Not to put too fine a point on it . . . Oh well, let’s do:
Tag: biden
Biden Robs the Federal Reserve After the Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Decision
This morning, acting quickly on the Supreme Court’s decision granting presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, President Biden robbed the Federal Reserve. A mere 22 hours after the Court’s decision, and accompanied by dozens of armed Secret Service agents, the President, disguised in a black mask and sunglasses, plundered the nation’s bank of all of its cash on hand. While personall directing what he called “a cash withdrawal,” he explained that in accordance with the court’s decision yesterday:
“I’m simply exercising one of the core powers of the presidency which includes assuring that the banking system is acting in the best interests of the nation. I decided that the Federal Reserve was not. Therefore, I am seizing their cash until such time as I decide to give it back.”
Under the Supreme Court holding, the President may engage in what some might call criminal behavior and may not be prosecuted for it after leaving office. Also, it is already established as Department of Justice policy that a president may not be criminally indicted during his tenure. The Supreme Court, however, did not grant carte blanche permission for presidents to act unlawfully and escape prosecution after they leave office. For example, his audacious Federal Reserve heist, might, by some, be considered to be not among his core powers, which include those actions that can only be taken by the president, including the naming of ambassadors, acting as Commander-in-chief, and issuing pardons. Other presidential actions, the Court held, outside of his core powers may be examined by a court to determine whether they are nonetheless within overall presidential powers, and a prosecution of a former president could be brought if his actions are adjudged as “unofficial acts” undertaken, for instance, for personal benefit alone.
President Biden reflected on this immediately after robbing the Federal Reserve of all of its currency on hand, perhaps billions of dollars:
“As president, I have a responsibility to protect the American people from bank fraud. As soon as the court handed down its decision in Trump v. United States, I decided that the Federal Reserve was engaging in bank fraud. Don’t ask why, the court said I don’t have to tell you, but I assure the American people that none of this cash will be used to finance my reelection campaign. Not a penny. So don’t worry. Really. In any event, my borrowing the Federal Reserve’s cash foe safekeeping is well within my powers because as head of the executive branch I’m responsible for a multitude of banking-related agencies. What Republicans may label as a smash-and-grab operation is well within the plethora of official acts which I may undertake. If Mitch McConnell objects take it up with the Supreme Court. Regardless, I will secure this cash in the White House itself, within perhaps the best guarded building in the country for the duration of my time as president which will be until 2029. After that, we’ll see what the Supreme Court has to say.”
It all makes sense to me, and I look forward to President Biden’s next official act, which may occur this very day as the President was heard directing his getaway limousine driver to “head to the U.S. Mint.” Whether pillaging the Federal Reserve is a presidential power or not, at least this caper will take the spotlight off Donald Trump for a news cycle.
Trump & Tuberville, Pay Attention – Your Pal Putin Is the Problem
“Under Crooked Joe Biden, the world is in flames, our border is overrun,
inflation is raging, Europe is in total chaos, the Middle East is exploding,
Iran is emboldened, China is on the march, and the worst, most incompetent,
most corrupt president in history is going to drag us into World War III.”
Donald Trump, at a Racine, Wisconsin MAGA rally
June 18, 2024
Donald Trump, Shut Up!
If anything presently on the horizon could ignite a “WWIII” it’s Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, an obvious observation unobserved in Trump’s quote above. If Trump is truly concerned about a worldwide conflict, and not just fear mongering, then a solution to the Ukrainian-Russian war is essential. In that vein, Trump might consider calling for (1) a Russian withdrawal, (2) a Ukrainian surrender, (3) meaningful peace talks, or (4) at the least, a ceasefire. After all, the task would be a snap. He brags about how one phone call to Putin and Zelensky would lead directly to a satisfactory ending based on (Trump’s idea) Ukraine simply surrendering half of its country. Because why? Zelensky will listen to him attentively because . . . Trump’s big brain. As for Putin, he’s a buddy and totally respects Trump’s, well, his big brain. Didn’t Vlad express that respect and bonhomie in 2023?
“We surely hear that Mr. Trump says he will resolve all burning issues within several days, including the Ukrainian crisis. We cannot help but feel happy about it.” Vladimir Putin remark at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, September 2023.
At the time, Trump – stupidly interpreting Putin’s cheekily ironic statement as something more than a glaringly obvious insult – jumped in with both paws, “I like that he said that, because that means what I’m saying is right. I would get him into a room. I’d get Zelensky into a room. Then I’d bring them together. And I’d have a deal worked out.” Zip, zap, zop. Just like that. After all, it’s essentially a real estate deal. Irony aside, in fact, Trump’s magical thinking, hyperbolic personality, and sense of omnipotence are dangerous threats to Ukraine’s survival, and if one needs a WWIII scenario, to the world’s survival.
