US Politics - March, 2024

US Politics #1 - March, 2024: Reflecting on Biden's State of the Union

Remember Lance Armstrong? The legendary cyclist with quadruple lungs and four legs?

2012: Federal prosecutors drop their criminal investigation against Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Service team in February, with no charges filed. However, the United States Anti-Doping Agency accuses Armstrong of doping and trafficking of drugs in June. In October, the USADA formally charges him with using, possessing, and trafficking banned substances and recommends a lifetime ban. In choosing not to appeal the findings, Armstrong is stripped of all his achievements from August 1998 onward, including his seven Tour de France titles. Armstrong still publicly denies the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

2013: In a January interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong finally admits to doping during each Tour de France win from 1999 to 2005.

Why is this article in US Politics? A) Firstly, because the US Government was seemingly willing to turn a blind eye to doping in order to protect the Postal Service. B) Secondly, charges were not pursued in the government's interest. Does this sound familiar? Throughout his entire career, Armstrong has been quick to throw his competitors under the doping bus whenever they posed a threat to his cycling dominance. Was it all about power and ego, or was there a deeper threat to democracy at play?

In the State of the Union address, President Biden appeared to have fully recovered, energized, and well-prepared to deliver his speech. It's known that he spent five days preparing at Camp David with his team. Drawing analogies to Lance, a medical team that ensured he was ready for the task, perfecting dosage and timing, and striking the right tone in his address seems apt. The content was meticulously prepared down to the semicolon and pauses, turning the delivery into more of a reading exercise.

However, his success seemed limited to the reading aspect. The tone came across as somewhat aggressive, which could perhaps be attributed to a slight overdose or, as some Democrats might argue, his assertiveness and clarity. The mystery of who left the white powder at the White House remains unsolved, with numerous possibilities to consider. Maybe he simply needed a long bath. The prescriptions he offered appear to be sustainable and direct from the top.

Stimulants come in both legal and illegal forms. Prescription stimulants include Adderall, Dexedrine, diet aids like Preludin, Fastin, Meridia, and street drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, methcathinone, and other synthetic cathinones known as “bath salts.”

If you read the transcript of Biden's speech and listened closely, what was the true message conveyed? Each point addressed seems meticulously tailored to appeal to a specific group of voters crucial for his 2024 campaign. It feels like an election-focused critique, highlighting select events and incidents that serve his agenda while distorting facts about the economy, job creation, and even his own history. However, the most significant issue that could potentially harm him in the long term is his call for democracy both domestically and internationally, alongside fair elections. The ongoing investigations into Trump are increasingly reminiscent of autocratic actions, reminiscent of the very systems we've fought wars over.

Nothing resembling a Biden doctrine, nor a comprehensive global strategy; instead, we witness Trump bashing, Republican bashing, reminders of the oath of office on Jan 6, all while creating open borders. Democrats craft laws to their liking, not to the benefit of 'we the people.' Does this mean there is no crime? It's remarkable how the WAPO, Washington Times, CNN, MSNBC, and other liberal/leftist media outlets praised the presentation but overlooked its substance, perhaps hoping that public perception would sway the polls – yet, so far, it has not; quite the opposite.

Only two fact checks were conducted: sanctions on Russia showed no impact, and the long-term banking outcome will only be evident in 2-3 years, with Europe bearing the brunt of the economic harm. The real beneficiaries of the war? The US defense industry.

The 15 million workers are simply part of the recovery from COVID, which was all in place for him to take. Employment participation has not changed. What he did not say is that he made Wall Street rich but blames the stock market on company profits. Need more explanations? Note that high-paying manufacturing jobs have moved down a notch since 2021.

Manufacturing Payrolls in the United States decreased by 4 thousand in February of 2024, missing market forecasts of a 10 thousand rise, following a downwardly revised 8 thousand increase in the prior month. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

And Labor participation and productivity are actually showing downward trends. So more people are somehow producing less?

The labor force participation rate in the United States was 62.5% for the third consecutive month in February 2024, remaining at its lowest level since February 2023. Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States averaged 62.84 percent from 1948 until 2024, reaching an all-time high of 67.30 percent in January of 2000 and a record low of 58.10 percent in December of 1954. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Dysfunctional Congress? Good. If it were functional like the Democratic Party, the only beneficiaries would be the government and its cronies. Pork, which perhaps goes both ways, allocation of money, school curriculum, abortion, border, freedom of speech, Second Amendment – on all these issues, you have a Democratic House and Senate speaking essentially in one voice, and all other arguments are labeled as polarizing, populist, or right-wing. Have you seen a Democrat standing up to Woke or the curriculums in our schools? Did the President just announce that we need to improve public schools to compete in the future, with his visionaries being the union bosses, while suggesting that parents are too ignorant?

Here, you can search for schools in your neighborhood. It's all a well-orchestrated politics-media machine, complaining about autocrats around the world and yet failing to notice that their own complaints about polarization, populism, moralism, and characterization are nothing short of dictatorship. A US politics shaped by Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, now Hakeem Jeffries, and Chuck Schumer is nothing but a blue state dictatorship, with the opposition not strong enough to stand up, and those who do stand up are labeled and scorched. Joe Biden promised the most transparent administration in history – transparent, hm? Check his garage.

Jamie Raskin, one of the Jan 6 committee members and a staunch defender of its findings, exhibits the same intensity in criticizing the Hur investigation, labeling it a charade. He's never hesitant to defend Joe Biden and all his son's actions while being vehemently critical of everything Trump. Although he's a constitutional lawyer, his interpretations may seem clouded, leading some to question whether he's in government to change the constitution, a sentiment shared by many of his colleagues. While his activity sheet may show contributions, they often appear biased to the core.

