Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Home Front: Politix

When Joe Biden's Brain Melted on ‘The View,' Something Unexpected Happened: A Democratic Star Was Born

2025-05-11

[PJMedia] If you haven’t seen the video, it’s absolutely worth watching, because in a (slightly) different timeline — i.e. Biden’s presidential debate with Trump was scheduled closer to November (or canceled altogether) — and the Democrats were capable of keeping those 2020 COVID-era voting restrictions — there’s at least a 45% chance Joe Biden would’ve won a second term.

Seriously. Had he not been unmasked on national TV as an invalid, it’s revisionist history to assume that Biden was a no-hoper. Even after humiliating himself in his one and only debate (“We finally beat Medicare!”), he had a 58% approval rating after dropping out of the race, and trailed Trump by just one point (47% to 46%).

Donald Trump wasn’t the only one who dodged a bullet in 2024: our whole country did.

Because there’s just no way Joe Biden could’ve handled the rigors of the presidency for another term. He couldn’t even handle the yapping yentas on “The View”:

It was sad. At the 22:58 mark, Biden lacked the cognitive abilities to answer a question about his lack of cognitive abilities. So he rambled. And by the end of his rambling, disjointed response, it’s pretty clear he had forgotten what the original question was, so his wife jumped in and answered for him.

The contrast between the steady clarity of “Doctor” Jill Biden’s voice — and the ex-president’s raspy, meandering performance — was considerable. For all of Joe Biden’s shortcomings and limitations, there was a time when he was an above-average public speaker. He was never on-par with someone such as Ronald Reagan or Barack Obama, but he built his brand by looking, sounding, and playing the part of a liberal’s idea of a working-class hero.

That time is over. At this point, trotting him out on the public stage is borderline elder abuse.

The Dems' base isn’t just angry; they’re frickin’ apoplectic. We’re talking Worldbreaker Hulk levels of rage.

The Democrat who taps into this anger and becomes its “emotional avatar” will capture the heart of the party.

And that’s what was so intriguing about Joe Biden’s mental meltdown on “The View”: potentially, a brand-new star was born!

Unquestionably, liberal voters greatly preferred the Biden years to either Trump I or Trump II. Liberal longing will grow as Trump’s second term continues; absence, after all, makes the heart grow fonder. But it’s already at a fever-pitch: they’d sell their grandma to the Cossacks to return to the Biden days!

Question: If Biden is perceived as being a brain-dead, semi-animated automaton, who, then, deserved credit for all those wonderful successes? Who was actually running the show?

Answer: “Doctor” Jill Biden.

She’s still in her early 70s — which makes her a neophyte amongst her party’s geriatric giants, i.e. Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Steny Hoyer, and Bernie Sanders.

By the way, she’s also a woman. That matters in the Democratic Party, because “personal identity” carries an outsized impact. She’s also a teacher; a profession liberals love and respect.

Her “caretaker role” makes her sympathetic — even to traditional voters. We all know spouses who care for their elderly, infirm partners. It’s heartbreaking. None of us know what goes on between the Bidens behind closed doors, but after nearly 50 years of marriage, most Americans would assume she’s a loyal, loving, compassionate spouse.

In the minds of liberals, those qualities would contrast quite splendidly against the mercurial madness of MAGA.

The biggest weakness of “Doctor” Jill Biden is her lack of experience, because she’s never held an elected office on her own. No matter: If she’s credited for being the “power behind the throne” during the Biden years, then clearly, she already has all the presidential experience she needs.

Potentially, she could offer a powerful message to liberals: if you long for the sanity and successes of the Biden administration, then “Doctor” Jill Biden is the perfect candidate.

Advertisement
To liberal ears, it’s a compelling pitch: all the stuff we liked about Biden, but none of that pesky senility.

Joe Biden has aged out; Hunter Biden simply isn’t electable. If the Biden family needs a new acolyte — someone who keeps those donor dollars rolling in — Jill Biden is its best choice.

Don’t dismiss the personal profit motive. This is the Biden family we’re talking about!

If “Doctor” Jill Biden writes a memoir next year and goes on a book tour to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, pay close attention. It could be the beginning of a far larger story.

And it all began this week on “The View.”

