The Thread of Democrats

[Cunt]

Trump even has something to offer Democrat voters this time

[L'Emmerdeur]

Some Democratic politicians just seem to have an innate reek of grift. Gavin Newsom I'm looking at you. It's as if these glad-handers were never idealistic dreamers who aspired to make the system better for the populace and were instead changed by the system. Rather they went into politics purely for personal gain and ego gratification.

I think Eric Adams, who like Newsom claims to be the 'future of the Democratic Party,' is one of them. He's followed a similar path to Newsom's and has arrived at the 'mayor of a major city' stage. I have my doubts that he'll manage to become the governor of New York, but it doesn't pay to underestimate the blockheaded gullibility of the voting public.

'Eric Adams’ Brain-Melting 9/11 Quote Explains a Lot'

“New York. This is a place where every day you wake up you could experience everything from a plane crashing into our Trade Center through a person who’s celebrating a new business that’s open. This is a very, very complicated city, and that’s why it’s the greatest city on the globe.” —New York City Mayor Eric Adams, asked Monday to describe his 2023 in one word.

* * *

Year’s end is a natural time for reflection. New York City’s New Jersey–dwelling Mayor Eric Adams’ year has been almost as perplexing as his answer to that prompt. It’s a signature Adams flourish: defiant of the rules, logically confounding, unserious and concerning in equal measure.

If 2021 announced Adams as the great hope of big business–aligned centrist and conservative Democrats who hoped to beat back the city’s activists—Adams, in fact, announced himself as the future of the Democratic Party—2023 has revealed him to be anything but. Lacking in popularity almost as desperately as he lacks in legislative ambition, Adams has managed nothing remotely akin to a signature policy accomplishment during his time at the helm of New York City.

His greatest achievement in 2023 was probably his embrace of the Republican line on immigration, a hardcore anti-migrant sentiment that Adams has adopted as cynically as the crime panic he rode to a narrow win two years back, in the contentious ranked-choice Democratic primary. His cruel and unnecessary posture toward asylum seekers has seeped into national politics more deeply, and it has served as a paper-thin excuse for Adams to deliver the policy change he is becoming best known for: bruising, unnecessary budget cuts to social services (but not and never to police budgets). When New Yorkers stroll by the newly shuttered doors of their public libraries on Sundays, they will think of their mayor, who might be on his way back from Saturday night at the club.

Profound, general mismanagement and the goring of necessary social services (parks, beaches, and schools are all getting some version of the Adams library policy) are one thing, but it’s the startling array of corruption allegations that has made Adams’ 2023 really stand out. Adams acolytes have recently pleaded guilty to straw-donor campaign finance fraud, in a scheme designed to generate illicit public matching funds for Adams’ 2021 campaign. The mayor’s chief fundraiser had her home raided by the FBI, in connection with an illegal foreign-influence investigation into the Adams campaign. Adams himself had his phone snatched by the feds as part of that ongoing operation.

...

So, when Adams describes his year on an emotional spectrum between “9/11” at the low end and “Someone opened another gray-market weed store on my block” on the top, all that is just part of what’s gotten him there. Except, of course, Adams has pledged war on the gray-market weed stores, which he will surely be cracking down on just as soon as the haters clear out of his way.

[rasetsu]

Fani Willis admits relationship with prosecutor on Trump Georgia case

Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) admitted she had a personal relationship with an outside prosecutor she appointed to manage the election interference case against former president Donald Trump and his allies but denied claims that the relationship had tainted the proceedings.

In a 176-page court filing on Friday, Willis called the claims against her “meritless” and “salacious.” She asked a judge to reject motions from Trump and other co-defendants that seek to disqualify her and her office from the case — and to do so without an evidentiary hearing. Willis denied claims of misconduct, said there was no evidence that the relationship between her and special prosecutor Nathan Wade had prejudiced the case.

