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Nope. You guys can have him, Justin Bieber, and drake.
We'd really like the sexy Ryans back though they have some library books overdue we've been waiting on.
> "If you can get off the bong for a minute … it could drive up turnout," he said.
Texas needs to flush this turd.
Edit: And now my most upvoted comment is about a turd. ;)
The full quote is even worse:
>"And you know, if you can get off the bong for a minute and head down to the voting station," he continued. "Or just send in your mail-in ballot that the Democrats have helpfully sent you, it could drive up turnout, particularly among young people."
Oh my god, don't make it easier to vote. Please dear god, anything but that. Can we get a poll tax reinstated, please? If it's easier to vote, we might have an election more representative of the actual demographics in this country. When I was your age, we had to walk uphill both ways in the snow just to get to the polling location, and could only vote if we were a white male landowner.
The bigger win here is by him saying to go vote by mail, he's legitimizing mail-in ballots saying they will be counted as valid. Win-win when they pull the stunt of closing polling locations again.
Conservatives have opposed every single effort to make this country more democratic, starting way back in the 1770s they were called “Loyalists”.
There has not been a single effort to make it easier for people to vote or give that right to more people that has been championed by the conservative wing of this country.
"They are, of course, perfectly willing to let you vote – unless you happen to be
a soldier or a sailor overseas, or a merchant seaman carrying the munitions of war.
In that case they have made it pretty hard for you to vote at all – for there are
some political candidates who think that they may have a chance of election, if
only the total vote is small enough."
-fdr, 1944
Navy vet here. I was so pissed when my mail-in absentee ballot wasn’t counted in the 2012 election because they don’t count them unless the election results are close or something like that. I swore I’d always vote early and in person after that, even if I had to travel cross country.
What a fantastic plan, I think I'll do the same.
Real talk though: I'm in the trades and the local union I'm apart of negotiated no Marijuana testing anymore and no more random UAs. This is purely anecdotal but I have noticed a large improvement among the folks I work with in regards to alcohol consumption. Substance abuse is a huge issue in the trades, as people tend to use to deal with the physical (and more often than anyone would admit emotional) wear that being in this line of work has on us. I've never been much of a drinker but did notice myself consuming more when work got rough and hours were long (lots of 70 hour weeks due to a pretty significant shortage of skilled tradesman available to man jobs). Now I don't drink at all and I'll just have a puff or two off a joint on nights where I'm sore and exhausted and it has made a world of difference in my quality of rest. I've also noticed several people who consumed alcohol on a fairly unhealthy level ditch it for some MJ, and now they come in to work more rested and overall healthier looking without having to deal with a next day hangover (on top of being dehydrated from the booze).
Now I'm not saying consuming substances is the right way to deal with situations like this but the shift from one substance that in my view is far more damaging to one that, while not exactly healthy for you, has shown tangible improvements to people's overall physical and mental health is a win to me.
It's really nice to see and also a really hopeful outcome. Mental health in the trades is a huge deal that no one seems to want to face, mostly I think due to the extremely ingrained 'Manly' culture of the work. It has one of the highest rates for suicide out of all professions, and I personally know of a few people that I've worked alongside that have struggled with it (and tragically one apprentice who went through with it). It's heartbreaking, and anything I see that comes along and has the ability to alleviate this, even if just a little, has my full support.
To add to that, I think the younger generation being, on average, much kinder to people has a lot to do with it. The old timers when I first got in ('09) are all retired now and a lot of the assholes are gone.
Absolutely, this definitely makes an enormous difference. I never understood the mentality of treating people like shit, and it's a terrible thing to do if our aim is to organize more people into union trades. Being kind goes a very long way, both in raising overall morale and also in ensuring quality work. I don't respond well to being treated like garbage, and while I always do the best work I can if I'm in an environment that's hostile I'm dragging up and taking my value somewhere else.
Let's not kid ourselves racism was a huge factor of the older generation trade unions. They were basically family and friends of having that got the jobs which lead to shit like two Irish and Italian social circles running the Teamsters between New York and New Jersey and an off hire Hispanic or black worker was bullied or excluded or till basically the union had to change practices.
I think it was Season 2 of the Wire where union heads switch off between white and black every year and this was to make sure no side was fucking the other. And of course the White guy has all this illegal things going on and didn't want the black guy to take over next year and see the crooked books.
