foxbat

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/488698-trump-gets-polling-boost-but-will-it-last' FTA: “Presidents tend to get a bump in wartime as Americans rally around the flag, so it would be no surprise that in a time of crisis the president’s approval rating took a turn in a more positive direction,” said Tim Malloy, the polling director for Quinnipiac University. ... At the moment, only the Harris Poll shows Trump’s overall job approval rating over the 50 percent mark. That bump has not been reflected in polling averages, such as FiveThirtyEight’s job rating aggregator, where Trump’s approval is at 43 percent. Several other surveys conducted over the past few days have put the president in the 46-47 percent range.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/politics/mcconnell-coronavirus-cnntv/index.html FTA: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday defended the Senate Republicans coming up with a proposed $1 trillion economic stimulus plan to battle the coronavirus without any input from Democrats, saying bipartisan negotiations were skipped in favor of speed. https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-13/house-expected-to-vote-on-economic-stimulus-package-for-coronavirus FTA: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin reached a deal Friday on an economic stimulus package to address the coronavirus, providing paid sick leave for workers and pumping billions of dollars to states for food programs and unemployment benefits. Pelosi announced the agreement Friday evening, not long after President Trump trashed it at an afternoon news conference. “We are proud to have reached an agreement with the administration to resolve outstanding challenges, and now will soon pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” she wrote in a letter to colleagues late Friday. A few hours later, Trump tweeted his own endorsement. “I encourage all Republicans and Democrats to come together and VOTE YES!” Trump wrote.

You're posting about a man with negative net approval ratings in the fourth year of his presidency? And this isn't a single poll ... it's an average of LOTS of polls including the President's favorites like Rasmussen which skews right. For all the data points going back all the way to the beginning ... https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_trump_job_approval-6179.html#polls.

He also said that he and Xi "loved" each other too ... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3047071/donald-trump-says-he-and-chinas-xi-jinping-love-each-other FTA: “He’s for China, I’m for the US, but other than that we love each other,” Trump said in his speech, stirring laughter in the room. “Our relationship with China has probably never been better. We went through a very rough patch, but it has never, ever been better.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/14/asia-pacific/science-health-asia-pacific/contradicting-trump-key-white-house-figure-says-u-s-disappointed-chinas-virus-transparency/#.XnfAq3J7nmE FTA: Trump told the Geraldo Rivera “Roadkill” radio program that he has confidence in Beijing and understood officials’ reluctance to provide information. “I think they want to put the best face on it,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to run out to the world, and go crazy and start saying whatever it is, because you don’t want to create a panic.” “I think they’ve handled it professionally and I think they’re extremely capable and I think President Xi is extremely capable,” he said. Contrary to Kudlow’s description of Beijing’s not allowing access, Trump said: “We’re working with them. We’re sending a lot of people.” Of course, there's always Kim too that the President has such a great relationship with ... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/world/asia/north-korea-missile.html FTA: North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Saturday in the country’s third weapons test this month, the South Korean military said. ... The tests have signaled a return to provocative actions by North Korea a year after a failed summit meeting between Mr. Kim and President Trump. Of course, he fell in love with Kim too ... https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/09/30/trump-kim-jong-un-fell-in-love-west-virginia-rally-bts-vpx.cnn

He's a "libertarian" in a GOP sweater vest. Gotta admit though, the look works for him.

I wasn't specifically commenting on the candidates, but instead on the cavalier attitude that somehow or another citizenry is rooting for a mud fight and that the idea of the Presidency has been reduced to reality show entertainment at its lowest level.

Again, amazingly sad.

A sad commentary on where we go from here. We are talking about the Presidency of United States, not an undercard in a traveling carnival show.