And then there’s Tommy Tuberville . . .
Tommy Tuberville, Shut Up!
On another madcap front in the MAGA universe, the one where Putin is a good guy, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville threw in on this topic a few weeks ago. Appearing on the soon-to-be jailbird Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, Tuberville, the nation’s stupidest senator, after referring to Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator,” spewed forth:
“Putin’s just kind of sitting back, watching what’s going on, wondering when y’all gonna come over and we’ll draw a line here. He doesn’t want Ukraine, he doesn’t want Europe. He’s got enough land of his own. He just wants to make sure that he does not have United States weapons in Ukraine pointing at Moscow.”
Of course, Tuberville is right that Russia doesn’t want “United States weapons in Ukraine pointing at Moscow.” Nonetheless, we can be safe in assuming that Putin knows he already has U.S. weapons pointed at him within Europe. As of April 2024, the United States had the largest number of active military personnel in NATO countries, with almost 1.33 million troops and their accompanying accoutrements like artillery, tanks, and other unpleasant things. Moreover, we have approximately 100 tactical nuclear weapons in NATO countries. And, of course, there are American “weapons pointed at him” in Ukraine because Putin invaded Ukraine, some billions of dollars worth soon to be supplemented by F-16 fighter jets. So, if Putin really doesn’t want weapons in Europe pointed at Moscow, then stop being such a juvenile delinquent; start that transformation by getting the hell out of Ukraine!
As for Tuberville’s comment that Putin “doesn’t want Ukraine, he doesn’t want Europe. He’s got enough land of his own,” the comment is belied by the fact that he has numerous soldiers, a Baltic fleet, and an air force there. So, Tuberville’s comment is not remotely reality based, it’s startlingly stupid, and other demeaning terms. Nevertheless, one part of his asinine comment bears examining, “He’s got enough land of his own.” That, too, is both incorrect and stupid, and also belied by his assault on, and occupation of, the second largest country in Europe. Apparently, Russia’s nearly seven million square miles is, Senator Tuberville, not “enough land.”
Putin desires and needs a geographical border, one that can threaten NATO, and provide an economic influx to aid Russia’s lagging economy. Economic theft was among Putin’s reasons for invading Ukraine, especially when he believed he would achieve an easy victory. Lacking that he seems stuck there for the long haul, between a rock and a hard place. Certainly, Ukraine can provide a significant economic input, for example, in 2014, he stole Crimea and grabbed its famous port city Sevastopol, a prize for his fleet. And certainly, should he own all Ukraine, his defense from NATO would be vastly strengthened, especially since, as a part of Russia, Ukraine would therefore never be a NATO country. In a strong sense, it is all about land, and wanting more, Senator Tuberville.
Trump’s Giant Brain Isn’t Up to the Task
Nevertheless, we ought to be wary of viewing Ukraine as simply a land grab by an empire-hungry Vladimir Putin. Certainly, that is a motivation; I believe his (very) long-term aim is to reform the soviet boundaries. That may, in fact, have been his initial objective, a beginning of the rebirth of a new Russian empire, modeled after the Soviet Union. If so, his failure to quickly defeat all of Ukraine has consequences, both militarily and macroeconomically, both strategically and tactically, both long term and short term. All this is a huge setback to his grand design.
Given the staggering human costs of the nearly two-year war thus far, one can see that Putin’s unmoved by the demand that he withdraw, and he will likely continue in this vein. Human and economic costs, it’s well known, are mammoth, and if the war – win, lose, or draw – were to end tomorrow, long term Russian macroeconomic costs in GDP terms are a huge concern, and these costs unabated by a swift victory, have already injured the welfare of the Russian people (an ongoing internally destabilizing event).
In December 2023, RAND Corporation reported, “As of September 2022, researchers estimated military costs reached $40 billion. Full-year 2022 gross domestic product losses amounted to between $81 billion and $104 billion and full-year financial capital destruction reached $322 billion. Direct military spending may amount to almost $132 billion through 2024.” Statista, on May 3, 2024, reported that Russia’s GDP dropped from $2.27 trillion (2022) to $1.99 trillion for 2023, a ten percent decline accounted for by both Ukraine invasion sanctions and war costs. That’s a very meaningful drop, and Russia, literally, cannot afford it given its lack of export product diversity and the many economic sanctions in place.
