Random Politics

[Johnnie]

Haaaaa.

[GoodKarma]

[A_B]

Finally. It has been killing me that I couldn't place whom he reminded me of:

[mister d]

I trust I'm not the only one who knows its two different people but simply sees this as two pics of Santos since I don't know who the other person is?

[Reaper]

Finally. It has been killing me that I couldn't place whom he reminded me of:

The only time Santos was listed as 6'5" was in the 2013 NBA Finals official program when he played shooting guard for the Knicks.

[A_B]

I trust I'm not the only one who knows its two different people but simply sees this as two pics of Santos since I don't know who the other person is?

The one on the right is from Veep and he plays a guy who is constantly shit on by his boss.

[Nonlinear FC]

Some clips from the transcript of a recent podcast between Sirota and Bill McGee, a senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project who spent 38 years working in the airline industry, including flight operations (I've tried to clean up some of the spelling/grammar, as it was done by Otter - I enjoyed how sometimes, Pete's last name was spelled correctly while it also appeared as "Buddha judge").

All the quotes are from McGee, who also provides some history at the outset about how it all goes back to deregulation in 1978 where the explanation was roughly "capitalism will make it all work out". Then, several airline mergers (all with congressional approval) later, there are four US airlines that control approximately 85% of the air travel market. There are also fewer new entrants into air travel (which was the opposite of what was expected in the text of the Deregulation Act) because people don't want to invest in airlines with lower fares simply because they will make less money.

"This is a systemic problem. The DOT is a broken regulatory model. Since the first day, it was sort of baked into the DOT, that it would have this dual mandate that it would support the industry and regulate it. It's something that can't be done. It's one of the other. And by the way, the airline industry does not need to be supported by the government at this point. They are the seventh largest industry in terms of lobbying dollars, according to opensecrets.org. They do just fine."

"The real issue is that the airlines are over scheduling, they are operating at peak capacity. 24/7 transportation systems are not designed to operate like this."

"He (Pete) is the only sheriff in town. And I don't think we can discuss the airline industry and its problems without this critical context. It's two words, it's a legal term called federal preemption. And basically, at the last minute, in 1978, when deregulation was passed, and President Carter signed it, they added this thing that said, basically, only the federal government will have authority over the US airline industry, and even more specifically, only the US Department of Transportation, and Congress. You have to really understand that to have any kind of conversation about what's been happening. And far too many people don't understand it, and I get it. It's a very geeky legalistic term, I've talked to lawyers that don't know what it is.

The bottom line in plain English means as it as a consumer in the United States, you have fewer rights dealing with an airline than you do with virtually any other industry. You cannot sue in state courts, you cannot file class action lawsuits in state courts, state agencies, the attorneys general across the country, do not have any authority of the airline industry, state legislatures have passed bills to rein in the airline industry, they immediately get shut down by Federal Court on appeal. So what we have is the thing that we were all told in seventh or eighth grade is not supposed to happen in America checks and balances, there are none.

We have one person who is the czar of the airline industry. And, as I said, I've been very critical of Secretary Buttigieg. And I think my criticism has been fair and accurate. But the bottom line is, he's got plenty of predecessors too, who were the same way. And so you have this systemic problem, not years, decades, where the DOT doesn't rein in the excesses of the airline industry, and no one else can."

"Think about it for a moment, all of these crises with the flight cancellations with the $10 billion in unpaid refunds since COVID. Started, as a friend of mine said to me, who also does this type of work, he said, we wouldn't even be talking about this If this was any other industry, because if the DOT failed to act, people would have been filing class action lawsuits. You owe me money, there would have been refunds pay.

The state attorney general, in Colorado, Phil Weiser. He said, you know, Frontier is in his backyard in Denver. They were not paying refunds. And he said, If it was any other industry put out a press release. He said publicly, I can't do anything. My hands are tied. Any other industry, I'd be all over the state legislatures would have passed laws saying you know, that it reign in this industry. So you can't stress it enough.

When I hear people say, 'Well, what can the Secretary of Transportation do? If the Secretary of Transportation doesn't act on the airline industry?' There's nothing to do. We have no other choice.

