debate

What’s Actually In The Relief Bill?

With a nearly $2 trillion price tag, what is hopefully the last COVID-19 relief bill is up for debate in the Senate today — and, probably, tomorrow and the next and…

Due to the curious process under which it’s being considered — the Reconciliation rules — there’s no chance of a filibuster on the table; on the other hand, both the complexity of the proposed legislation and certain parliamentary tricks will create some fairly significant delays. These are normal (if petty) maneuvers; more to the point is considering the complexity of the bill proper.

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F&L 2020: Kamala Harris (No, Not The Wrestler)

The first major candidate to drop out of the Democratic Primaries, Senator Harris was nevertheless in the race long enough to eviscerate Uncle Joe in the debates and to get spanked by Tulsi in her own turn.  Her fundraising was legendary but her polling was abysmal (particularly after the Gabbard debacle), and she dropped out not only before New Hampshire and Iowa but actually before 2020 — on the 3rd of December 2019, in fact, before even such notable losers as John Delaney and Marianne Williamson.

As a result, we never profiled here alongside the other candidates — a deficit we mean to make up for now.  So who is she really, and what was she before? (more…)

F&L: Two Angry Furbys

Tomorrow, the 53,000-odd residents of the Northern Marianas will hold their Democratic Caucuses.  Curiously, this territory, which is strongly Republican and has no sway in the November elections, will award 6 at-large delegates and another 5 superdelegates.

Nobody’s running here; nobody’s done any serious polling.  Bloomberg had operatives (more…)

Fear and Loathing: The Tenth Debate / 2 A.M. Thoughts

Stuck In The Middle With You, by Stealers Wheel

Usually I find these things to be, if not informative, then at least excellent entertainment.  This was not.  This was pro wrestling gone horribly off-script.

As I watched, gorge rising, I could not help but think to myself:  Where is Jed Bartlet to save us from these… these mediocrities?!  Of them all, only Sanders and Warren (more…)

Fear & Loathing: Yes, Nevada Is A Caucus

What you need to know going into today:  Nevada is a caucus state, but different from Iowa.  Every state is different, of course, but Nevada is very different.  And I’m not just talking about the prostitution laws, although that does hit politicians very close to home; no, they do everything differently here in the Sagebrush State.

To begin with, it’s a closed caucus; only registered party members can vote.  Which would matter (more…)

F&L: Mike Bloomberg Buys The DNC

It’s true.  Former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg donated a quarter million to the DNC; two days later, they announced a rules change for the February debate in Nevada to permit him on the stage.  Joe Biden’s reply is classic:  “He’s not even on the ballot in Nevada.”  My own thought is somewhat more cynical:  If the DNC could be bought so cheaply, why didn’t the Climate Debate people (or Tulsi!) pay them off sooner?

Of course it’s not that simple; these things never are — and I’ll get into that.  But (more…)

Impeachment: Day Zero

It is the editorial policy of The Not Fake News to avoid covering things that you’ll hear about anyway unless what you’re going to hear is wrong.

In this instance, the danger is that you’ll have long since overloaded before you get to the essentials, so I’m going to kick you those.  I’m limiting myself to matters of fact (more…)

My Healthcare Plan, Dammit

The newest Republican version of healthcare just passed the House and was instantly declared D.O.A. in the Senate.  Which is good; it’s not enough of a fix.  Then again, neither was the A.C.A. (otherwise known as Obamacare).

I’m not going to get into all the whithertos and whyfores right now; you can get that on every news channel.  (Besides, I’ve already written about it a couple of times.  Both are great articles; read them.)  Instead, I’m going to tell you (more…)