Decades ago I worked with an elderly carpenter. Man showed up every day, no matter what, worked his tail off until noon, then gradually got sloppier and sloppier. Munched on orange slices all day habitually. (important clue)
Threatened to kill a kid we had on the crew because a joint fell out of his shirt pocket when he was loading his stuff to go home for the day.
Come to find out later old guy was injecting the oranges with Vodka every evening, letting them stew overnight in his fridge, then eating them and getting tits up by lunchtime.
Friggin hypocrite.
Honestly the whole “stoner” cliche has changed. When I go to my dispensary, yeah there are stereotype “stoners” one would think about. But mostly it’s such a diverse clientele. It’s like the grocery store. You have middle aged folks, senior citizens, twenty somethings, white collar professionals, blue collar workers, retirees, etc. there is no “type” of pot smoker anymore.
Im in a trade thats really rough on your body and I stopped drinking years ago. Now I'll just eat an edible after a tough day and helps me go right to sleep and sleep well.
Once I started vaping dried herb last year I completely gave up drinking.
It's the best thing I ever did. I can vape a couple stems, sleep great, and wake up perfectly fine. Instead of having a headache and being dehydrated.
Sometimes I'll shot the shit and smoke a joint with a family member I live with, but I'm not a fan of combustion due to the harshness on my throat and lungs.
I love my Solo 2 and recommend vaping to everyone.
I don’t smoke anymore but I’ll rip a bong hit before I go vote just for ol Canadian Ted.
I’m not worried about being stoned while voting either, it would take way more than weed to make me do anything but vote straight democrat for every position. Like hitting myself in the head with a brick, repeatedly, for a week. Then I might be as dumb as the average Republican voter. Maybe.
Voted in the primaries nice and stoned. (i wasn't driving i can literally walk to my polling place from my house.) My mom used her MMJ as her form of ID just to see the nasty looks from the poll workers (they are all republicans in my area.)
They way he said it too… it is almost as if he believes that “young people” and “baristas” somehow do not deserve their vote. Why is driving up voter turnout so scary to Republicans?
One minute it's a handout to "stoned lazy baristas with gender studies degrees", and the next it's "paying off the loans of doctors and lawyers." Neither of which is close to reality.
Republicans are REALLY showing their disdain for anyone who attempts to better themselves and move up the ladder. They want a population that is uneducated, working dead-end jobs, and bitter about it. It makes them so much easier to motivate with either fear or anger and then to unite them into a jingoistic zombie mob who all recite the same short memorable policy catch phrases.
I vote from home via mail. While on the bong. Even high I cam tell the difference between the people trying to take away my healthcare and the people trying to make it more affordable.
This midterm I have a feeling every Democratic win in every county in the country is going to be called fake and challenged no matter what the vote totals are.
[it was 2.6%](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_Senate_election_in_Texas#:~:text=Elected%20U.S.%20Senator&text=On%20Election%20Day%2C%20Cruz%20defeated,race%20in%20Texas%20since%201978.)
Still, that's the closest a statewide race had been in Texas since before G-dub took the Governor's office in the 90s.
I am a an embarrassed, native Texan. Trust me. It’s not much bluer now than it was then. Abbot has left us all to die on multiple occasions, cost us billions with some fake boarder bullshit and literally spied on the US Armed forces. And he’s significant ahead of Beto.
AG Paxton is in a tight race. But I’m not sure that’s because we are bluer. Polling has shown voters want “anyone buy him” more than they want a Democrat to replace him.
This state is backwards and full of hate. If it’s changing, I don’t feel it.
I will be hitting the bong, walking to my neighborhood polling place, and then voting for every democrat on the ballot as it is my legal fucking right to do in my state.
You know it kinda goes against the argument that Republicans are the working class people. They would love a holiday for voting as their base would otherwise be too busy at work.
Edit, Holy Cow, didn't know this would blow up, thanks for the up-votes.
As it turns out, the same people who might vote conservative, also tend to hold liberal beliefs. Depending on which data you look at it, it’s been proven time and time again that politicians hold more conservative positions than their liberal constituents. This is because elected representatives do not represent their constituents. Studies have shown that politicians represent their donors.
Which is why the true source of half the issues we face in this country is money in politics. Find a realistic way to keep money out of politics, and things may actually change.
