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11/18: Biden Job Approval, Gallup |
Disapprove 55% |
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11/18: Biden Job Approval, Quinnipiac |
Disapprove 53% |
| R |
11/18: 2022 Congress Vote, Quinnipiac |
Republicans 46% |
| D |
11/17: 2022 Congress Vote, Economist/YouGov |
Democrats 42% |
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Trending On The Left
Daily Beast: Pennsylvania Teen Had Hands Up for 14 Seconds Before Cops Killed Him
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Trending On The Right
Fox: Jim Jordan blasts AG Garland after whistleblower email: '...looks like he misled the American people'
NY Post: MSNBC banned from Kyle Rittenhouse trial after producer accused of following jurors
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LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT
Gosar Represents the New GOP
Left-leaning commentators think Gosar’s tweet is despicable. They believe it’s emblematic of the new Trump-influenced, tribe-based GOP that borders on the extreme.
"Republican extremism offers a preview of possible new House majority" Stephen Collinson, CNN: "If House Republicans win in the midterm elections, it's already clear their new majority will be a constant churn of self-radicalization and an extremist political weapon for Donald Trump. ... The reason why Republicans are standing by Gosar is that he is one of Trump's most vehement defenders and accomplices in attacking democracy. The reason why 13 supporters of the popular infrastructure bill are in trouble is that their votes helped hand Biden a win on an issue on which Trump manifestly failed, creating an embarrassing comparison with his presidency. ... ‘It's completely crazy,’ Ohio Gov. John Kasich said. ... 'The Republicans are lucky the people aren't following this thing carefully. If they did, their ability to take over the House, in my opinion, would be in question. People don't support this kind of nonsense; they don't.'"
"House censure vote of Paul Gosar shows how rarely the GOP breaks ranks" Michael A. Cohen, MSNBC: "While 221 Democrats voted to hold Gosar responsible for his actions, only two Republicans did. ... This isn’t the first time Gosar has done something inflammatory and reckless. He has repeatedly denounced immigrants, appeared alongside white supremacists, suggested that the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, had been planned by ‘an Obama sympathizer,’ pushed QAnon conspiracy theories, and even claimed at a House hearing that his background as a dentist made him uniquely qualified to read body language. ... Gosar’s continued electoral success raises a difficult question: Is there anything a Republican politician can do to alienate Republican voters? The answer, seemingly, is no. Devotion and loyalty to the Republican tribe trump all else."
"Republicans' defense of US Rep. Paul Gosar in censure vote is sickening" Laurie Roberts, The Arizona Republic: "What is wrong with Republicans that they can't bring themselves to condemn Rep. Paul Gosar for his sick anime video?" Keep reading.
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RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT
Grow Up, Gosar
Right-leaning commentators also largely believe Gosar’s tweet is absurd and completely unnecessary. More than a few point to this episode and others as examples of lawmakers more concerned with juicing their cable TV ratings as influencers than actually accomplishing anything in Congress.
"The Decline of Congress" Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal: "Congress has a public approval rating of 22%, which makes us wonder what the 22% are watching. It can’t be C-SPAN. If they paid attention to this week’s spectacle involving Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, the 22% are likely to join the other 78%. Mr. Gosar, a Republican, illustrates the decline of Congress in profile. ... [His tweet] reveals that many members of Congress now behave as if their job is to become social-media influencers or cable-TV stars, as opposed to accomplishing something. ... Democrats are naturally trying to exploit the episode for their own social-media and cable-TV gain ... Mr. Gosar, who is 63 years old but acts like a teenager on TikTok, deserves ridicule more than censure, which should be reserved for serious offenses. ... This really is the cartoon Congress."
"House votes to censure Paul Gosar and remove him from committees, 223-207, with two Republicans voting yes" Allahpundit, Hot Air: "Dems won’t say so but I think they treated this as a lifetime achievement award for Gosar. The anime cartoon he posted on Twitter showing a character with his face superimposed on it slaying a character with AOC’s face doesn’t crack the top 10 worst offenses by a guy who helped organize the January 6 'stop the steal' rally and who’s famously cozy with alt-righters. ... Ocasio-Cortez didn’t want to let it go, though. ... Maybe that’s because she relished an opportunity to show off her victimhood. ... AOC did make one fair point about Gosar and the MAGA wing of the GOP caucus: They’re not serious about their jobs. They don’t care what they say or what effect it has on others because ultimately they’re just performers for the people who watch them on Fox, not legislators."
"Rep. Boebert raises Swalwell Chinese spy scandal on House floor: 'Sleeping with the enemy'" Jessica Chasmar, Fox News: "Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. called out Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. while defending Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. ... for his past relationship with a suspected Chinese spy while listing off the ‘inappropriate actions’ of Democrats on the House floor Wednesday." Keep reading.
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FLAG THIS
Congress Craters
In the latest approval rating poll from The Economist/YouGov, just 15% of respondents said they approve of the way the US Congress is handling its job. When the same poll asked 1500 Americans whether they think Congress has accomplished more or less than it usually does at this point in its two-year term, 38% said "less than usual," 29% said "about the same," and 12% said "more than usual."
Overall, do you approve or disapprove of how the United States Congress is handling its job? Click here to share your thoughts.
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POWERED BY BIG LEAGUE CHEW
The Great American Smokeout
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Every third Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society sponsors the Great American Smokeout. This annual event is meant to encourage Americans to stop smoking. Specifically, it challenges smokers to quit cigarettes for 24 hours with the hope that this decision will continue forever. For any smokers out there joining in, one way to distract yourself is with gum — and there's nothing better than diving into a classic pack of Big League Chew. Plus, get this: after Wrigley brought Big League Chew production to Mexico in 2010, Ford Gum & Machine Company reclaimed distribution rights and brought manufacturing back to the US. Currently, the gum is manufactured in Akron, NY. Click here to purchase the "Hall of Fame Bubble Gum."