Link

Fifth Column

Black Lives Matter leader rejects protests against Trump, Elon Musk''s DOGE team

2025-02-19

[NYPOST] A Black Lives Matter leader called out Democrats

...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
' anti-DOGE protests, calling the far-left demonstrators ''sore losers'' as they erupted into the streets to protest the Trump administration on President's Day.

BLM Inc. executive director Mark Fisher, who voted for Donald Trump
...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!...
in 2024,

…when even BLM leaders are Trumpsters, what is left for the Democrats? Though to be fair, Mr. Fisher was stumping for Trump back in 2023…

joined ''FOX & Friends'' to discuss the movement and why he considers it a play from ''George Soros
...either Ernst Stavro Blofeld or Auric Goldfinger come true. Maybe both....
' playbook.''

''These protests, they're all performative,'' Fisher told Lawrence Jones on Tuesday. ''In my state, in Rhode Island, it was maybe a dozen, a couple dozen people out— with some signs and stuff— it smells of the George Soros playbook.''

Don’t know what your former side calls it, Mr. Fisher, but we call astroturf.

''It's interesting to me, the day of the protest that was scheduled by online demonstrators for the fifth and the 17th, I think a couple of days before that, they had scheduled a protest for illegal immigration in several strategic cities across the country. So this is just them— being sore losers and sour grapes.''

The 5051 Movement

…short for "50 protests, 50 states, one day". A couple thousand people altogether turned out nationwide for the first protest, as far as I can tell. And the single photo at the link suggests they didn’t even get as many this time…

organized protests nationwide on Monday, calling out Elon Musk, his efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and President Trump as they continue to cut down on government waste.

Wikipedia names Kay Evert as organizer, and lists the following as supporters, whatever that means:

Ken Martin
Chuck Schumer
Hakeem Jeffries
Kris Mayes
Ro Khanna
Maxine Waters
Richard Blumenthal
Chris Murphy
Maxwell Frost
Brian Schatz
Jan Schakowsky
Angela Alsobrooks
Chris Van Hollen
Steny Hoyer
Jamie Raskin
Ayanna Pressley
Veronica Escobar
Melanie Stansbury
Jeff Merkley
Brendan Boyle
Greg Casar
Jasmine Crockett
Al Green
Bernie Sanders
Don Beyer
Mark Pocan

Link

Government Corruption

Democrats pressed Capitol Police to show favoritism to officer who killed J6 protestor, memos show

2024-12-05

[JTN] Scumbags all
The committee’s investigation uncovered evidence that the Capitol Police went to extraordinary lengths to promote Byrd and provide him financial support not received by other officers on duty on Jan. 6.

House Democrats pressured U.S. Capitol Police to provide special financial assistance and even a promotion to the officer who fatally shot unarmed protester Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riot, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer and charitable assistance not provided to other officers, according to internal emails reviewed by Just the News.

"He is very upset about how he is being treated. He wants us to figure this out and now," a top congressional aide to then-House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, wrote to Capitol Police in November 2021 pressing for more assistance to Lt. Michael Byrd after he killed Babbitt.
File
2021.11.18 - Chairman was speaking with.pdf

The records show that pressure also came from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's staff and from then-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, causing Capitol Police to find any solution they could to make Byrd and Democrats happy. Despite the extraordinary assistance, Byrd expressed dissatisfaction and continued to insist he deserved more, to the chagrin of Capitol Police officials, according to records assembled by Congress.

"We play the game as you request and then once we’re in compliance You guys change the rules on us," Byrd wrote to U.S. Capitol Police General Counsel Thomas DiBiase in November 2021 after being informed he wouldn't be able to immediately access charitable funds from a memorial fund for fallen or wounded officers.
File
2021.11.16 - Re Memorial Fund (play the game).pdf

The department's chief later told Byrd he would not be offered any further assistance from the memorial fund, but Capitol Police instead helped set up a GoFundMe that landed Byrd more than $160,000 in extra funds. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D- Calif., was one of the many progressives who donated to and promoted the fundraising.

The revelations were uncovered during probe by Chairman Barry Loudermilk’s House Administration Oversight Subcommittee into the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) and follow findings that Byrd has a significant disciplinary record that resulted in six referrals to the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

At least one of these incidents resulted in a referral to a prosecutor and others ended with temporary suspensions, Just the News reported earlier this month.