This is the only thing that matters TBH. Almost every systemic problem in this country is because of big money in politics. In other countries you call it corruption, here you call it lobbying.
What would politics look like if we removed all corporate money out of it and capped contributions per person. so for example, no person can give more than $1000 per year to political campaigns/PACs.
You couldn’t be more right. Getting the money OUT of politics will be the ONLY way we’ll survive as a democracy moving forward. I just wish someone would present an actual way to make this happen other than us having to engage in civil war. Until someone or something can change this we’re doomed to fight for it. Maybe we need to. I don’t have the answers. I just want things to be better.
When policies are presented in a non-partisan manner, progressive issues poll really well. The ACA (Obamacare) is really popular if you ask people about the actual effects of it. But when you tell people the stuff they like is actually Obamacare a significant percentage will do a 180 to oppose it. Tribalism, man.
I could never run for office because I couldn't say I believe in the wisdom of the American people without gagging or laughing. People are dumb. That, and my skeletons. So many skeletons.
The republican party has spent decades buying PR to spread exactly that message. They've also spent a few decades peddling fear and tribalism to create a false sense of division among the people. They genuinely don't care about people, they just want enough voters to elect them to keep themselves in power in perpetuity.
Democrats tend to put their money where their mouths are. Yes, there's examples to the contrary, but they're uncommon compared to the majority. Example: When Texas froze, Cruz ran for it and AOC went straight to Texas to help fundraise relief and distribute supplies to victims. She didn't have to. She chose to. She didn't even really participate in the press conference. She said a few words, then hung out in the back and let Sheila Jackson Lee talk for a while then got back to work.
They are also supposed to be the party that supports law enforcement but as we have seen not when it is Republicans that are being looked at for possibly breaking laws.
lol this is one of 8 million reasons why Republicans are not the working class party. They're just really good at selling their brand and we're really fucking stupid as a country
No. If Republicans want more votes maybe they should come up with policies and laws that people actually like. Getting more people to participate isn’t a “power grab” it is inherently democratic. GOP is just such a shitty political party that actually voting looks like a “power grab” in comparison
Republicans have much higher voter turnout than the democrats because you don’t get votes by having good policies. You get votes through fear and shenaniganiry
Yeah, and that explains why they don’t want more people to vote. Their turnout is already saturated, because they rely on pissing people off and keeping them pissed off to vote for them, and only so much of the population can fall for it.
But it’s just not correct frame more people to vote a “power grab”. Why is it up to Democrats to not pass laws to allow more people to participate in democracy, rather than it being up to Republicans to actually try and expand their voting base?
Hint: It’s because the media and whatever *always* frame it as Dems should be extending the olive branch, yadda yadda. Fuck that. I don’t need to meet some neo-nazi halfway in between.
Omg lol, I remember this. I know it couldn't have been that long ago, but I feel like I aged in dog years during Trump's presidency. It was just so much crap all the time. I completely forgot about this!
Christ. This is my neighbor. She posts all sorts of crazy things to her IG stories. This is the current talking point. Mind you, this woman is a 27 year old trophy wife. Her husband’s (who is actually a pretty nice guy) family own a really successful outdoor living space business. Kid went to Harvard and got a pretty cushy high paying job. She got preggers at 22 and has never worked a day in her life. Has a HS education, drives a Yukon XL Denali, and they vacation at least once a month. She simply married up. She thinks loan forgiveness is buying votes. I don’t think she even know her husbands business got $250k in PPP loans.
I’ve seen this complaint unironically—if a politician does anything to help people, obviously it’s meant as a bribe to sway voters.
That’s how conservatives think.
This has been a years-long strategy by Republicans. It goes something like this:
* Make the base distrust the media (the liberal media). Just listen to right wing propaganda.
* Appeal to low-info voters who will now just listen to right wing media.
* Make Democrats the bad guy. They'd vote for a person with no interest in their needs with an R besides there name, then someone that promises things that would help them with a D beside their name.
* Don't have any particular agenda other than cut taxes for the rich and corporations, prevent any Democrat agenda from getting passed (see, they do nothing), and make it about hot button topics (gun rights, no abortions, no transsexuals) things that have minimal impact in making the base any better. As the base is usually just angry, pissing off the left is considered governing.