The hearings into the Hur report have left everyone with their own interpretation. Democrats stressed the word "exonerate" at every turn, while the special counsel clarified that his report did not explicitly say that. However, he stands by his argument that the only reason he didn't file charges was due to the President presenting himself as an elderly man with memory problems, which could have influenced a jury. Alternatively, some speculate that the special counsel believed a panel, like in Hillary Clinton's case, would be comprised of like-minded individuals and thus dismissed the idea of pressing charges. Ultimately, the country remains divided on the decision: one side sees it as him getting away with it, while the other views it as a witch hunt.

Likewise, with Hunter Biden, there seems to be a lack of seriousness in the way he presents himself, making it difficult to prove any evidence of criminal or national security issues. These cases highlight the highly politicized nature of the legal system, leaving many skeptical about its integrity. However, Jamie Raskin may hold a different perspective. It's never too early to start a crooked career for Dad, isn't it?

MBNA hired Hunter Biden (then 26 years old and a recent law school graduate) during the years when his father, then-Senator Joe Biden, was pushing for bankruptcy reform legislation supported by the company, which became law and makes it more difficult to acquire bankruptcy protection.[15] Because of the close relationship between Biden and MBNA, an article in the conservative political magazine National Review referred to Biden as the "Senator from MBNA".[16][17][18][19]

MBNA was one of the companies mentioned on a 2004 Frontline WGBH Boston PBS special about unfair business practices by credit card companies.[20] Some practices that Frontline claimed MBNA has engaged in included doubling or tripling of interest rates, shifting billing due dates/payment cycles monthly and raising rates for customers whose payments were a day or two late. MBNA has been found to be one of the leading implementors of rate-jacking. For further information and links, see credit card.

In Ireland, MBNA was accused of calling consumers up to eight times a day who were behind in making payments, which prompted the state debt advisory service to publicly state that harassment is outlawed. Affected people were advised to complain to the relevant authorities.[21] The company in December 2009 admitted overcharging 500,000 Irish consumers up to €18 million.[22][23]

In the UK, MBNA has come under fire for its interpretation of rules under which credit card providers must allocate payments to the debt with the highest interest rate first: one consumer site called MBNA's interpretation of these rules a "disingenuous money-making tactic".[24]

The tip of the iceberg for political judgment surely belongs to Fanni Willis in the Georgia case. For those following closely and with a decent understanding of the law and appropriate, ethical behavior, this case is certainly on top. With so much evidence about ethical issues, how can this case move forward? However, there are always people defending everything to hang Trump.

That brings us to the conclusion, even with the commentary from the left bloggers and never-Trumpers, the damning pictures they have placed on Trump may all be self-destructive in the end.

Chuck Schumer and VP Mike Pence.

Chuck Schumer, the friend of Israel, is calling for new elections in Israel. Are the Democrats so desperate to retain the support of Michigan voters that they're willing to throw one of the best allies in the Middle East under the bus? Netanyahu has long been seen as a hardliner, and few had issues with the settlers or called for their removal, knowing that Hamas was stoking conflict. So, to salvage Joe Biden's image, Schumer feels he must rescue his own reputation, despite the loyalty-over-common-sense approach.

And Mike Pence—why can't he support Donald Trump? Is it because the former president doesn't share his values? Is it because of Stormy Daniels or Jean Carroll, or perhaps he's privy to information we're not? Maybe Pence's conscience and morals, guided by his Christian background, can no longer align with Trump's actions after four years. Whatever the reason, politics is a dirty game, and winning often requires playing along, a feat only achieved by a small percentage.

All this hate against Trump—what is it really? Is it his hair, his personality, his policies, his ego, his narcissism, his tweets, his opinions on opponents, his rhetoric, his view of the world? If you read his opponents' comments or visit a liberal commentary site, there's hardly any evidence presented; it's mostly mob rules, each trying to describe him worse than the commentary before. Perhaps Jennifer Rubin is an example, caught in the dilemma of an early emotional, irrational decision to become a Trump hater. As a Jew, she should have more support for moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem than criticizing Biden's handling of the Gaza situation.

A conservative political commentator throughout most of her career, she became a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and in September 2020, she announced that she no longer identified as a conservative.[2] In 2021, she became a staunch advocate of the Biden administration.[3][4]

Biden's supporters reported that following the HUR Report and SOTU address, democrats donated to at record fund raising rate. You can see the 2020 election political donations for the democratic and the republican side by clicking those respective links. If you want some more background on Biden’s campaign Manager, read on, activism (communism) is not far away in her vocabulary, see the praise from NPR.

“We’re proud of the record-breaking fundraising machine we’ve built that is going toward reaching the voters about the stakes of this election,” campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. She added that the money would help expand the campaign’s state-level operations, invest in paid media and pay for Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses to campaign across the country.

The campaign also touted $2 million from small-dollar contributors donated just on Feb. 29.

Julie Chávez Rodriguez (born April 7, 1978)[1] is an American political rights activist and campaign manager for President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election campaign.

She grew up in California in a well-known family of American labor and civil rights activists, the granddaughter of American labor leader César Chávez and American labor activist Helen Fabela Chávez.

From 2008 to 2016, Chávez Rodriguez served in the Obama administration, initially working for the United States Secretary of the Interior and later in the White House Office of Public Engagement. In 2016, She was appointed state director for Senator Kamala Harris and from 2017 to 2019 served on her 2020 presidential campaign. In 2020, Biden, the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, hired Chávez Rodriguez as senior advisor for Latino outreach in his presidential campaign. In 2021, Chávez Rodriguez was appointed to be the director of Biden's White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. In 2022 she was appointed senior advisor to the president, and, in 2023, as his campaign manager.