"In addition to USCP’s decision to promote Byrd despite his disciplinary history, I also have concerns about the decisions USCP made with respect to Byrd after January 6, 2021," Loudermilk wrote in a letter to current USCP Chief Thomas Manger, previously published by Just the News.

Loudermilk told the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show that it is understandable that House Democratic leadership would want to ensure that Byrd was well taken care of considering he did end up unfortunately taking a life, but that their calls for assistance for the then-lieutenant went above and beyond other officers.

"[They] went to extremes, to where they gave bonuses to officers who are on the front line of the battle, that was a few thousand dollars—Byrd gets one of $37,000 okay, it's not equally played," Loudermilk said.

"I think people should really be considering the earlier question, which is whether he should have been on the force," the chairman said referring to the now-captain’s lengthy disciplinary record.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Stinky Hoyer announces reelection bid, as 'soul of America' is at risk

2024-01-11

[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Rep. the mealy-mouthed Steny StinkyHoyer
the mealy-mouthed Steny <q>Stinky</q>Hoyer

...Nancy San Fran Nan Pelosi's second banana, or plaintain, or mango, or whatever he is. Number Two, anyway...
(D-MD) announced his intention to run for reelection Monday, citing his concern for the "soul of America."

Hoyer, 84, has held his position since 1981. He has served as House majority leader twice during his tenure, with the latest being from 2019-2023. On Monday, he announced he would run for his seat again, pointing to the rule of House Republicans as necessitating his decision.

"During this coming election, the values, character, and very soul of America are at risk," Hoyer said in a statement.

"Freedom, which makes our nation exceptional, will be on the ballot. That freedom, that democracy, has been preserved by the blood and ballots of patriots so that, in Lincoln’s words, this nation ’...should not perish from the earth,'" he added.

"Given these stakes, I believe I have more work to complete on behalf of my district, my state, and my country," he continued. "I am blessed to have the good health, strength, and enduring passion necessary to continue serving my constituents at this decisive moment for Maryland and America."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Israeli army, House Democrats tour 'Hezbollah tunnels' in northern Israel

2023-08-12

[An Nahar] The Israeli army has hosted a U.S. Democratic Congressional Delegation organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

The delegation of 24 House Democrats was led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Congressman the mealy-mouthed Steny StinkyHoyer
the mealy-mouthed Steny <q>Stinky</q>Hoyer

...Nancy San Fran Nan Pelosi's second banana, or plaintain, or mango, or whatever he is. Number Two, anyway...
The delegation toured an Iron Dome battery and "Hezbollah’s terrorist tunnels" in northern Israel, the Israeli army said Friday on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

"With this trip, House Democrats reaffirm our commitment to the special relationship between the United States and Israel," Jeffries said before his second visit to Israel this year.

"We reiterate our ironclad commitment to the safety and security of Israel and to the existence of Israel as a prosperous and Jewish democratic state," he added.

The Israeli army said it held "productive discussions" with the U.S. delegation on shared security challenges & "strengthening the ironclad bond between Israel and the U.S."

Link

Home Front: Politix

VDH - The useful veneer of the aging Dem

2023-04-23

[Jewish World] President Joe Biden is now 80 years old. He will be 82 when he campaigns for the 2024 presidency — and a clearly debilitated 86 should he be elected and fill out his second term. He has been in government for over a half-century.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and current representative from California is 83.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the second-ranking Democratic House member behind Pelosi, was House majority leader until early this year. He is 83, and has been an elected official for nearly 60 years.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is 72, with 48 years in elected government.

Democratic luminary and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, Senator Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., is 89, and ailing — after 53 years as an elected official.

James Clyburn, D-S.C., is House minority whip and 82.

These are the official faces of the Democratic Party.

They came into power and maturity three decades ago during the Clinton years of 1993-1999.

Decades ago, they sometimes supported strong national defense, secure borders, gas and oil development, fully funding the police, and a few restrictions on partial-birth abortions.