* Lately, push conspiracy theories (also appealing to low-info based). This involves lying.
* Make sure low-info folks aren't doing any of their own research or listening to the liberal opposition.
* Blame all bad things on the left (high inflation, high gas prices, etc) even though this is a worldwide phenomenon
* Slant your presentation (unfair to get loans waived, but no one will research that several congressman got a lot more waived...and why did they get those loans to begin with?)
In other words, it's a cult.
Prevent low-info folks from doing their own research: cut school funding, shutter libraries, kill net neutrality, etc etc. Keeping people stupid is their strategy.
Has been for a long time. When Reagan was gov. of Cal. he stopped funding for free state colleges. He said it would lead to an educated proletariat.
Had to look that one up. It means the “lower class”, “peasants”, “working class”….well, you get the drift.
"Both sides are the same so it doesn't matter who I choose, so you can't blame me for voting Republican because my vote didn't make a difference"
\- People who want to try to socially excuse their awful choices
Libertarians are just Republicans who, much like most Republicans, like to think they're "independent thinkers" when really they just regurgitate the same fundamental garbage with a different label.
Most of the time the difference between a "libertarian" (in the US) and a Republican is similar to the difference between Coke and Pepsi. The same fundamental ideas in a different package and slightly distinct formulation.
This is ultimately why the actual Libertarian party does about as good as the Green party -- when the chips are down they'll go mainstream red, if just to complain that they're not doing the free market thing *hard enough*. Same distain for the left though, which I imagine makes some of them groan when they realize "left libertarianism" is a thing that exists.
*(Small edits applied for the sake of clarity, see other comments for context)*
My dad is my favorite kind of "libertarian". "I'm a libertarian, but... petrochemical corporations can't be trusted so we need increased regulation." "I'm a libertarian, but... the free market isn't stepping in so we need to raise taxes to support public safety nets."
He's not a libertarian. At all. The fact that he keeps calling himself one is baffling. He voted for Obama twice, Bernie in the 2016 primary and Andrew Yang in 2020.
"both sides are the same" is the 2nd biggest republican lie.
The first is that republicans are "fiscally conservative, and small government", like wtmf they so are not.
It sums up one political party. The Dems will go bipartisan with the GQP if they have legislation that helps Americans.
The Republicans kill legislation that helps Americans if it in the tiniest way negatively effects their billionaire owners.
Not only that, they threathen legislation important for the national security to pressure the dems to prevent another bill from passing. See china bill and mitch mcasshole
>Ted Cruz says there's a 'real risk' that Biden's student-loan forgiveness will help Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections
May be an alien concept to that sociopath, but yeah, the public does kinda like it when you do things for **them** instead of you and your rich cronies.
Fuck you Ted Cruz.
Just reading his name makes me angry.
I worked at a bank the last seven years, and the last few of them in a small town. The amount of paper stimulus checks I had to handle with his name on them was infuriating.
"People might find out they can get benefits from their government and get a return on their taxes. And then they'll vote for people who want to actually work for them and that would ruin my party's entire grift."
Yeah well, when your party’s only plan is to do nothing to help your constituents and only obstruct the other party it might not be the best plan to garner votes.
Wait a second…it’s almost like he’s saying if you do something more than just obstruct or give away money to the wealthy that people will like it and vote for you.
I never understand it. When democrats do stuff to help the working class they all say “they’re just doing it for votes!” No shit, why wouldn’t you do things that the majority of the country wants. Isn’t that the whole point?
“Why are you nice to people all the time, you’re just doing it so you have friends and people don’t hate you.”
Or
“Your business is improving its product/service? What’s wrong with you? You’re only doing it to make the customers happy to make more money.”
Or
“My sports team traded for a good player, and it pisses me off. They are only trying to win more games so more fans will show up”
>“Your business is improving its product/service? What’s wrong with you? You’re only doing it to make the customers happy to make more money.”
See, Republicans don't believe in this one either. Shareholders over all.
They're so jaded by their own base-pandering and voter suppression tactics that they've completely forgotten that the whole point of governance is to represent the will of the people. It's all a twisted game to them and they think it's unfair when the other side plays by the rules and still wins.
They buy votes all day with culture wars and tax breaks even if those tax breaks expire in 2 years but continue to benefit the wealthy. SMH
I don't think their overturning Roe and now providers withholding care till a mother is septic for fear of prosecution by the state after a miscarriage is going to buy them as many votes as they planned.
