All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tazirai]

The only reason the election isn't over is because of Sanders being stubborn. Biden's got a huge lead, and Florida is all but his - we saw how this played out with Clinton. This is about who has the most delegates to win the primaries, once that happens it's over so we can focus on bigger things - like the general. Voting isn't there to simply be a means to punch the Democratic party in the face.

So question, when Hillary KNEW she was losing to Barack, why didn't she drop out?

[Steel Inquisitor]

So question, when Hillary KNEW she was losing to Barack, why didn't she drop out?

She was much closer then Sanders was to either of them and she didn't go all the way to the finish line.

[TheDarman]

She was much closer then Sanders was to either of them and she didn't go all the way to the finish line.

If I recall correctly, too, she had a theoretical claim to the popular vote given that Michigan and Florida didn’t count due to some shenanigans. And if the superdelegates has kept backing her instead of shifting over to the clean delegate leader with Obama, she would’ve also led in delegate count. It was MUCH closer. At no point prior to the superdelegate switch was Obama 300+ delegates ahead of Clinton. At this point, we’re looking at a Kerry and Dean situation more than an Obama and Clinton one.

[TheDarman]

Where no one has really been going after him.

Palin or Ryan?

Honestly, that might as well have been one hundred years ago. This guy ain't the guy who took part in those debates.

It absolutely is the same guy. Biden has been known to gaffe for decades now. The things people are picking on him for aren’t new. They have been omnipresent since the day I started paying attention to politics and Obama picked him as his running mate.

[numberthirty]

It absolutely is the same guy. Biden has been known to gaffe for decades now. The things people are picking on him for aren’t new. They have been omnipresent since the day I started paying attention to politics and Obama picked him as his running mate.

Got to politely disagree.

Have the flubs always been there? Sure.

That said, the guy stumbled right to a dead stop in an interview that should have been a holiday in the sun. There's no version of that interview that should not be, at the very least, concerning.

[TheDarman]

Got to politely disagree.

Have the flubs always been there? Sure.

That said, the guy stumbled right to a dead stop in an interview that should have been a holiday in the sun. There's no version of that interview that should not be, at the very least, concerning.

I personally haven’t seen this interview but Biden seemed pretty polished at the debate and even won it over Sanders in my view. So, yeah, I will have to disagree quite vehemently. We always knew he was a gaffe machine, but certainly not more so than Trump. No intellectually honest observer can make such a claim.

[ed2962]

Why are Glenn beck, Jerry Falwell jr., and Candace Owens still a thing?

Conservative Candace Owens Says ‘Some People Will Die’ but Calls for ‘Business as Usual’ During Coronavirus Crisis

When someone responded to her Periscope stream that “Life comes before Liberty in the Declaration of Independence,” Owens wrote back​, “Life does not mean ‘you get to live forever’. It means you have a right to life. A virus is not taking away your right to life.”

What? As bad as they might be, at least other republicans can make statements that have some sort of logic. She doesn't even make sense.

[XPac]

To be honest in a debate with Trump Biden will look very bad. Trump will eat him alive.

In all fairness, Biden did okay against Bernie.

But that's almost seeming like an anomaly at this point.

[TheDarman]

I gotta give Bernie credit where it is due, he’s only stating his intention to delay the bill to stop the Republicans from gutting the unemployment benefits within the bill. This is exactly what I want to see from him right now.

[Mister Mets]

Twitter user Polimath considers the argument for why people should not consider the health of the economy at all when lives are at stake.

The economy as an abstract concept can jump in a lake, but also I want all my stuff made by fairies and my food grown by the mole creatures delivered to me by imaginary gnomes so I can live in total comfort in my isolation chamber.

Also the supply chain is run by elves.

The argument that we can't put a price on human life just isn't feasible. Otherwise, we would go broke as a nation keeping hopeless cases alive a little bit longer.

I dont think it would be for people on social security to not get a check. They are under the 75,000 income limit. And most are older people on a very limited income. So I dont see why they should be excluded.

Everyone who files taxes gets a check, including those receiving social security.

Those on social security who do not file taxes will still receive money, but it may take a little longer, because the government needs files from the Social Security Administration in order to determine the level of the rebate.

https://fortune.com/2020/03/25/stimu...t-payment-faq/

Will retirees and Social Security beneficiaries receive stimulus checks?
Yes. The proposed bill includes language that allows Americans receiving Social Security—many of whom are retired and don’t file taxes—to obtain direct financial assistance through the coronavirus stimulus package. In such cases, the government would access their data through the Social Security Administration to determine their rebate.

That said, not all older people who are already reliant on government assistance are immediately eligible for a rebate. According to Steve Wamhoff of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) think tank, the current bill excludes recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a federal welfare program granted to elderly and disabled people who are often living in poverty and, in many cases, aren’t required to file tax returns.

[XPac]

I personally haven’t seen this interview but Biden seemed pretty polished at the debate and even won it over Sanders in my view. So, yeah, I will have to disagree quite vehemently. We always knew he was a gaffe machine, but certainly not more so than Trump. No intellectually honest observer can make such a claim.

A gaffe is one thing, but some of Bidens recent stuff is cringy ... almost uncomfortable to watch.

I think the bottom line is he is not doing a good job selling himself.

[TheDarman]

A gaffe is one thing, but some of Bidens recent stuff is cringy ... almost uncomfortable to watch.

I think the bottom line is he is not doing a good job selling himself.

Weren’t the most recent excerpts coming from a day of marathon interviews?

I recall a lot of folks making similar excuses for their favorite actors laughing and calling fictional female characters particular slurs because they had been doing similar press junkets all day (see Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans during the Age of Ultron press junket). These things probably aren’t easy to do from a small part of your house all day. Not to say it is a good performance, but I really think he should’ve paced himself. We wanted him talking and out in public. We didn’t need him going for 12 hours straight on TV interviews.

[4saken1]

Apparently, nobody told them that the spoiler vote isn't a real thing!

Montana GOP Paid $100K to Qualify Green Party for Ballot

[Tazirai]

Boeing CEO says the quiet part out loud.

Like why are Hospitals getting less money than CEOs in this bailout?

[Tazirai]

Weren’t the most recent excerpts coming from a day of marathon interviews?

I recall a lot of folks making similar excuses for their favorite actors laughing and calling fictional female characters particular slurs because they had been doing similar press junkets all day (see Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans during the Age of Ultron press junket). These things probably aren’t easy to do from a small part of your house all day. Not to say it is a good performance, but I really think he should’ve paced himself. We wanted him talking and out in public. We didn’t need him going for 12 hours straight on TV interviews.

I agree with Xpac. There is something wrong with Biden, seriously. He is not a well man. I've worked with older patients in a nursing home and have seen, mental decline in people. They have moments of extreme lucidity. But are for the most part in decline most of the time. Biden is being kept out of sight for a reason.

Something is not right with him. I'm not trying to be an ass, but objectively something isn't there that used to be.
Him standing at a podium just chillin and saying nothing, just staring? That's not a stutter or a gaffe, that's loss of thought.