The filing included a sworn affidavit from Wade, who said there was “no personal relationship” between him and Willis “prior to or at the time” he was appointed. Wade’s affidavit said that in 2022 he and Willis “developed a personal relationship in addition to our professional association and friendship.”

Wade also denied that his role had financially benefited Willis. Mike Roman, the Trump co-defendant who first leveled allegations of misconduct, accused Wade of paying for “lavish” vacations with Willis. Wade said in his affidavit that the two had split travel expenses “equally.”

“No funds paid to me in compensation for my role as Special Prosecutor have been shared with or provided to District Attorney Willis,” Wade said, in the affidavit. “The District Attorney received no funds or personal financial gain from my position as Special Prosecutor.”

[Sean Hayden]

The booming economy seems to be largely the result of consumer spending. A few things about that: Americans have burned through their savings and are saving less now, much of that spending is just debt, and finally that debt supposedly isn't a problem because --get this-- wage growth...

When they say "booming economy": booming for who? Are Americans in a better position today to find affordable housing, transportation, education, healthcare...

[pErvinalia]

It means GDP. Which was never meant to define social well-being. Unfortunately it has come to fill that role.

[Sean Hayden]

That's definitely what they want us to believe. Not only have they kept the economy going strong, we should feel good about it.

[Sean Hayden]

On affordable housing...

Analysis of President Biden’s FY 2024 Budget Request

Overview
President Joe Biden and HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge released today their full fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request. The proposal calls for increased funding for affordable housing using two approaches: modest funding increases to HUD programs using the regular appropriations process, and major investments in housing through mandatory spending. While an important marker of the level of investments needed to address the nation’s housing crisis, the mandatory spending proposal will not gain the bipartisan support needed for enactment in the current Congress. If enacted, the budget request would provide substantial federal investments in affordable homes and increase the availability of housing assistance to families with the greatest needs. For more details, see NLIHC's updated budget chart.

... (emphasis mine)

...continued here: https://nlihc.org/resource/analysis-pre ... et-request

And an interesting read in Forbes about why some of these efforts don't work as expected:

The House-passed Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 would expand the largest federal subsidy program for construction of affordable housing, called the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit or LIHTC. But as designed, the program, which costs roughly $13.5 billion annually, is an inefficient and complex way to deliver housing assistance to low-income families.

...

At every step in this process, money is diverted from the ultimate purpose, which is to build low-income housing. For example, the investors—usually banks or other financial institutions—take a cut. So do the syndicators who match developers and investors. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates their fees average 2 percent to 5 percent of the total investment.

...

...continued here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/howardglec ... 10dd277e7e

[Brian Peacock]

Critique of Capitalism merged to here.

[macdoc]

Abusive of power... exploitation of innocents.

[JimC]

There are no innocents in Rationalia...

[Sean Hayden]

The Democrats helped defeat the supplemental ~18 billion in aid to Israel yesterday.

[Sean Hayden]

…affordable housing continued…

[Tero]

Is it time? (I don't want to repeat this one closer to the election)
Biden Asks Americans To Come Sit By Him And Keep Him Company Until The End
https://www.theonion.com/biden-asks-ame ... 1850391041

[JimC]

My prediction is that the Democrats will give Trump the win (legal issues allowing...) because too many voters will react badly to Biden's age. I'm amazed that the Dems have not seen this coming, and groomed a quality candidate...

[Tero]

My prediction is that the Democrats will give Trump the win (legal issues allowing...) because too many voters will react badly to Biden's age. I'm amazed that the Dems have not seen this coming, and groomed a quality candidate...

I explained this to a number of people. Basically people have a job in politics, and do not want to lose. So few people want to run. If Biden steps down for health issues, we will get Kamala. She will lose. Biden has a chance to regain some of his loss and Trump has a huge chance to look like a criminal in court.

Also, for practical and inside party reasons. the last time to throw in a new candidate was about a year ago. Biden did this. He now has to try to win.

Kamala vs Nkki, Nikki would win that one. She automatically gets about 45% by saying she will pardon Trump.