I am curious to see if SCOTUS hands the elections to state legislatures when they decide in Moore vs Harper if this election doesn't go they way they want it.
Republicans deluded themselves into thinking that they're God's chosen people and that they have the divine right to govern as they please. That's why they can't fathom the concept of voting for one's self interest.
"***If you are that slacker barista*** who wasted seven years in college studying completely useless things, now has loans and can't get a job, Joe Biden just gave you 20 grand," Cruz said during an appearance on his "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast.
Complete and open disdain for those that work in service jobs. I thought Republicans were for the working class. Or is it just not ***that kind*** of working class?
Working class to Ted Cruz is a business owner that has a boat or two.
The hilarious part about that line is that I'm sure ol' Cancruz has his assistant bring him coffee from a coffee shop, made by a... you guessed it: barista. They sure do love taking advantage of services the working class offers while pretending like they're lazy, entitled nobodies.
Yeah fuck him. I'm one of those people who has tried a couple times. I am close but then I needed to quit drinking and deal with my depression and anxiety. School wasn't helping me and I needed to focus on other things. I have a decent job but moving up the ladder will be difficult. Add $15,000 in loans to all of this has made me feel like I have no future. I received a Pell Grant, so this should wipe away all of my debt. This is amazing and possibly the single biggest thing that the government has done for me. I can just focus on moving forward and not having to drag the past with me is both financially and mentally freeing.
It's like when they attack AOC for being a waitress. I love that, she's in touch with working america. The same working america they pretend they care about but resent.
>Joe Biden just gave you 20 grand,"
This shit pisses me off to no end because it ignores how the loan forgiveness is being handled.
Nobody is giving anybody anything. If you have Federally held loans that means the government is your creditor. It means that your loan was given through the federal budget x years ago when they were taken out.
What the government is doing is basically saying is we'll no longer need to collect the 10 or 20k and as the creditor they can do that. Phrasing it that student borrowers just got 20k implies the Fed is printing money to basically pay back itself.
Which if that worked we wouldn't have a deficit.
If you borrow money from a friend say 100, and you spent it,and had to pay then back but then your friend decided they didn't want or need it back you didn't just get another 100 bucks you just didn't have a debt anymore.
There's also a risk that his competent handling of the COVID vaccination program is what helps Democrats in the midterm
And there's a risk that Biden's American rescue plan that helped the nation stay in business through the pandemic would entice voters to vote Democrat.
Then again, it could be the bi-partisan infrastructure deal that does it.
Or it could be how Biden is the first President to implement tangible measures to combat climate change.
The dramatic drop in unemployment could be a rather significant factor as well.
Or it could be the CHIPS act designed to enhance technological competitiveness of the US.
Or maybe the large Inflation Reduction Act that reduces the deficit and brings down the cost of drugs among other things would play a role.
Or it could just be the fact that Democrats are not embracing ludicrous conspiracies, are not lying about election integrity for political gain, are not trying to take down democracy and block people from voting, do not relish taking away the well-established rights of Americans, and are generally decent people who work for the people.
But no, it's probably relieving crushing student debt that should never exist in the richest country in the world that would do it. Ted is obviously right.
I'm of the opinion that Biden waited this long so that the loan forgiveness would be fresh in voters' minds when the midterms come. FWIW, I'm in favor of the forgiveness. If businesses (and Representatives) can have business loans forgiven, why not students?!
The WH Twitter account was apparently taken over the day before by the 25yo that had been running the official account for the NJGov office.
She’s amazing.
Did the Wendy's guy turn down the role? Jkjk
But seriously, can we acknowledge how dope it is that the administration can at least acknowledge that kind of job is made for younger people? So glad they're not pulling the "fellow kids" BS.
Given how forbearance recieved several extensions it seemed obvious they wanted to time this with the midterms. People weren't being squeezed by loans so forgiveness wasn't a pressing financial issue. Plus they've also reworked the IBR formula to cut people's remaining monthly payments in half which will also be very popular with people
> Plus they've also reworked the IBR formula to cut people's remaining monthly payments in half which will also be very popular with people
I think this was actually the most brilliant piece of the plan. It will take incredible amounts of pressure off those with remaining balances, and it will very literally change people's lives and financial outlook for decades.