There's Congress, but obviously, Congress takes a while it's a long, cumbersome process. There are political considerations. It's very hard to get back. Trust me, I have been advocating for legislation in Congress for decades now. But with Senator Buttigieg, if he had reigned in the excesses a year ago, six months ago, three months ago in the summer, if he had levied real fines against the airlines... We all know that he's very eloquent and he has good presence in the media. And we've seen him a lot in the last week and in the last months. And what is he saying? He's talked to the airlines, he's asked the airlines, he's requested that it's not good enough. This is an industry that has not had so much as a $1 fine at all in the last year and a half on any of these excessive and record breaking flight cancellations. This is an industry that I mentioned, the $10 billion in refunds."

This was fascinating, btw, thank you for posting.

WTF. This country is so fucking weird.

[Steve of phpBB]

I trust I'm not the only one who knows its two different people but simply sees this as two pics of Santos since I don't know who the other person is?

It's funny - I thought it was two pictures of the actor.

I feel like he's been in every show I've seen for the past ten years. Didn't he play one of Jess's boyfriends in New Girl?

[brian]

I trust I'm not the only one who knows its two different people but simply sees this as two pics of Santos since I don't know who the other person is?

It's funny - I thought it was two pictures of the actor.

I feel like he's been in every show I've seen for the past ten years. Didn't he play one of Jess's boyfriends in New Girl?

Amongst others, yeah. Was also an IT person on The Office (US).

[Johnnie]

Ah yes. Veteran suicide. An issue that Republicans are passionate about.

[Johnnie]

Watching the CSPAN feed, so no commentary from a new outlet, but there appear to be flips because we're getting a lot of random applause from Republicans after people give their vote.

[A_B]

Watching the CSPAN feed, so no commentary from a new outlet, but there appear to be flips because we're getting a lot of random applause from Republicans after people give their vote.

still lost tho

[Johnnie]

Watching the CSPAN feed, so no commentary from a new outlet, but there appear to be flips because we're getting a lot of random applause from Republicans after people give their vote.

still lost tho

Yup. The magic number is 5.

[Johnnie]

I missed the name...who was that hot brunette that voted McCarthy and they all cheered?

She looked mad.

Edit:

Ah, Anna Paulina Luna. Air Force vet. And total psycho:

"She has stated that her anti-abortion stance originated from having dissected a chicken egg in college, and reportedly seeing the chick react to a scalpel blade: "God was using that opportunity to really wake me up."

[A_B]

Has to be Luna.

[Reaper]

I missed the name...who was that hot brunette that voted McCarthy and they all cheered?

She looked mad.

Was it Anna Paulina Luna? She'd been voting with the other 19 for the first three days.
33-year-old Air Force vet about to serve her first term in Fla.

[Johnnie]

Yup. In the middle of editing my post as you both posted.

[Johnnie]

Oh, and Congressman Johnnie would totally find a way to get her mad, btw. I'm sure she would send her Combat Controller husband after me.

[Steve of phpBB]

I missed the name...who was that hot brunette that voted McCarthy and they all cheered?

She looked mad.

Was it Anna Paulina Luna? She'd been voting with the other 19 for the first three days.
33-year-old Air Force vet about to serve her first term in Fla.

So the Republicans have finally found someone to compete with AOC.

[degenerasian]

so 12 flips to McCarthy, almost there.

[Johnnie]

[Rex]

I love a good shitshow, but are we at the point where the Democrats should just cast a few votes for Kevin at the end, to lock him in?

[govmentchedda]

I missed the name...who was that hot brunette that voted McCarthy and they all cheered?

She looked mad.

Edit:

Ah, Anna Paulina Luna. Air Force vet. And total psycho:

"She has stated that her anti-abortion stance originated from having dissected a chicken egg in college, and reportedly seeing the chick react to a scalpel blade: "God was using that opportunity to really wake me up."

Complete nut job, and only a few districts away from me.

[L-Jam3]

I love a good shitshow, but are we at the point where the Democrats should just cast a few votes for Kevin at the end, to lock him in?

No, fuck him. He kowtowed after January 6. Make him suffer.

[Rex]

I get that, but all of the Republicans did that right? This forum, at least, is not going to identify a Republican who would be acceptable. And Jeffries isn't going to win. So I'm wondering at what point you lock in the guy who has been weakened rather than risk someone that rallies the weirdos.

[Reaper]

The overlap of names that are (were) voting against McCarthy and the Republicans who voted last month against a bipartisan bill regarding how child sex abuse cases are probed is striking, though not entirely surprising. The bill passed by a vote of 383-28 (plus 20 no-votes, 17 of which were also GOP).

Should we draw any conclusions about what the "Never Kevins" are trying to get McCarthy to concede on?

