Best Of

Speaker Mike Johnson

@SpeakerJohnson
The House is working overtime to limit the abuses of activist federal judges. Our @JudiciaryGOP
will expose the worst offenders in a high profile hearing & we are preparing urgent legislative action, like the @repdarrellissa bill to stop unfounded nationwide injunctions.

https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1903529228085109157

My periodic check: are we agreed the USA is becoming a dictatorship yet, or is the - um -jury still out?

Yes, it is so becoming; that is the intention. The jury is not still out. The jury is still out about outcomes. Remaining questions include:

Is the intention a continuing 'elected' dictatorship or a rigged/non elected one?

Will the SCOTUS intervene decisively, and if so will their judgment be enforced?

Will there be an enforced clamp down on the jurisdiction of the courts?

Will the, fairly wide, degree of free speech (under intimidation) and free media be allowed to continue?

Will there be a 'Reichstag Fire' event?

Will there be a counter-coup?

(So far this is all at the very worst end of my expectations).

Is the Trump administration doing anything that would be unconstitutional for a newly-elected majority government in Britain?

Yes.

What's the clearest example of this?

Sacking people without due process.

And without notice and/or action by Congress where explicitly required by legislation

Terminating funding voted by Congress without authorisation (which I suppose is linked).

Edit - empowering improperly appointed persons to seize and/or destroy government files.

I don't know why you peeps bother. I just assume that @williamglenn lives in St Petersburg and has no experience of how the rule of law is supposed to work in a democracy. Has zero understanding of democracy either - the other day he claimed Germany isn't a democracy because the AfD aren't part of the government.

You'd really have to start at the kindergarten level with this fool, not that they have any interest in answers to all the "questions" they ask. You'd have to start by saying that even though the United Kingdom and the United States both begin with the same word, they are actually different countries with different constitutions. But it's a waste of time with this troll.

And yet you seem obsessed with fairly foul mouthed rants instead of argument. This just demeans the site I'm afraid .

Wait until you start reading Leon's posts.

People read Leon's posts?

Not great this from Elon Musk

https://x.com/ianbremmer/status/1903648999283782011?s=61

What will happen to Democratic candidates’ accounts as we approach the US midterms?

The "titans of free speech" who had the nerve to come to Europe and lecture us. It is just sickening to observe the maga hypocrisy.

And yes, the mid-terms are going to be a nail biter when it comes to the prospects for constitutional democracy vs authoritarianism in the US. I think it is 50/50 between overriding and supreme court decision and tanking the midterms as the definitive moment. I mean ignoring court orders on deportation due process is bad enough. But I think the other two will be the flash point for a serious crisis in America.

A thread I have planned is that the crisis could come much sooner than the mid terms.

With special elections/defection it is possible the Dems take control of the House this year.

I would like to believe this but with the Democrats even less popular than the Republicans right now, I'm doubtful.

Unpopular for being supine.

Those speaking out like Bernie and AOC are getting vast support.

AOC would be a great president, assuming that there are further US elections.

What would make her a good president ?

Her unwavering support for Senile Joe:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reaffirmed her commitment to President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee on Monday evening amid heightened tensions within the party over his mental fitness.

“Joe Biden is our nominee, he is not leaving this race, he is in this race and I support him,” Ocasio-Cortez told a group of reporters outside of the Capitol.

The New York rep’s assertion comes as Democratic lawmakers scramble to find consensus on whether or not to support Biden, 81, as the presidential nominee.

At least six House Democrats have publicly called for the president to withdraw from the race following his disappointing and concerning debate performance at the end of June. The president’s failure to confidently debate his political opponent has led to concerns that he is not well enough to run a campaign or defeat Donald Trump.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/aoc-backing-biden-democratic-nominee-b2576756.html

Wait till you see the list of people offering unwavering support to Trump.

Not great this from Elon Musk

https://x.com/ianbremmer/status/1903648999283782011?s=61

What will happen to Democratic candidates’ accounts as we approach the US midterms?

The "titans of free speech" who had the nerve to come to Europe and lecture us. It is just sickening to observe the maga hypocrisy.

And yes, the mid-terms are going to be a nail biter when it comes to the prospects for constitutional democracy vs authoritarianism in the US. I think it is 50/50 between overriding and supreme court decision and tanking the midterms as the definitive moment. I mean ignoring court orders on deportation due process is bad enough. But I think the other two will be the flash point for a serious crisis in America.

A thread I have planned is that the crisis could come much sooner than the mid terms.