Not now.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Stinky Hoyer: GOP Questioning FBI Raid 'Dangerous, Despicable and Disappointing'

2022-08-13

House Majority Leader the mealy-mouthed Steny StinkyHoyer
...Nancy San Fran Nan Pelosi's second banana, or plaintain, or mango, or whatever he is. Number Two, anyway...
(D-MD) said Friday on CNN
...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for...
’s "Newsroom" that the Republicans’ rhetoric on the FBI’s action at Mar-a-Lago was "dangerous, despicable and disappointing."

Harlow said, "This morning, we know a lot more about why the FBI carried out the search. The FBI sought classified documents related to nuclear weapons. The New York Times

...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize...
reports officials were worried leaving those documents at Mar-a-Lago could leave them vulnerable to foreign adversaries acquiring them. I wonder if the tone of rhetoric you’re hearing this morning, given all of those developments, is different now from your Republican colleagues?"

Hoyer said, "The Republicans fell all over themselves to demand accountability of Crooked Hillary Clinton
...former first lady, former secretary of state, former presidential candidate, Conqueror of Benghazi, Heroine of Tuzla, formerly described by her supporters as the smartest woman in the world, usually described by the rest of us as The Thing That Wouldn't Go Away. Politix is not one of her talents, but it's something she keeps trying to do...
. They are now saying, in effect, that this president should not be accountable. Their remarks are dangerous, despicable, and disappointing. The fact of the matter is, in America, no one is above the law, no one. No president, in my view, certainly no former president is above the law. The FBI, unlike Mr. Comey in the Hillary Clinton case, acted consistent with their ideals and with their protocols. The response has been to threaten law enforcement officers for doing their duty. That’s what I say is despicable, threatening them."

He added, "We do know that the rhetoric online of Trump supporters threatening law enforcement, threatening the judge, having the synagogue cancel its service because of the threats that occurred is despicable. It’s un-American. Every American ought to oppose that, and certainly, every elected official who has pledged to defend the laws of the United States of America should condemn that kind of ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful reaction. No one is above the law."

Link

Home Front: Politix

Trump-backed Dan Cox takes on Larry Hogan's 'RINO' Kelly Schulz in Maryland's crucial primary

2022-07-20

[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] The Maryland gubernatorial race has garnered the attention of some big names

Race determines who will replace Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in the blue state

Trump backed GOP candidate Dan Cox, a Maryland state legislator and Hogan backed GOP candidate Kelly Schulz to replace him

Oprah Winfrey and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer backed Democratic candidate Wes Moore, author and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation

Former Labor Secretary and ex-DNC Chairman Tom Perez earned the support of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Western Weapons in Ukraine Being Sold On via Encrypted Messaging App

2022-05-15

Unconfirmed reporting:
[Breitbart] Military-grade weaponry in Ukraine is allegedly being sold on to international buyers on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, including some hardware made in the United States.

Weapons that have been allegedly collected in Ukraine during the country’s ongoing war with Russia have been put up for sale on Telegram channels, including various kinds of automatic rifles and small arms.

Weapons said to be for sale include not just Ukrainian-origin arms such as old Soviet-era AK-47 rifles, but also American-made rifles like the M16 and the M4, along with other NATO member-origin firearms like the ARX 160 A1 manufactured by the Italian weapons company Beretta, newspaper Il Giornale reports.

It remains unclear whether the weapons are being sold by Ukrainians or by Russians who have collected them over the course of the war.

Related: France24 - Replenishing US arms supplies a matter of ‘urgency’ amid huge shipments to Ukraine

Related: Hot Air - Mitch McConnell leads delegation of GOP Senators to Ukraine

Related: FOX - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on Friday slammed Republicans for criticizing President Biden when "we’re at war."

Link

Home Front: Politix

Top Democrat Leader Declares 'We're at War,' Asserts Joe Biden off Limits for Criticism

2022-05-15

[REDSTATE] In one of the most "wait, what?" moments of 2022, a top Democrat leader in the House has declared that the United States is currently at war. That’s not an exaggeration nor an uncharitable reading of the situation. Apparently, unbeknownst to the public on the lam, Congress and the White House have managed to enter into a war with Russia without going through any of the constitutional steps to do so.

Truly, nothing surprises me anymore.