Of course, as far as the victim, Ukraine, is concerned, its costs are staggering, both ongoing and long term. Its 2021 its GDP dropped from $200 billion to $160 billion for 2022, a 20% decrease. It’s 2023 GDP, perhaps counterintuitively, increased due to a better harvest, additional government spending, increased defense spending, and improved electricity access (yet, recently, Russia has increased its targeting of Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure). Moreover, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), not surprisingly, “Ukraine, however, remains dependent on foreign assistance. According to the [International Monetary Fund] IMF, Ukraine requires in 2023 $3-4 billion in monthly financial assistance from international partners, including the [International Finance Institutions] IFIs, to maintain necessary government functions amidst the ongoing conflict. . . Other programs including the World Bank’s multi donor trust fund (MDTF) which facilitates channeling grant resources from donors. The United States is the largest donor to the MDTF, contributing $10.3 billion. Other donors are Germany ($50 million), Spain ($48 million), Finland ($21 million), Switzerland ($10.5 million), Belgium ($3 million), and Iceland ($1 million).” Foreign assistance enthusiasm may wane in a forever war, and already has in the U.S. given the GOP/MAGA warlike resistance to aiding Ukraine.
Moreover, for both combatants and the world economy, in the end, who will bear the costs of rebuilding a post-war Ukraine? Thus far, as of December 2023, the World Bank Group estimates reconstruction costs at $486 billion over the next ten years. Should Russia prevail or lose, those costs, in a legal and moral sense, ought fall to Russia, yet, if those costs continue for an extended time and reach a trillion dollars or more, Ukraine’s reconstruction will be a worldwide economic challenge, since a trillion dollars is roughly one-half Russia’s present GDP, an unsustainable drag on its economy. In any event, even should major financial institutions, countries, and non governmental organizations like the World Bank chip in, Russia’s economy will be facing large reconstruction costs that will stymie its GDP growth for an extended period. As we say, “It’s the economy, stupid!” and, despite its grievous fault, Russia cannot be allowed to sink into an economic depression, that would be destabilizing on a grand scale, i.e., a cornered bear, an existential threat to Russia, and, thereby, a certifiable World War III scenario.
So, in the end, if Trump does seek to avoid World War III, the war he accused Biden of courting, then his efforts ought to be directed at something he’s intellectually and constitutionally incapable of, for example, sensible solutions. But we know him, his diplomatic skills begin and end in this, “I would get him into a room. I’d get Zelensky into a room. Then I’d bring them together. And I’d have a deal worked out.” That is simply preposterous, the blathering of a dangerous psychopath with no conception of consequences.
What Would a Strong Biden Border Security Executive Order Be Without Donald Trump
In a video posted on Truth Social last Tuesday, Trump laid out another spoil sport diatribe even more maniacal than usual. This in the wake of President Biden’s recent Presidential Proclamation that closes the southern border depending on the number of border encounters. This will dramatically reduce the pressure on the border. The policy will allow Biden to close the border between points of entry once there is an average of 2,500 crossings over the past week preceding a given day. Trump preposterously claims that this will “make the invasion worse.” Of course, that’s logically categorical bullsh*t. What Biden’s action may make worse – hopefully – is Trump’s ability to own the immigration issue.
Crooked Joe Biden, the worst president in the history of our country by far, has totally surrendered our southern border. His weakness and extremism have resulted in a border invasion like we have never seen before,” began Trump. “Other countries have emptied out their prisons, insane asylums and mental institutions and sent us drug dealers, human traffickers, and terrorists. Millions of people have poured into our country and now, after nearly four years of his failed, weak leadership, pathetic leadership, Crooked Joe Biden is pretending to finally do something about the border.
But in fact, it’s all about Joe because he knows we have a debate coming up in three weeks. The truth is that Joe Biden’s executive order won’t stop the invasion. It’s weak and it’s pathetic; it will actually make the invasion worse. Millions of people a year will continue to pour across our border and be released into our country. And we recently learned Biden is secretly granting mass amnesty to hundreds of thousands of these illegal aliens, along with welfare and government benefits, work permits and jobs. He’s not doing that, however, for our veterans. He’s not doing that for our homeless. He’s giving illegal aliens far more than our veterans get, far more than our homeless get.
Many of the left are even pushing for illegal aliens to vote in our elections, which is what this is all about. That’s why they’re allowing up to 20 million people since he took office. When I was president, we built over 500 miles of border wall, stopped the flood of criminals, and we had the safest border in the history of our country. We need to secure our border once again. We need to secure our border once and for all. Crooked Joe will never get the job done. He doesn’t want to get the job done. It’s just words and misinformation because he could have done it very easily. All he had to do is say, “Close the border.” That’s the power of the presidency.