Didn't read the article again did you? https://time.com/5804477/justice-department-drops-charges-mueller-probe/ I doubt that prosecutors worry too much about being razzed by a defense attorney. If they are, then they shouldn't be in the business to begin with. Again, from the article, "Prosecutors vowed to continue to pursue their case against the 13 Russians who were named in Mueller’s indictment, along with the troll farm that Concord was alleged to have funded, the Internet Research Agency." I think "passionate" may be a bit strong a word. I tend to be a supporter of paying attention to what's going on and not acting like it doesn't exist. And, just so we're pretty clear, you seem to believe that this item means that there's no merit to any of the claims, indictments, etc. That's the kind of argument that folks who defend Al Capone probably made ... never been indicted for murder or anything else, other than tax issues. Obviously he's no criminal, right? While YOU may not consider Yevgeny Prigozhin to be anyone of interest, there's a reason that he's tied very closely to Putin and it ain't because he's his conscience: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50264747 https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm787 https://www.vox.com/world/2018/2/26/17044930/yevgheny-prigozhin-putin-mueller-troll-farm Of course, as I pointed out in another thread, it's ironic that you post a video complaining about the media "defending China" ... of course the latest talking points directly from the President himself ... as if that makes them somehow or another bad people or, God forbid, un-American , but you revel in attacking a card-carrying Republican, who served this country VOLUNTARILY in Vietnam and served as a Deputy AG/FBI Director/ Assistant AG under three different presidents.

My post wasn't a question of blaming Trump. It was in response to a video that tried to make it seem bad that the media would "defend China." Mr. Carlson has repeated tried to make the media and anyone else who might not buy in hook, line, and sinker to what the President is saying as somehow "at fault" or worse "un-American." I merely pointed out that there's a fundamental shakiness to Mr. Carlson's underlying inferences and charges and that our own president would fall in that category too if we are examining it in detail. Nothing more, nothing less.

In an amazing bout of irony, @Howe posts a video in one thread about how the media is taking China's side and then flips around to brag about how the JOD is dropping Russian prosecution. Of course, what's missing is the reasoning WHY which doesn't fit with @Howe's inference. Prosecutors have stated: FTA: Still, prosecutors argued that the company’s request to have sensitive new evidence sent to Russia “unreasonably risks the national security interests of the United States.” Some of the court appearances in the case have been unusually contentious, with the federal judge overseeing it chastising a lawyer for Concord, Eric Dubelier, for references in court filings to Looney Tunes and the 1978 raunchy comedy “Animal House” to criticize the Mueller investigation. “I’ll say it plain and simply: Knock it off,” U.S District Judge Dabney Friedrich told Dubelier at a January 2019 court appearance. Dubelier, who has referred to the case as involving a “made up” crime, has made allegations of prosecutorial misconduct and even once accused the judge of bias. The judge rejected the allegation. But with the case approaching trial, prosecutors said they had to weigh the risk of potentially exposing sensitive national security information against the benefits of continuing with the case against a company that likely wouldn’t face any significant punishment in the U.S. In the court filing on Monday, prosecutors said Concord had been “eager and aggressive in using the judicial system to gather information about how the United States detects and prevents foreign election interference.” “In short, Concord has demonstrated its intent to reap the benefits of the Court’s jurisdiction while positioning itself to evade any real obligations or responsibility,” prosecutors wrote. “It is no longer in the best interests of justice or the country’s national security to continue this prosecution.” Concord Catering did not have attorneys appear in court, but prosecutors said they would seek to drop charges against that company as well because it too was controlled by Prigozhin and “based on the likelihood that its approach to litigation would be the same as Concord.” Prosecutors vowed to continue to pursue their case against the 13 Russians who were named in Mueller’s indictment, along with the troll farm that Concord was alleged to have funded, the Internet Research Agency.

An interesting question from someone who backs a president who takes the word of Putin over his own intelligence agencies. By the way, don't forget that Trump told us all he believed Xi. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/22/trump-on-coronavirus-from-china-we-have-it-totally-under-control.html

With the Dow down a couple grand again today, it's now at a point lower than when Trump took office. Given that Trump tied almost all of his presidency on the economy, it could be problematic. While there was a previous cartoon showing the Democratic Party relying on the Corona virus as an election strategy, similarly, Trump will likely need to also depend on it, from a 180 perspective and also hope for major economic snapback in seven months. Being an external factor, as opposed to a foundational item like the Great Recession financial problems, it's possible ... the question will be, "Is it probable?" Of interest is that Trump will likely end up having to campaign on the same things that Republicans campaigned again Obama on in 2012 ... a bailout and a stimulus package payout.

Biden's margins of victory have outperformed Clinton's 2016 run against Sanders in 23 of 24 contests prior to yesterday's. It also hasn't hurt that Sanders has run a more "Trumpian" type of race this time around than in 2016. Many candidates go far to one side or the other and then pivot back in the general, but I think Sanders got some bad advice this time around that what's good for Trump might be good for others. The swing in the 2018 mid-terms where many in the GOP tried that tactic and lost seats should have made Sanders more skeptical.

