Monday Open Thread

27
  by: Colorado Pols April 3, 2022 at 11:37 PM MDT

“The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.”

–Lucretius

Tweet
Share

27 Community Comments, Facebook Comments

  1. Voyageur says:
    April 4, 2022 at 7:35 AM MDT

    How about opening salvos from Duke and Gertie?  I need a good dose of common sense to start off this week!

    • Duke Cox says:
      April 4, 2022 at 8:22 AM MDT

      Flattered, I am.

      As luck would have it, I have something on my mind. I don’t recall where or who, but I heard a comment from someone on the tube that really got me thinking. I have recently used a phrase from that comment on these pages. It is a shorter leap from democracy to autocracy, if you can grind that democracy to a halt, or hobble it to the point of ineffectiveness.

      If I have ever heard a true statement about Moscow Mitch, it was when someone pointed out his mastery of the long game. Add that to the lust for power that permeates every cell in his body, and you get a man who is out to get democracy. There is no doubt he won’t rest until he has removed the “democratic” from “democratic republic”.

      Putins’ assistance this time is by way of distraction and focusing Americans’ attention away from the subversion of our democratically elected government, sans cheating.

      Western corporate group think has recently tended toward the quarterly report as opposed to the 10 year plan. Since American business long ago captured the American government, they have similar tendencies. We must remember it is a long, long game.

      In these days of 24/hr news, Snapshot, and the flood of information we daily endure, that awareness threatens to elude us.

      We must understand  where OUR battlefield lies. We are standing on it…

  2. MichaelBowman says:
    April 4, 2022 at 8:46 AM MDT

     

    Roy Blunt on ABC says Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirming to SCOTUS will be “a high point for the country,” but he won’t support her. Asked why by Stephanopoulos, he offers a word salad.

    How on Earth do you expect Ol’ Roy to extract high speaking fees as an ex-Senator from the red hat crowd if one of his final acts was to support an eminently qualified black woman for the Supreme Court?!?!? 

    We better show up for mid-terms as if we were Ukrainians.

  3. DavidThi808 says:
    April 4, 2022 at 8:53 AM MDT

    From CNN:

    I'll give you an example: Level IV body armor is capable of withstanding one or two shots from a Soviet-type round. That technology is controlled by the State Department for US export. The Ukrainians will tell you, "Hey, we have the money to pay for this stuff. We're not asking you to give it to us. We're asking you to sell it to us expeditiously." However, the provision of Level IV body armor is subject to a lengthy process to get US approval for delivery to Ukraine. It is late-to-need as a result.

    Problems like this is where I expect our Congresspeople to step up and exert pressure.

    • Duke Cox says:
      April 4, 2022 at 9:06 AM MDT

      I live in CD3…I will have to rely on someone elses' representative. 

    • gertie97 says:
      April 4, 2022 at 9:07 AM MDT

      Right. Just which one do you think might have the slightest influence at the State Department?

      It sure ain't Boobert.

       

      • DavidThi808 says:
        April 4, 2022 at 9:12 AM MDT

        I think Senators Bennet & Hickenallard both have some influence with the Biden Administration.

        Just as we had the Truman Commission in WWII, maybe the Senate needs a committee focused on insuring we are doing everything we can as fast as possible.

        If we had a committee like that with the right Senators on it taking a very active role I'm guessing the administration would be moving a lot faster. Because who wants to be roasted publicly for not moving fast in this situation?

  4. DavidThi808 says:
    April 4, 2022 at 9:06 AM MDT

    I think President Biden sees the war in Ukraine is a key part of our existential battle between Democracy & Autocracy. He sees that we must fight here.

    I think our Colorado delegation of backbenchers are playing their assigned roles. And Jason Crow as the notable exception is fighting the good fight, pushing President Biden to do more sooner.

    But here's the giant question we not only have not received an answer to – What do you view as victory? From the point of view of the U.S., where we need Putin slapped down enough that he doesn't regroup and invade Poland next, what does Ukraine need to accomplish? What needs to occur before we loosen up sanctions?

    And once that is defined, then how do we achieve that goal? What should be doing now, next month, next year, that credibly will get us to that goal?

    Scrambling quickly to provide resources and implement sanctions was the right thing in the first weeks of the war. But if we don't figure out now where we want to get to, and how to get there, then we are not in control of our destiny.

    So President Biden – what are our goals and how will you get us there?

  5. Conserv. Head Banger says:
    April 4, 2022 at 9:14 AM MDT

    R.I.P.  according to today's Post, Bill Fries passed away on Friday at age 93, in Ouray. He achieved fame from his alter ego, country singer C.W. McCall.

  6. MichaelBowman says:
    April 4, 2022 at 3:57 PM MDT

    This one is for our pfavorite supply chain expert: 

  7. Genghis says:
    April 4, 2022 at 5:08 PM MDT

    The Senate voted 53-47 to bypass the deadlocked Judicial Committee and send Jackson's SCOTUS nomination to a final vote. Jumping ship and voting with the Dems were Collins, Murkowski and R-money. The final confirmation vote will be 53-47 as well, unless some Republicans sit out the final vote.

    Say it with me, y'all: JUSTICE Ketanji Brown Jackson. May she write many a legendary dissent that (sooner rather than later) go on to garner majority support.

    • Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
      April 4, 2022 at 5:15 PM MDT

      I guess three (out of 50) is now the highwater mark for Republican senators acting reasonably on judicial appointments.

      That's down from four since Miss Thing (Drama Queen-SC) had her hissy fit over Biden's refusal to appoint Michelle Childs to the Breyer vacancy. 

       

      • Genghis says:
        April 4, 2022 at 6:38 PM MDT

        Yeah, Dame Lindsey went full wingnut today with his Judiciary Committee vote and tirade about how Brown wouldn't have gotten a hearing at all if the GQP still had control of the Senate.

        • Lauren Boebert is a Worthless POS says:
          April 4, 2022 at 8:06 PM MDT

          I have absolutely no doubt that they wouldn't give a hearing to an extremely well-qualified woman of color. Hell, they didn't even give Merrick Garland a hearing.

          But a miserable and angry white man who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman while drunk, that they have no problem with approving.

    • kwtree says:
      April 4, 2022 at 5:20 PM MDT

      Woo hoo! Justice KJB, indeed. Now, if only Justice Clarence Thomas would fnd that he must recuse himself, at least from January 6 decisions. Or, dreaming bigly, that he must resign from the Court

  8. JohnInDenver says:
    April 4, 2022 at 5:46 PM MDT

    I thought a few of the retiring R Senators would want to add their names to the confirmation, playing the long view that says the GOP is not 94% racists and oppositionists.  I'm not following closely, but I'd think out-going Senators from PA, OH, and NC might want to show the party is not absolutely opposed based on color. 

Leave a Reply

Comment from your Facebook account


You may comment with your Colorado Pols account above (click here to register), or via Facebook below.