Note: Gaetz was actually a "yea". McCarthy was a no-vote.

[Pruitt IV]

I trust I'm not the only one who knows its two different people but simply sees this as two pics of Santos since I don't know who the other person is?

I think it's kind of fitting because the guy on the right played an abused lickspittle to an absolute asshole of a Congressman on Veep - both represent the worst of politics.

[L-Jam3]

I get that, but all of the Republicans did that right? This forum, at least, is not going to identify a Republican who would be acceptable. And Jeffries isn't going to win. So I'm wondering at what point you lock in the guy who has been weakened rather than risk someone that rallies the weirdos.

He was the House leader. He could've put up some resistance to TFG after January 6 and I would argue a majority of the GOP in the House at the time would follow. You know the line that the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality? That was McCarthy.

[Reaper]

No other nominations this time. We shall see.

[Nonlinear FC]

I missed the name...who was that hot brunette that voted McCarthy and they all cheered?

She looked mad.

Edit:

Ah, Anna Paulina Luna. Air Force vet. And total psycho:

"She has stated that her anti-abortion stance originated from having dissected a chicken egg in college, and reportedly seeing the chick react to a scalpel blade: "God was using that opportunity to really wake me up."

Complete nut job, and only a few districts away from me.

She has nice gams, but it's pretty funny when people take those "look at me, I'm hot" pics from a football field distance away. Kind of telling on your ugly ass mug, no?

[A_B]

I get a Melisandre from Game of Thrones vibe.

[Reaper]

Every they ask for a vote from Cartwright:

[Reaper]

No other nominations this time. We shall see.

Well, they got one to flip this time. Harris switched, Rosendale still to come. The other 5 held on Jordan, so it's going to take a few "present" votes still.

[Rush2112]

I missed the name...who was that hot brunette that voted McCarthy and they all cheered?

She looked mad.

Was it Anna Paulina Luna? She'd been voting with the other 19 for the first three days.
33-year-old Air Force vet about to serve her first term in Fla.

Good thing she's not dancing there (or been a bartender in the past)...the GOP would have a fit!

[degenerasian]

I love a good shitshow, but are we at the point where the Democrats should just cast a few votes for Kevin at the end, to lock him in?

Who? people aren't going to sacrifice themselves. Maybe Pelosi should do it.

[A_B]

I missed the name...who was that hot brunette that voted McCarthy and they all cheered?

She looked mad.

Was it Anna Paulina Luna? She'd been voting with the other 19 for the first three days.
33-year-old Air Force vet about to serve her first term in Fla.

Good thing she's not dancing there (or been a bartender in the past)...the GOP would have a fit!

She worked at a strip club as a "server".


(i'm not shaming anything there, mind you, just pointing out the obvious hypocrisy.)

[Steve of phpBB]

I love a good shitshow, but are we at the point where the Democrats should just cast a few votes for Kevin at the end, to lock him in?

Who? people aren't going to sacrifice themselves. Maybe Pelosi should do it.

If anyone should do it, it should be Jefferies. Or the entire Dem caucus.

I could see that making sense in some circumstance - get the benefit of the big BIPARTISAN move the media loves so much.

But fuck it. McCarthy has given aid and comfort to people who have betrayed our country.

[L-Jam3]

Their whole fucking platform is going to be sweep January 6th under the rug, conflate Hunter Biden’s laptop, and remove consumer protections because it’s going to cost their stock portfolio half a percent of yield. Let them twist in the win.

In fact, every vote when they nominate Jeffries they should say something along the lines of “in the name of the brave Capitol police who defended our chamber with their lives on this day two years ago, we humbly nominate Jeffries who we hope to serve with the measure of valor and justice that they pledged themselves for.”

And then turn around and stare down fuckwits like Greene, Boebert, and Rapey McFlorida.

[Nonlinear FC]

This is why keeping the Senate was a lot bigger deal than many folks (low info folks) realized. They will never really know how many truly awful things would've happened if the Red Wave occurred.

(Said I wouldn't keep harping, but a lot you guys really underplayed/estimated what a big deal it was that the GOP shit the bed so spectacularly in the midterms.)

[L-Jam3]

Keeping the Senate was key for the simple reason that Democratic-appointed Federal judges, not merely SC Justices, are going to be continued to be approved for the next two years every time there's an opening. Think white-collar prosecutors. Think civil-rights attorneys. Think environmentally friendly judges. Think antitrust warriors. Those are going to continue to be put on benches.