DL Open Thread Tuesday Feb 8th
Here is a bunch of stuff that happened.
Biden Says Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Won’t Go Forward if Russia Invades Ukraine
Biden sounded a little Trumpy in the coverage of this development:
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday said the U.S. would “bring an end” to the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine.
“If Russia invades — that means tanks for troops crossing the border of Ukraine — then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.” Biden said while standing next to the new chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, at a White House news conference.
When pressed for details on how he would keep that promise given that the pipeline is not under U.S. control, Biden did not elaborate.
“I promise you, we will be able to do it,” he told reporters.
Biden’s top science adviser, Eric Lander, resigns amid reports of bullying
California joins growing numbers of states saying mask mandates will end in coming weeks
Supreme Court Restores Alabama Voting Map That a Court Said Hurt Black Voters
“LOL, Fuck you!” was sighted as the controlling precedent.
Man breaks into home, drinks beer, eats shrimp and leaves $200 for homeowner
Overhaul of Electoral Count Act Will Pass, Manchin Says
Here is more on Machin’s compromise voting rights bill. I’m not getting very excite because the Supreme Court will rule this unconstitutional based on the longstanding legal precedent “LOL, Fuck you!”
National Archives reportedly retrieves Kim Jong Un’s ‘love letters’ to Trump from Mar-a-Lago
Our criminal President regularly and casually broke many laws.
Ottawa mayor declares state of emergency for Covid trucker protesters
Poor Canada. So close to American fucknuts.
“I promise you, we will be able to do it,” he told reporters.“
This feels like Obama’s red line moment in Syria more than Trumps fire and fury. Let’s hope that Macron can charm Putin out of this bad idea. I have little faith in Biden to navigate the US’ role in this and expect that if a conflict erupts he either will over- or under-react.
If Trump had never happened I’d probably have said “Nixonian”
I’m not saying he doesn’t have a secret plan or that his secret plan can’t work, but it just feels strange given the high stakes.
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More on that Alabama Voting Map hurts black voters – “too close to an election to do the right thing” is the new code for “LOL, Fuck you.”
Actually, “too close to an election to do the right thing” is the phrasing Mitch starts using the day after an inauguration.
The “bad idea” was expanding NATO towards Russia.
Maybe. But I leave big thoughts like that to our leaders: General Dynamics, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
“I promise you, we will be able to do it,” he told reporters. [While standing next to the German Chancellor]
The pipeline comes ashore in Germany, so that context is telling.
Expansion of NATO is sort of the European manifest destiny, and at some point we all knew it would be rubbing elbows with Russia in the old bloc.This is not about NATO, this is about Russia trying to restablish itself as a mover and shaker in the global order.
Wdel finally picked up the story about jeff at fort dupont; Predictably Val expressed strong disagreement with him keeping his post through March, even though she would have had to be clueless to miss /that/ grift
Dems in Illinois and NY should eliminate every magat district now.