All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Zelena]

Drop what you're doing and watch Governor Cuomo rip Trump a new one for 10 minutes:

https://twitter.com/K_JeanPierre/sta...988018176?s=20

This Cuomo sounded very worried…

[skyvolt2000]

I will not be going back to school this year-Governor Abbott closed EVERYONE down for the rest of the school year. Public, private and college.

State parks in Texas will re-open.

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04...t-coronavirus/

Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced initial steps to reopen the Texas economy during the coronavirus pandemic, including those that in the next week will loosen surgery restrictions at medical facilities, allow all retail stores to provide product pickups and reopen state parks.

Abbott also named a "statewide strike force" devoted to getting the economy going again. Austin banker James Huffines will chair the task force, while veteran lobbyist Mike Toomey will lead its staff. The group will oversee what Abbott described as a phased reopening, starting Friday with additional announcements set for April 27 and sometime in May.

At the same time, Abbott announced all Texas schools will stay closed through the rest of the academic year. He had previously shuttered them until May 4.

Abbott said the task force will include fellow state leaders such as Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, as well as top medical experts including state health commissioner John Hellerstedt and Mark McClellan, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The medical advisers will focus on developing a strategy to "comprehensively test and trace COVID-19 that will enable Texas to gradually and safely" begin returning to normal, Abbott said.

Another order, which goes into effect 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, will allow a limited amount of nonessential surgeries at hospitals, as long as those surgeries don't deplete the hospitals' supplies of personal protective equipment and allow the facilities to keep at least 25% of their capacity available for the treatment of patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

reviewing that date, Abbott said "one of the things that we will consider is the elimination of the stay-at-home policy," which Abbott announced late last month and expires April 30.

[Jack Dracula]

I just found it funny that they felt the need to bring their guns in the first place. This isn't a 2nd Amendment issue. You're protesting cuz you want to go outside and work and socialize...so what's the point in bringing your weapons?

Because they can. Now they will go online and brag about how they were protecting their freedoms or some such nonsense.

Twitter is getting a little uglier, and a little dumber.

Sometimes I wonder if there's any coming back from the hell-scape of ignorance the GOP has dragged this country into.

[Malvolio]

Yeah, I could imagine an Oprah administration with Dr. Phil as Education Secretary and Dr. Oz as Surgeon General. They'd actually be worse than the hacks Trump has in those positions right now.

Maybe Dr. Oz would be. But as bad as Dr. Phil is, I seriously doubt he could be as bad as that know-nothing Betsy DeVos.

[Wildling]

She has good business sense, and she saw that they would be good for ratings. I am not sure that means she would choose them to be on her cabinet.

Compared to Trump right now, someone like Oprah (or The Rock) in the Oval seem like would be closer to President Camacho, who at least knew when to let more intelligent people than himself take over for the good of the nation, instead of inciting on Twitter incidents that look like deleted scenes from Purge movies.

[TheDarman]

Joe Manchin, the Democratic Senator from West Virginia, gives his endorsement to Joe Biden.

Dang. This is quite the unifying week for Biden. You have the most conservative (and, I’d argue, most lonely) voice in the party signaling he will support Biden. This is after a week of endorsements from Sanders (the flag-bearer for the progressive wing of the party), Obama (the party’s last president and most popular figure), and Warren (the liberal firebrand). I don’t know how much Manchin’s endorsement means, other than the fact that everyone in the party is getting more comfortable with Biden being the nominee and on the up-ballot ticket.

[PwrdOn]

Joe Manchin, the Democratic Senator from West Virginia, gives his endorsement to Joe Biden.

Dang. This is quite the unifying week for Biden. You have the most conservative (and, I’d argue, most lonely) voice in the party signaling he will support Biden. This is after a week of endorsements from Sanders (the flag-bearer for the progressive wing of the party), Obama (the party’s last president and most popular figure), and Warren (the liberal firebrand). I don’t know how much Manchin’s endorsement means, other than the fact that everyone in the party is getting more comfortable with Biden being the nominee and on the up-ballot ticket.

Not sure if you noticed this, but there aren't any other candidates left in the race, so what else would they do, endorse Trump?

[Gray Lensman]

Not sure if you noticed this, but there aren't any other candidates left in the race, so what else would they do, endorse Trump?

Taking one's ball and going home is an option too. A bad option, but still an option.

[TheDarman]

Not sure if you noticed this, but there aren't any other candidates left in the race, so what else would they do, endorse Trump?

A character like Manchin might be better served politically to endorse Trump or no one at all given which state he represents and Trump’s approval rating there.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Maybe Dr. Oz would be. But as bad as Dr. Phil is, I seriously doubt he could be as bad as that know-nothing Betsy DeVos.

Dr. Phil has tremendous influence, he came into the limelight via Oprah.

[InformationGeek]

Oh yeah, Trump is preparing to make sure his fanbase never accepts anything but him winning in this coming election.

[TheDarman]

Oh yeah, Trump is preparing to make sure his fanbase never accepts anything but him winning in this coming election.

This is dangerous rhetoric that proves how dangerous it was to elect the guy in the first place. I think it would've been bad enough in 2016. But now he is going to make sure that everyone on his side is unable to dismiss this possibility as a "sore loser" bias. He won once and he will claim that he could've done it again if Democrats hadn't "cheated".

[PaulBullion]

Joe Manchin, the Democratic Senator from West Virginia, gives his endorsement to Joe Biden.

Dang. This is quite the unifying week for Biden. You have the most conservative (and, I’d argue, most lonely) voice in the party signaling he will support Biden. This is after a week of endorsements from Sanders (the flag-bearer for the progressive wing of the party), Obama (the party’s last president and most popular figure), and Warren (the liberal firebrand). I don’t know how much Manchin’s endorsement means, other than the fact that everyone in the party is getting more comfortable with Biden being the nominee and on the up-ballot ticket.

AOC also gave an interview on the view that has been interpreted as a clear Biden endorsement. Not "official channels", but if you can unite a party from Cortez to Manchin, that's a coalition Trump needs to worry about.

[PaulBullion]

Not sure if you noticed this, but there aren't any other candidates left in the race, so what else would they do, endorse Trump?

Did you miss this?

Manchin: I'm open to supporting Trump in 2020

“I’m with him sometimes more than other Republican senators are with him,” he added. “Washington Democrats are making it more difficult for me to be a West Virginia Democrat.”


Trump easily won West Virginia during the 2016 presidential election with almost 70 percent of the vote, which was his largest share of the vote in any state.

Manchin faces a tough race in November against his GOP opponent, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Unlike other vulnerable Democrats, Manchin has shown public willingness to side with Trump at times.

Trump mocked Manchin behind closed doors in a meeting with Senate Republicans for excessively trying to hug him.

“We just kind of do the man-bump type thing. That’s it. And I think he’s pulling me as much as I’m pulling him,” Manchin said of his relationship with Trump.

So yeah, getting the Manchin endorsement means Trump fucked up having a possibly ally. Are you old enough to remember Zell Miller? They probably could have groomed Manchin to speak at the convention if they had not slid so far into corruption and fascism.

[Tendrin]

Did you miss this?

Manchin: I'm open to supporting Trump in 2020



So yeah, getting the Manchin endorsement means Trump fucked up having a possibly ally. Are you old enough to remember Zell Miller? They probably could have groomed Manchin to speak at the convention if they had not slid so far into corruption and fascism.

Much as we all hate him, Manchin is a very smart politician.