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US & WORLD
Apple's Return to Office, Execution Commuted, CBO Estimate
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CNBC: Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees Thursday that the company is pushing back its return to office plan until February.
USA Today: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office on Thursday released its full cost estimate of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill, projecting the measure would add $367 billion to the national debt over the next decade.
CNN: The defense teams for the three White men accused in Ahmaud Arbery's killing rested Thursday after presenting their case for two days and calling seven witnesses, including Travis McMichael, one of the defendants, to the stand.
WSJ: A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general said Thursday it is investigating how Instagram attracts and affects young people, amping up the pressure on parent company Meta over potential harms to its users.
NBC: President Joe Biden's social safety net and climate package could get a House vote as soon as Thursday afternoon, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at her weekly news conference.
CNN: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has granted clemency to Julius Jones, commuting Jones's death sentence just hours before he was scheduled to be executed for a 1999 murder he says he did not commit.
AJ: Belarus has moved migrants and refugees away from the main camps at the Polish border, according to Belarusian media and officials, in a change of tack that could help ease a crisis that has spiraled in recent weeks.
CNN: Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday she and President Joe Biden have not been discussing the 2024 election yet, and she declined to say if Biden has told her whether he will run for a second term.
ESPN: The head of the women's professional tennis tour questioned the legitimacy of what Chinese state media said was a retraction by a Grand Slam doubles champion who has accused a former top government official of sexual assault.
CNBC: Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state premiers on Thursday agreed on a new package of measures to tackle a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, as infection rates soar to a record. The package reportedly includes a limit on public life for the unvaccinated in areas that exceed a certain threshold of hospital admissions.
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WATERCOOLER
Gettysburg Address, Apple Car, Skiing Down K2
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On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most memorable speeches in American history at the dedication of a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Above is one of the two confirmed photos of Lincoln's arrival (center, facing camera) at Gettysburg, taken around three hours before his speech.
TechCrunch: Apple reportedly aims to debut a fully self-driving car in 2025.
Daily Beast: Are We About to Find Life on Venus?
The Conversation: How Metacognition — Thinking About Thinking — Can Improve the Mental-Health Crisis.
Today I Learned about Andrzej Bargiel, a Polish ski mountaineer who became the first person to ski down from the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain. He climbed without supplementary oxygen and skied down in about seven hours.
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Unfortunately Congress is too divided to do much and a lot of it has to do with antics like Gosar’s which are NOT indicative of the Republican party (a lie in itself). During the last administration it was obvious that the Democrats were no angels either. The issues raised by Boebert show how biased the climate is and raises questions about the legitimacy of the current Congress to anyone who rationally tries to review the goings on there. Congress has raised themselves to a protected class. And the obvious discrimination in funding the US along with priority to support the desires of huge Dem donors biases the legislature (and at times those investigative arms of the government who report to them) – so the rest of the US is largely ignored and they are rightly getting upset with this nonsense and may vote them out. To that extent I think we should legalize banning political donations period. There actually were times in our history when the parties could work together. So it’s not impossible. They just need to mentally try to advance to adults and represent the considerations of the people of the US, not the money of the US. The President seems to also need to make an effort to represent himself as a concerned person for the people of the US, not someone who is continually “losing patience.” Pretty obnoxious to present such an attitude to those who voted for him – who are “losing patience” with him and his Congress.
No. I agree with Kathy that changing political contribution laws could help. So could eliminating lobbyists. And I believe that Congressman should only be in Washington to vote. The bulk of their time should be spent in their state. And they should have a real job. Representing your constituency was to be a service, not a high paying, fully benefited full time job. Palacial Washington offices could also by eliminated. How about one building with cubicles for essential tasks while in town to debate and vote. That would save a ton of money. Congress needs to be reined in and put back on track.
It is not quite the food fight scene from Animal House, but they are closing in on it. Our Nation faces real problems, start working on them.
Paul Gosar is exactly what I care about when I go fill up my gas tank or when I see the price of everything rising with no end. Once again the Democrats need a boogy man to prevent them from actually work.
This banter back-and-forth between democrats and Republicans regarding this particular cartoon, I find very interesting. All during the President Trump years there were many cartoons, illustrations, and actual words maybe not by congressional folks but by Democrats and liberals who hated Donald Trump. I didn’t see the Democrats come out and scold those who showed Donald Trump without a head or many of the other illustrations and even words of saying, when has a president been killed by a Hollywood actor. If the outrage by the Democrats was not shown in the past why should the Republicans show any remorse over this. However, our nation is divided severely and common sense has gone out the window, liberals, Democrats, and others simply do not have any common sense left and are trying to split up our country into segments of different people to keep up the dissatisfaction with one another. Talk about a party who is against democracy, it is the Democrats and their liberal socialist agenda.
How can you support a group of people who are doing what they want and not even listening to what the people want. These people are so out of touch with the American people it is not funny.
There are so many things that congress could make life better for all Americans and yet they do not try, just spend and spend and create new law after new law instead of looking at laws they have already and seeing if maybe they could be removed. We need less laws not more!
I think Congress is torn between “lifers” who are protecting their millionaire livelihoods, zealots who ride on Trump’s coattails hoping for power, idealists who have no power but want to reform everything and ostriches who keep their heads down and hope things turn out OK. We, as a country, have allowed our elected leaders to trample on the beliefs of the majority and given full rein to the powerful to use us.
Congress is playing a game and we the people are the pawns! Each side wants to dominate the other yet despite some humorous moments, this is sad. Democrats are still upset they aren’t getting their way and Republicans will show Democrats what they will do to them in a not so civil manner. Both sides need to grow up and act like adults instead of little kids!