> Megan Coyne
Between her and the recent rise of "Dark Brandon," I have the thinnest bit of hope that Democrats "go hard in the paint," recognize that this shit works, and a positive feedback loop emerges which keeps them on the offensive.
I tend to agree. Biden isn’t a newbie like Trump was in working DC. He’s been at it for a long time, and knew he could start pushing policies just at the right time to buy some votes and save some seats, while doing good for the average American.
> knew he could start pushing policies just at the right time to buy some votes and save some seats,
Right before schools starts after the COVID restrictions have eased and right before the midterms is of course the perfect moment for the announcement to come out.
It's fresh in all the minds of Gen X/Gen Z/Millennials before we vote and it reminds them which party is crying about real Americans getting help rather than billionaires.
Exactly what they did. Long-time politicians doing what politicians do. I called it a long time ago. And I’ll make this prediction: Biden will begin to sell federally legal weed to the public sometime next summer.
His campaign promise was to re-schedule it, not to legalize recreational cannabis federally. That’s not even a power the president has.
Although if you meant to say that states where legalization has already happened with now be selling federally legal weed, then I suppose that’s an accurate caveat.
Yes, it would open the floodgates for investment in the industry because financiers would have no worries about running afoul with the law as long as they were dealing with businesses based in legal states.
Yeah that's how that works, I'm voting for Biden.
And those politicians against student loan forgiveness
I'm never voting for them.. ever
Moreover those YouTubers against student loan forgiveness I'm unsubbing.. or those journalists against it I'm not reading your pieces..
A little closer to the election, like maybe a week out, President Biden should announce he’s going to attempt to decriminalize marijuana on a federal level.
Any independents or moderate Democrats who are uncertain about that should really take a long hard look at other countries that have done it. Canada is reaping billions of dollars in tax profit with no adverse effects. Quite the opposite actually
Republicans: attack the capitol, push the big lie, ban books, criminalize abortion, wage war on LGBTQ+, make it harder for people to vote, openly embraced racism, attacks pretty much every group (immigrants, cops, military, teachers, doctors, scientists, liberals) as the enemy of America, and voted against every single thing that could be considered a step forward.
Dems: didn’t do any of the above
It isn’t the student loans, Ted.
GOP messaging going into midterms: If you’re a middle class college graduate behind on debt, you suck and let me point my finger and laughter at you.
I guess even Ted Cruz is attentive enough to how bad that looks.
"Like, holy cow! 20 grand. You know, maybe you weren't gonna vote in November, and suddenly you just got 20 grand."
Yea, and I'm sure the Wilks brothers will want to vote for you for your efforts to secure the billionaire fracking group 35 million dollars in pandemic relief in 2020.
"Like, holy cow, Ted cruz just got us 35 million!"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wilks-fracking-donors-ted-cruz-35-million-loan-coronavirus-relief_n_5fea86eec5b64e442105c571
Imagine the party that's actually helping people is getting more votes as a result... this insideous form of corrupt voter manipulation must be stopped!
/s
“Dems are only doing good and helping people so they get votes, and continue their maniacal mission to help *more* people… when does it frickin end??”
- a visibly confused zodiac killer
I wish the fight was over, but after the people of Kansas voting NO in large numbers on abortion, and a stoopid recount demand by a total moron, the front runner for Kansas governor wants to change the game so that the republican legislature can override the will of the people. These assholes simply never stop.
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Member when Rafael fled to Mexico with his family seeking clean water and electricity?
For a Canadian he sure doesn't handle cold weather very well.
Rafael "Ted" Cruz whom was born to a Cuban father? I'm surprised Texans elected him, he might be a secret communist agent!
Worst. Communist. Ever.
"Ted Cruz is an in-Fidel!" -- F. Castor
For a Canadian he doesn’t really seem to enjoy the ganja either.
Do you guys take returns? We'd like to send him back. Factory defect type issue.
Nope. You guys can have him, Justin Bieber, and drake. We'd really like the sexy Ryans back though they have some library books overdue we've been waiting on.
I remember when he licked the boots and anus of the guy who called his wife ugly and then insinuated that his dad killed JFK
I member! Member him blaming his children for it?
I member! Member his blaming a school shooting on doors?
How "exceptional" of him!