Perhaps having an 82-year-old as the House Majority Leader isn’t that good of an idea? I’d like to think that someone with more cognitive capacity would at least couch their words instead of just blurting out that the country is at war, when it’s most certainly not at war. I’m probably being too kind to the rest of the Washington apparatchiks, though, by suspecting mental decline is at play here. After all, we’ve had multiple Republicans assert we are in a proxy war over the last few days.

Regardless, I think we all know what this is really about. Joe The Big Guy Biden
Joe <q>The Big Guy</q> Biden

...46th president of the U.S. S Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run....
’s presidency is a disaster. Inflation is through the roof, the border is a crisis zone, and the sanctions that were put on Russia for invading Ukraine aren’t having their desired effect. Those realities have the Democrat Party barrelling toward an electoral cliff in November. What better way to try to turn things around than to start falsely proclaiming that Biden is a war-time president?

Steny Hoyer goes so far as to suggest that Biden shouldn’t be criticized during these supposedly trying times. It’s a strategy so overt and stupid that you almost have to respect the fact that Democrats are willing to try it. Putting economic sanctions on another country does not make a president a war-time president. The same is true for giving lethal weapons to another nation while it does all the fighting. If those were the standards, essentially every president has been a war-time president, at least since the turn of the 20th century.

Come on, no one is buying this, right? I know pretending Biden is something he’s not is kind of a trend on the left, but there’s just no chance this attempt to make him into a war-time president works. Further, it risks a backlash from war-weary Americans who want to help Ukraine but might not take too kindly to the government once again shipping billions in unchecked dollars overseas.

Unfortunately, Republicans are playing right into this Democrat ploy by full-throatily supporting the $40 billion slush fund bill, which is currently on hold in the Senate. Sen. Rand Paul has stood alone trying to put boundaries on the spending package (he wants an amendment that will make the money accountable to the inspector general), and GOP leaders have lambasted those who’ve expressed skepticism. The uni-party is back, and it’s the same as the old uni-party.

Link

-Great Cultural Revolution

Vulnerable Dems Distancing from Brandon

2021-12-10

[Epoch Times] Afghan Withdrawal Prompts First Signs of Trouble

By Sept. 1, the tide of public opinion had turned substantially against the president, with only 42 percent of likely voters approving of Biden.

This sudden drop in public support prompted the first wave of defections among vulnerable Democrats, who rushed to distance themselves from the president.

Rep. Crissy Houlahan (D-Penn.), whose seat has been rated vulnerable by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), was one of the first to criticize the president in a public statement.

In her statement, she contended that she and others had warned Biden of the danger but said that those warnings "fell on deaf ears."

Several other vulnerable House Democrats quickly followed suit.

In the Senate as well, some Democrats began to distance themselves from the president: Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and others made a point of criticizing the withdrawal and promising action and oversight.

Since then, things have only gotten worse for President Biden, prompting more and more Democrats to jump ship in an effort to save their seats in 2022.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), a self-described "conservative Democrat," announced on Dec. 3 that he would join Republicans in a motion to strike down Biden’s unprecedented private sector vaccine mandate.

Though Manchin often stands alone in opposing his party’s proposals, he has been joined by another Senate Democratic colleague, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

The mandate, announced by Biden in September, would be enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and has faced strong criticism from Republicans, business leaders, and others.

Under a 1990s piece of legislation, Congress can overturn OSHA rules through a filibuster-proof simple majority vote; Manchin’s and Tester’s decision to join all 50 Republicans in this endeavor all but guarantees that the rule will be overturned in the Senate.

But as inflation begins to squeeze middle America’s pockets and with the looming threat of midterms on the horizon, this is a narrative that many Democrats facing reelection can no longer afford to parrot.

In a Dec. 2 letter, Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) led a petition signed by 21 other House Democrats calling on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to address increasing inflation.

"We are concerned about the ongoing disruptions to our nation’s supply chain, which are causing delays and increasing inflation for our constituents," the letter begins.

"Congress must do more," the letter continued."We urge additional action by the House of Representatives to further address the disruptions and higher costs our constituents are experiencing."

Only a few of the Democrats who signed the letter are not considered vulnerable by the NRCC.

