Justice will do, and what the consequences of that decision may be. Indicting Trump would be incredibly controversial and would no doubt enrage many. And there are risks, too, of fueling the perception that Democrats are using the DOJ to go after political opponents. If it were simply about partisan revenge, such a prosecution would be disgusting and egregious.

"But the committee’s findings are about a shocking attack on American democracy, one with which the nation has not fully reckoned. How strong are our democratic institutions if those who attempt to level them can simply walk away without being held accountable? Can a democracy thrive if attempts to topple it are simply washed away?

"That so many Americans fell for the lie that the election was stolen and were willing to engage in acts of violence in furtherance of it is a national shame, and it’s unclear how to solve this problem — all the facts in the world don’t seem to sway people who are deeply committed to their own conclusions."

Republicans will remain silent.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas.

Here is an interesting take on the 2022 election. It was much closer than people think, but it was a historic victory for the Democrats, thanks to Donald Trump.

CNN reports, "A lot of people have tried to draw lessons from the 2022 elections, which ended earlier this month. Whether it be Democrats’ historically strong performance for a party in power during a midterm or the lack of Senate incumbents losing, the takes have been aplenty.

"But perhaps the most important lesson as we head into the 2024 cycle hasn’t gotten enough oxygen: the closeness of the 2022 midterms. Indeed, an examination of the data reveals that 2022 was a historically close election in a historically divided era.

"Let’s start with seat counts in governorships and in the House and Senate. Post-election, neither party dominates. Republicans have maintained the thinnest majority of governorships (52%) and House seats (51%). Democrats will control the Senate with a bare majority (51% of the seats).

"What is unusual is to have all three be so closely divided. This is the first time since the popular election of senators (1914) when neither party will hold more than 52% of governorships, House seats or Senate seats."