Same could probably be said for gun stores/shows and some really sketchy hole-in-the-wall restaurants too.

With life slowing down a bit, maybe a chance to get back to some good old-fashioned book reading. Whether it's from these lists or just one that you've had on the shelf that you just haven't cracked yet due to the push-and-pull of life: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/7-fiction-books-that-change-the-way-you-think?utm_source=pocket-newtab https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/15/books-to-read-while-quarantined-coronavirus https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ariannarebolini/spring-break-books-to-read-self-quarantine https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/21-books-youve-been-meaning-to-read https://www.powells.com/25-books-to-read-before-you-die

And a part of it was also due to uneven treatment from the government ... especially from the top. First it's no big thing and we're tremendously prepared, then it's a big enough thing to shut down travel from some countries, then we've got plenty of testing going on, then it turns out that wasn't exactly true, then it would pass when it got warm, then it would maybe be around for a few months ... Folks have no stake in the ground to work from, no steady tiller, etc. and, when that happens it flows with the currents regardless of whether it's a steady stream or a rip-tide. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/media/fox-news-donald-trump-coronavirus-reliable-sources/index.html https://www.kpbs.org/news/2020/mar/17/poll-americans-dont-trust-what-theyre-hearing/

Purdue just cancelled their in-person graduation, but will seemingly offer a virtual ceremony. They are offering for spring grads to return to be recognized at a future ceremony.

From Pocket ... https://blog.getpocket.com/2020/03/corona-virus-collection/ FTBlog: Looking for reliable facts and context on coronavirus? Stay informed with this curated guide to the global outbreak. Updated 3/15/20 For the latest news and data from affected countries, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security offers daily recaps with case counts, travel restrictions, and more. The World Health Organization has useful guides on protecting yourself and how to tell fact from myth.

Market response doesn't seem to be too cheery. Maybe the implementation will be better? In any case, there will be some who will come out of a fed rate drop in good shape ... a few of them live or have jobs in DC. I'm just not sure that it will be the ones who actually need it.

Biden commits to picking a female VP running mate tonight in the debates. My thoughts on likely Biden VP candidates, should he win the nomination, are: Abrams - Very close to winning Georgia governorship even with shenanigans present. Georgia is trending purple and will have TWO GOP Senate seats up this year due to Isakson's retirement announcement. Sabato shows both races in traditionally red Georgia as "lean Republican." Cook shows the special election for Isakson's seat as "lean Republican" with Perdue's re-election seat as "likely Republican." Could Abrams put Georgia in play as well as possibly have coattails for a Senate seat too? If so, are the tails long enough for Tillis' seat in NC too? ... Cook has that one as a toss-up as does Sabato too. Potential for stronger Black turnout in the South in particular. Harris - I would see Harris, especially given Abram's potential, as being relatively low. Being from California, she doesn't really bring any specific votes that aren't already there and doesn't necessarily have any coattail effect either. I'd see her more as a Cabinet position/AG. On the outside, a judicial appoint ... which was also promised by Biden. McCaskill - Unlikely to help shift MO although she brings a little power to the "Midwest" flavor, but I'm not sure, with Klobuchar in play, that McCaskill helps much. Warren - Biden did a little name-dropping during the debate, but Warren and Sanders with the M4A backing would likely require a "modification" of stance from Warren before being considered. The thing that she would bring to the table would be the ability to get under Trump's skin repeatedly. She'd have no problem holding her own against a Pence ... if he's even still on the ticket ... come the presidential debates, but her role would best be suited as a full-throated attack dog. Klobuchar - See previous post above. MN and WI have some reciprocity items in place. I know that they used to have a reciprocal tuition agreement between their universities, so there could certainly be some coattail impact there as well. Sabato has WI as toss-up as well as PA. MI, which Trump picked off last time around, is listed by Sabato as "leans Democratic." Cook shows all three as toss-up. Gabbard - As former-president Bush said, "Not gonna do it." She's auditioning for FoxNews anyway. Val Demings - Florida Congresswoman and former law enforcement officer ... Chief of Police for Orlando. In the vein of law enforcement like Harris and also in a swing state. Toss in that she was selected by Pelosi as an impeachment manager and you have another person who can easily get under Trump's skin AND, unlike Warren, she can basically do it without having to even get in a fight with him as you know anytime he mentions her, he's going to say "impeachment" and keep that idea in the eyes of voters without the Democrats even having to mention it.