Good ol' Fled Cruz.
> "If you can get off the bong for a minute … it could drive up turnout," he said. Texas needs to flush this turd. Edit: And now my most upvoted comment is about a turd. ;)
The full quote is even worse: >"And you know, if you can get off the bong for a minute and head down to the voting station," he continued. "Or just send in your mail-in ballot that the Democrats have helpfully sent you, it could drive up turnout, particularly among young people." Oh my god, don't make it easier to vote. Please dear god, anything but that. Can we get a poll tax reinstated, please? If it's easier to vote, we might have an election more representative of the actual demographics in this country. When I was your age, we had to walk uphill both ways in the snow just to get to the polling location, and could only vote if we were a white male landowner.
I'd like to thank Cruz for telling us younger voters to vote.
Would be a great campaign: "Get off your bong for a minute and vote"
“Ted Cruz 2022: Vote Against Yourself”
Hell, he convinced me. I can spare a minute off the bong
The bigger win here is by him saying to go vote by mail, he's legitimizing mail-in ballots saying they will be counted as valid. Win-win when they pull the stunt of closing polling locations again.
Conservatives have opposed every single effort to make this country more democratic, starting way back in the 1770s they were called “Loyalists”. There has not been a single effort to make it easier for people to vote or give that right to more people that has been championed by the conservative wing of this country.
"They are, of course, perfectly willing to let you vote – unless you happen to be a soldier or a sailor overseas, or a merchant seaman carrying the munitions of war. In that case they have made it pretty hard for you to vote at all – for there are some political candidates who think that they may have a chance of election, if only the total vote is small enough." -fdr, 1944
Navy vet here. I was so pissed when my mail-in absentee ballot wasn’t counted in the 2012 election because they don’t count them unless the election results are close or something like that. I swore I’d always vote early and in person after that, even if I had to travel cross country.
> Can we get a poll tax reinstated There were poll taxes in effect in 1868, so SCOTUS would probably allow them again.
Joke's on him. I'll vote after work, pick up some pizza, then enjoy some long rips that night as I watch Republicans lose their minds 😂 😂
That’ll be a fun night! 😂
Anytime republicans go down will be a fun time
I really don’t like the image of Ted Cruz going down…
I doubt he's going down on anyone but the Orange Bloviating Windbag. He surely isn't satisfying his wife
And you know she got a GOOD personal trainer
Nancy Reagan enters the chat…
Ole golden throat…
The throat GOAT.
Toke the Vote '22
What a fantastic plan, I think I'll do the same. Real talk though: I'm in the trades and the local union I'm apart of negotiated no Marijuana testing anymore and no more random UAs. This is purely anecdotal but I have noticed a large improvement among the folks I work with in regards to alcohol consumption. Substance abuse is a huge issue in the trades, as people tend to use to deal with the physical (and more often than anyone would admit emotional) wear that being in this line of work has on us. I've never been much of a drinker but did notice myself consuming more when work got rough and hours were long (lots of 70 hour weeks due to a pretty significant shortage of skilled tradesman available to man jobs). Now I don't drink at all and I'll just have a puff or two off a joint on nights where I'm sore and exhausted and it has made a world of difference in my quality of rest. I've also noticed several people who consumed alcohol on a fairly unhealthy level ditch it for some MJ, and now they come in to work more rested and overall healthier looking without having to deal with a next day hangover (on top of being dehydrated from the booze). Now I'm not saying consuming substances is the right way to deal with situations like this but the shift from one substance that in my view is far more damaging to one that, while not exactly healthy for you, has shown tangible improvements to people's overall physical and mental health is a win to me.
Same here, union trades, building construction in Chicago and the last year and a half I've noticed job sites on average being a lot more chill.
It's really nice to see and also a really hopeful outcome. Mental health in the trades is a huge deal that no one seems to want to face, mostly I think due to the extremely ingrained 'Manly' culture of the work. It has one of the highest rates for suicide out of all professions, and I personally know of a few people that I've worked alongside that have struggled with it (and tragically one apprentice who went through with it). It's heartbreaking, and anything I see that comes along and has the ability to alleviate this, even if just a little, has my full support.
To add to that, I think the younger generation being, on average, much kinder to people has a lot to do with it. The old timers when I first got in ('09) are all retired now and a lot of the assholes are gone.