Historically, presidential endorsements of tight congressional or state-level races have carried considerable influence; in fact, former President Donald Trump continues to exert considerable influence over the outcome of some races.

But Virginia’s recent gubernatorial election showed the cracks in Biden’s ability to sway elections.

Despite the efforts of Biden, former President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, and others, Republican Glenn Youngkin handily defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in what some predicted would be a tight race.

Observers argued that the race was a litmus test to gauge public support for Biden as he approached the end of his first year, a fact that encouraged Democrats to throw millions of dollars and a slate of high-profile endorsements into the race. Still, Youngkin, who said that "a vote for me is a vote for Donald Trump," won by safe margins.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Iron Dome will be funded, but more ‘Squad' trouble is on the way - analysis

2021-09-23

[JPost] Recent events should concern Israel of trouble with the "Squad" even as statements by Israeli officials tried to minimize the problem.

The Iron Dome may ultimately receive the American funding it needs, after progressive pressure led Democratic Party leadership in the House of Representatives to remove it from a broader bill, and then vowed to propose the aid as its own bill within days. But that doesn’t mean that the drama surrounding it is over.

Tuesday’s events in the House should ring alarm bells in Jerusalem that more trouble with the "Squad" is on the way, even as public statements by Israeli officials tried to minimize the problem.

US President Joe Biden has been promising Israel for months that a billion dollars in batteries for the missile defense system would be forthcoming. He said it first in May, at the close of Operation Guardian of the Walls, the latest round of war in response to Gaza terrorists shooting rockets at Israeli civilians; and he promised it again to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during his visit to the Oval Office a month ago.

Jerusalem was satisfied with those promises, and presented them as one of the prime minister’s achievements in his first meeting with the president. Bennett’s advisers and Israeli diplomats got word late Tuesday that things were moving smoothly toward a vote that would include the aid.

Progressive Democrats then refused to support the legislation — which was mostly meant to provide funding that would prevent a government shutdown — if it also included the Iron Dome funding.

Interestingly, none of these progressive members of Congress have thus far identified themselves publicly. Politico reported that it is the same group that pushed to block arms to Israel during Operation Guardians of the Wall in May, which would mean Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) of New York, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Pocan’s office, however, denied to The Jerusalem Post that he was involved in the latest move.

In contrast to that small group, a bipartisan group of 56 members wrote to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in June, calling on him to "ensure that the Iron Dome remains able to protect Israel without running the risk that its stockpile of interceptors becomes depleted. Israel must always have the resources it needs to defend itself from incoming rockets when it is targeted again."

But with only a narrow majority in Congress, and Republicans refusing to save the Democrats from a government shutdown — even if that entails delaying Israel’s Iron Dome resupply — the Democrats didn’t have enough votes to pass the bill. They gave in to the Progressive demands and removed the Iron Dome from that vote.

Hours afterward, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer tweeted that "the House will consider legislation this week to fully fund Iron Dome. We will act to ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, and I expect strong bipartisan support for this effort."

Hoyer seemingly confirmed what Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s spokesman said after the two spoke on the phone Tuesday night: that it was only a "technical postponement that came from an argument in Congress about the American debt ceiling."

Everything is fine, was the message Lapid conveyed. Hoyer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer still support Israel and will make sure the Iron Dome is funded as soon as possible for Israel’s security needs.

The real problem, Lapid said, is former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"After years in which the previous government abandoned Congress and the Democratic Party and caused significant damage to Israel-US relations, we are rebuilding trust with Congress," Lapid said. "I thank the [Biden] administration and Congress for their strong commitment to Israel’s security."

Although the technical aspect of getting the money for the Iron Dome seems like it will be resolved quickly — with the progressives probably not having permanently derailed missile defense funding — the problem certainly is broader than that. And the incident proves that his pointing fingers at Netanyahu for souring ties between Israel and parts of the Democratic Party is an explanation that falls short.

The influence of progressives in the Democratic Party is growing. Hoyer, Pelosi and Schumer are close to retirement, while Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and other members of The Squad are at the start of their political careers, in very liberal districts.
These pretentious tw@ts and Bro-f*ckers represent a small, but vocal minority of Joooo haters. If Dem-supporting American Juice had any self-awareness, they would know it's about the crocodile eating them last...

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More