But when I’m elected, it will be my top priority. On day one, I will seal the border, stop the invasion, and send Joe Biden’s illegal aliens back home. They have to be sent back home because no country can sustain the damage that our country is sustaining. All over the world, crime rates are going down because all over the world, not just South America, they are sending criminals into the United States of America. They’re taking their drug dealers and their people in jail, lots of people in jail. They’re taking their murderers, killers, they’re taking them all and sending them into the United States. In Venezuela crime is down a staggering 67%. Because if you go to Caracas, if you go to different places, they’re sending their criminals into the United States. It’s a horrible thing. And that’s happening all over the world, many, many places, many countries.
We’re not going to let it continue. We’re going to get them out. We’re going to bring our country back to safety. We’re going to make America great again, greater than ever before. Thank you very much.
This Presidential Poll May Toll Good News for Biden
Today’s Emerson College poll, among the few more than a week after Trump’s election interference convictions, signals some good news for the Biden campaign. The poll was conducted June 4-5 among 1,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3%. This June 5 poll has the advantage of respondents having had a week to consider the guilty verdicts, as opposed to those polls conducted immediately after the verdict. Below is the “headline” chart (with my notes superimposed):
As for the pregnant question, during the six-weeks of the NY election fraud trial and the convictions, Trump’s strength stayed at 46%, while Biden’s rose from 43% to 45%, a hopeful sign. This is particularly meaningful when you view Trump’s meteoric rise during the Trump indictment period, from 41% to $47% as MAGAites expressed their increased support for a criminally indicted presidential candidate. Biden, though, also rose, from 42.5% to 44% during that time. If one reads the headline chart as a trend, then Trump’s supporters have remained in a flat pattern, even after the May 30 convictions when they usually react positively to Trump’s criminality. Biden’s ratings, however, rose from 43% to 45%. If indeed this is a trend then that’s the hope in hopeful because I, for one, expected this poll to indicate a burst of post-conviction enthusiasm among Trump supporters, particularly when compared to their euphoria during Trump’s indictment season. Some Trumpists have drifted – south.
Also hopeful, the trends among independent and undecided voters were meaningful. Emerson pollsters concluded:
A plurality of independents say it makes no impact (41%), while 38% are less likely to vote for Trump and 21% more likely. 58% of undecided voters say the conviction does not impact their vote; 36% less likely, 6% more likely. [Emphasis added]
The “less likely” versus the “more likely” to vote for Trump, in a likely close election, favor very much the “less likely” choice. That’s, after all, a significant voting bloc.
The next big test, the public reaction to Biden’s Proclamation on border security, now in effect, for an indeterminate time. Should this succeed in stemming the immigration tide, polling data will reflect that. The consequences may – should – move more independents and undecideds into the Biden column, but a weak Biden campaign communications office needs to step up. Bigtime.
Then, on the calendar for June 27th, comes the first debate, which ought to very much rock the presidential polling. If Biden, between now and then, continues his post-Trump conviction upward polling trend, the public may be in a psychologically friendly mood to conceivably lean toward Biden’s debate performance, especially for independents and undecideds. And should Trump act out manically and maniacally as a debater, his usual tactic, then those voters may swing even more towards Biden. Once again, from my typewriter to Goddess’s ears. . .
The Bipartisan Way That Biden’s Border Closing Proclamation Became Necessary
Today, the White House issued a Presidential Proclamation, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Fact Sheet announcing that President Biden effectively closed the southern border [DHS FAQ].
Excerpts from the Proclamation:
Copyright, Michael V. Matheron
Section 1. Suspension and Limitation on Entry. The entry of any noncitizen into the United States across the southern border is hereby suspended and limited, subject to section 3 of this proclamation. This suspension and limitation on entry shall be effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 5, 2024. The suspension and limitation directed in this proclamation shall be discontinued pursuant to subsection 2(a) of this proclamation, subject to subsection 2(b) of this proclamation.
Sec. 2. Applicability of Suspension and Limitation on Entry. (a) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall monitor the number of daily encounters and, subject to subsection (b) of this section, the suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall be discontinued at 12:01 a.m. eastern time on the date that is 14 calendar days after the Secretary makes a factual determination that there has been a 7-consecutive-calendar-day average of less than 1,500 encounters, not including encounters described in subsection 4(a)(iii) of this proclamation.