With special elections/defection it is possible the Dems take control of the House this year.

I would like to believe this but with the Democrats even less popular than the Republicans right now, I'm doubtful.

Unpopular for being supine.

Those speaking out like Bernie and AOC are getting vast support.

AOC would be a great president, assuming that there are further US elections.

What would make her a good president ?

I'm no fan at all of AOC but she couldn't possibly be as bad as this one. Even if she can be just as arrogant she is at least possessed of a functioning brain.

I know little of her aside from the more superficial stuff. I don’t think the ‘she can’t be any worse’ argument cuts it really. She could easily.

I think it would be particularly hard to be more malevolent and inimical to democracy or Western interests than Trump. Not easy at all.

A typical lightweight and insubstantive Lib Dem response.

Ask a serious question, expect a reasonable answer. Get the equivalent of a drunk vomiting. FFS.

He's right, though.

AOC may well not run America well if given the chance. But there's zero evidence that she will do anything but work within the rules of American democracy. When push comes to shove (and it's much better if it doesn't), that's all that matters.

Not great this from Elon Musk

https://x.com/ianbremmer/status/1903648999283782011?s=61

What will happen to Democratic candidates’ accounts as we approach the US midterms?

The "titans of free speech" who had the nerve to come to Europe and lecture us. It is just sickening to observe the maga hypocrisy.

And yes, the mid-terms are going to be a nail biter when it comes to the prospects for constitutional democracy vs authoritarianism in the US. I think it is 50/50 between overriding and supreme court decision and tanking the midterms as the definitive moment. I mean ignoring court orders on deportation due process is bad enough. But I think the other two will be the flash point for a serious crisis in America.

A thread I have planned is that the crisis could come much sooner than the mid terms.

With special elections/defection it is possible the Dems take control of the House this year.

I would like to believe this but with the Democrats even less popular than the Republicans right now, I'm doubtful.

Unpopular for being supine.

Those speaking out like Bernie and AOC are getting vast support.

AOC would be a great president, assuming that there are further US elections.

What would make her a good president ?

I'm no fan at all of AOC but she couldn't possibly be as bad as this one. Even if she can be just as arrogant she is at least possessed of a functioning brain.

I know little of her aside from the more superficial stuff. I don’t think the ‘she can’t be any worse’ argument cuts it really. She could easily.

I think it would be particularly hard to be more malevolent and inimical to democracy or Western interests than Trump. Not easy at all.

A typical lightweight and insubstantive Lib Dem response.

Ask a serious question, expect a reasonable answer. Get the equivalent of a drunk vomiting. FFS.

I don’t know what your issue is with me. Alone among PBers, even my 180 degree ideological opposite LuckyGuy, you seem to get riled by my very existence on this site.

I - and most on here - am wholly serious. If you can’t see Trump is a monster leading the US into at best managed democracy, at worst something well beyond that, and that both sidesism just doesn’t work in the face of this, then, well, you’re going to keep getting riled by a lot of posts.

Speaker Mike Johnson

@SpeakerJohnson
The House is working overtime to limit the abuses of activist federal judges. Our @JudiciaryGOP
will expose the worst offenders in a high profile hearing & we are preparing urgent legislative action, like the @repdarrellissa bill to stop unfounded nationwide injunctions.

https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1903529228085109157

My periodic check: are we agreed the USA is becoming a dictatorship yet, or is the - um -jury still out?

Yes, it is so becoming; that is the intention. The jury is not still out. The jury is still out about outcomes. Remaining questions include:

Is the intention a continuing 'elected' dictatorship or a rigged/non elected one?

Will the SCOTUS intervene decisively, and if so will their judgment be enforced?

Will there be an enforced clamp down on the jurisdiction of the courts?

Will the, fairly wide, degree of free speech (under intimidation) and free media be allowed to continue?

Will there be a 'Reichstag Fire' event?

Will there be a counter-coup?

(So far this is all at the very worst end of my expectations).

Is the Trump administration doing anything that would be unconstitutional for a newly-elected majority government in Britain?

Yes.

What's the clearest example of this?

Sacking people without due process.

And without notice and/or action by Congress where explicitly required by legislation

Terminating funding voted by Congress without authorisation (which I suppose is linked).

Edit - empowering improperly appointed persons to seize and/or destroy government files.

I don't know why you peeps bother. I just assume that @williamglenn lives in St Petersburg and has no experience of how the rule of law is supposed to work in a democracy. Has zero understanding of democracy either - the other day he claimed Germany isn't a democracy because the AfD aren't part of the government.