Also, it directs that:
For purposes of subsection (a) and subsection (b) of this section, unaccompanied children (as defined in section 279(g)(2) of title 6, United States Code) from non-contiguous countries shall not be included in calculating the number of encounters.
President Biden has had understandably difficult policy, humanitarian, and political choices since day one of his administration. Hyperbolic MAGA/GOP criticism was expected, but due to Trump’s meddling this has not been consistent: during February, the GOP scuttled a Senate-created very workable and strict bipartisan immigration bill, one that the Senate fought hard to produce. Why refuse to pass a bipartisan bill MAGA/GOP members had helped craft? Well, enter the usual suspects: firstly, it’s impossible to please them, especially House MAGAs, with any Biden- or Democratic-supported victory, and, secondly, because Trump directed his congressional minions to deny Biden a victory – regardless of the human toll at the border. This interference is now commonplace since Trump is a demanding god who wants to mendaciously campaign on Biden’s failure to enact immigration reform. Thus, the southern border has devolved into a very serious train wreck with Trump the berserk engineman.
Also, of no small measure, there’s a pox on both houses. For example, Democratic progressives were unmoved by many of the concessions to GOP/MAGA allowed by Democratic senators during the border bill negotiations. The Congressional Progressive Caucus had this to say on May 22:
“We are disappointed that the Senate will once again vote on an already-failed border bill in a move that only splits the Democratic Caucus over extreme and unworkable enforcement-only policies. This framework, which was constructed under Republican hostage-taking, does nothing to address the longstanding updates needed to modernize our outdated immigration system, create more legal pathways, and recognize the enormous contributions of immigrants to communities and our economy. . . It is tempting to simply embrace the very policies we rejected under Donald Trump to counter the horrific xenophobic and racist attacks against immigrants coming from the right. We urge our Senate Democratic colleagues to resist this urge and instead show a clear contrast between Republicans and Democrats. Abandon unworkable policy solutions offered by Republicans and instead work with our caucuses to craft a common-sense bipartisan bill that provides holistic solutions that address our economic, humanitarian, and security needs — not more of the same enforcement-only approach that has failed us for the last 30 years.”
Moreover, the Tri-Caucus – a diverse group of legislative leaders comprised of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) – were leery of the Senate’s deal. One of their group, CHC, issued a statement, excerpted below:
“The Senate border bill once again fails to meet the moment by putting forth enforcement-only policies and failing to include provisions that will keep families together . . . As written, the bill excludes critical protections and legal pathways for families, farm workers and America’s Dreamers who have been in the U.S. contributing to our Nation’s communities and economy for decades. . . CHC recognizes that our immigration system is broken and that there are challenges at the border that Congress must address. However, if this bill passes, it will set back real comprehensive immigration reform by years.”
I sympathize with the progressive concerns and usually side with them, and there indeed were some MAGA/GOP nasty provisions in the bipartisan border bill. The tactics here missed the moment though, when Democrats needed to present a solid front. There are times when one must accept the possible versus the perfect. This bipartisan bill was that moment when a Pyrrhic victory was worthwhile. With a win on the bipartisan bill, Democrats would have:
- pleased most American voters (many Democrats consider border security their greatest concern);
- helped Biden and Democratic 2024 candidates in red and purple states by giving them a big win by softening the resistance of swing voters; and;
- turned some of those highly border-concerned independent votes from leaning MAGA/GOP to Democratic votes, and that group will be decisive in 2024 for Biden and Senate and House races with control of two out of three government branches at stake; and;
- provided Democrats – should they capture majorities in Congress and return Biden to the White House – many chances to modify the bipartisan bill’s immigration policies to revise or remove some or all of the most objectionable MAGA/GOP provisions.
It was that important to compromise on the border security bill and there will be no more chances before the election. Opportunity – a big one – missed.
Is it too late for President’s border closing effort to remedy the harm done by failing to pass the bipartisan bill through a divided Congress? I do think the border issue will swing this election. Bear in mind, should MAGA/GOP forces repopulate the federal government in 2025, the immigration bill they will formulate will be draconian. For example, see a GOP bill that cleared the House one-year ago, a bill that would have codified President Trump’s policies and added ever more severe policies. Hopefully, the future of Biden’s Proclamation in the five months before election day will cure much of the public’s intense concern about the administration’s immigration policies and turn undecided votes to Democratic votes. Hope especially for a minor miracle – that the disappointing Biden campaign staff will know/learn how to use and widely publicize this win From my typewriter to God’s ears.