You'd really have to start at the kindergarten level with this fool, not that they have any interest in answers to all the "questions" they ask. You'd have to start by saying that even though the United Kingdom and the United States both begin with the same word, they are actually different countries with different constitutions. But it's a waste of time with this troll.

He has so radically changed his viewpoint over the last decade, than I think he is either:
*) Utterly trolling us.
*) Not the same WilliamGlenn, and instead a hijacked account.

Not great this from Elon Musk

https://x.com/ianbremmer/status/1903648999283782011?s=61

What will happen to Democratic candidates’ accounts as we approach the US midterms?

The "titans of free speech" who had the nerve to come to Europe and lecture us. It is just sickening to observe the maga hypocrisy.

And yes, the mid-terms are going to be a nail biter when it comes to the prospects for constitutional democracy vs authoritarianism in the US. I think it is 50/50 between overriding and supreme court decision and tanking the midterms as the definitive moment. I mean ignoring court orders on deportation due process is bad enough. But I think the other two will be the flash point for a serious crisis in America.

A thread I have planned is that the crisis could come much sooner than the mid terms.

With special elections/defection it is possible the Dems take control of the House this year.

I would like to believe this but with the Democrats even less popular than the Republicans right now, I'm doubtful.

Unpopular for being supine.

Those speaking out like Bernie and AOC are getting vast support.

AOC would be a great president, assuming that there are further US elections.

What would make her a good president ?

I'm no fan at all of AOC but she couldn't possibly be as bad as this one. Even if she can be just as arrogant she is at least possessed of a functioning brain.

I know little of her aside from the more superficial stuff. I don’t think the ‘she can’t be any worse’ argument cuts it really. She could easily.

She's a lefty Taz, you're never going to like her.

Fair enough, but frankly no one who is willing to adhere to the US constitution is going to be worse than Trump.

Not great this from Elon Musk

https://x.com/ianbremmer/status/1903648999283782011?s=61

What will happen to Democratic candidates’ accounts as we approach the US midterms?

The "titans of free speech" who had the nerve to come to Europe and lecture us. It is just sickening to observe the maga hypocrisy.

And yes, the mid-terms are going to be a nail biter when it comes to the prospects for constitutional democracy vs authoritarianism in the US. I think it is 50/50 between overriding and supreme court decision and tanking the midterms as the definitive moment. I mean ignoring court orders on deportation due process is bad enough. But I think the other two will be the flash point for a serious crisis in America.

A thread I have planned is that the crisis could come much sooner than the mid terms.

With special elections/defection it is possible the Dems take control of the House this year.

I would like to believe this but with the Democrats even less popular than the Republicans right now, I'm doubtful.

Unpopular for being supine.

Those speaking out like Bernie and AOC are getting vast support.

AOC would be a great president, assuming that there are further US elections.

What would make her a good president ?

I'm no fan at all of AOC but she couldn't possibly be as bad as this one. Even if she can be just as arrogant she is at least possessed of a functioning brain.

I know little of her aside from the more superficial stuff. I don’t think the ‘she can’t be any worse’ argument cuts it really. She could easily.

She's a lefty Taz, you're never going to like her.

Fair enough, but frankly no one who is willing to adhere to the US constitution is going to be worse than Trump.

AOC:

Good dancer.
Competent player of Among Us on Twitch.
Not obviously insane.

That's going to seem like an upgrade if there's an election in 2028.

Morning all

Not quite as cheap as @Eabhal has found it but, yes, some positive news re: fuel prices with oil still below $70 a barrel. Whether that has the political or economic impact it once did I'm less certain but it should mitigate inflation to an extent. We used to be able to track Conservative VI and petrol prices quite closely in the dim and distant.

To be fair to Kemi Badenoch, she inherited a Conservative Party which had just endured its worst ever defeat - worse, I'd argue, than the losses of 1945 or 1997. The actions of previous Prime Ministers had left the Party exposed to an existential threat from a populist party on the "right" (Reform aren't by any serious measure a right wing party but if you lie down with dogs you'll get up with fleas as a wise man once said.)

Another maxim is "to thine own self be true" and let's be honest, past iterations of the Conservative Party proved both popular and successful. Whether you call it "traditional" or "One Nation", there was once a strand of Conservative thinking which aligned with middle class urban and suburban Britain while maintaining its Tory rural roots and that electoral combination was often unbeatable.

You could argue that Britain has gone - perhaps - but political parties, to survive, must move with the times. If I were advising the Conservatives, I think I'd tell them to talk less and listen more.