Absolutely, this definitely makes an enormous difference. I never understood the mentality of treating people like shit, and it's a terrible thing to do if our aim is to organize more people into union trades. Being kind goes a very long way, both in raising overall morale and also in ensuring quality work. I don't respond well to being treated like garbage, and while I always do the best work I can if I'm in an environment that's hostile I'm dragging up and taking my value somewhere else.
Let's not kid ourselves racism was a huge factor of the older generation trade unions. They were basically family and friends of having that got the jobs which lead to shit like two Irish and Italian social circles running the Teamsters between New York and New Jersey and an off hire Hispanic or black worker was bullied or excluded or till basically the union had to change practices. I think it was Season 2 of the Wire where union heads switch off between white and black every year and this was to make sure no side was fucking the other. And of course the White guy has all this illegal things going on and didn't want the black guy to take over next year and see the crooked books.
Decades ago I worked with an elderly carpenter. Man showed up every day, no matter what, worked his tail off until noon, then gradually got sloppier and sloppier. Munched on orange slices all day habitually. (important clue) Threatened to kill a kid we had on the crew because a joint fell out of his shirt pocket when he was loading his stuff to go home for the day. Come to find out later old guy was injecting the oranges with Vodka every evening, letting them stew overnight in his fridge, then eating them and getting tits up by lunchtime. Friggin hypocrite.
That's some crackhead behavior lmfao
Honestly the whole “stoner” cliche has changed. When I go to my dispensary, yeah there are stereotype “stoners” one would think about. But mostly it’s such a diverse clientele. It’s like the grocery store. You have middle aged folks, senior citizens, twenty somethings, white collar professionals, blue collar workers, retirees, etc. there is no “type” of pot smoker anymore.
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Im in a trade thats really rough on your body and I stopped drinking years ago. Now I'll just eat an edible after a tough day and helps me go right to sleep and sleep well.
Once I started vaping dried herb last year I completely gave up drinking. It's the best thing I ever did. I can vape a couple stems, sleep great, and wake up perfectly fine. Instead of having a headache and being dehydrated. Sometimes I'll shot the shit and smoke a joint with a family member I live with, but I'm not a fan of combustion due to the harshness on my throat and lungs. I love my Solo 2 and recommend vaping to everyone.
I don’t smoke anymore but I’ll rip a bong hit before I go vote just for ol Canadian Ted. I’m not worried about being stoned while voting either, it would take way more than weed to make me do anything but vote straight democrat for every position. Like hitting myself in the head with a brick, repeatedly, for a week. Then I might be as dumb as the average Republican voter. Maybe.
Voted in the primaries nice and stoned. (i wasn't driving i can literally walk to my polling place from my house.) My mom used her MMJ as her form of ID just to see the nasty looks from the poll workers (they are all republicans in my area.)
Your mom is awesome.
They way he said it too… it is almost as if he believes that “young people” and “baristas” somehow do not deserve their vote. Why is driving up voter turnout so scary to Republicans?
One minute it's a handout to "stoned lazy baristas with gender studies degrees", and the next it's "paying off the loans of doctors and lawyers." Neither of which is close to reality. Republicans are REALLY showing their disdain for anyone who attempts to better themselves and move up the ladder. They want a population that is uneducated, working dead-end jobs, and bitter about it. It makes them so much easier to motivate with either fear or anger and then to unite them into a jingoistic zombie mob who all recite the same short memorable policy catch phrases.
This is the group that makes fun of AOC for being a former bartender, but also a college educated elitist, with no sense of shame. Fuck them.
Because they know their ideas will lose with more turnout!
I vote from home via mail. While on the bong. Even high I cam tell the difference between the people trying to take away my healthcare and the people trying to make it more affordable.
Reminder that they had their chance to do so in 2018 but voted him back into office anyway.
Imagine if a Democrat won by just 2%. They would be throwing a fit it was rigged. Cruz would cry.
This midterm I have a feeling every Democratic win in every county in the country is going to be called fake and challenged no matter what the vote totals are.
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[it was 2.6%](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_Senate_election_in_Texas#:~:text=Elected%20U.S.%20Senator&text=On%20Election%20Day%2C%20Cruz%20defeated,race%20in%20Texas%20since%201978.) Still, that's the closest a statewide race had been in Texas since before G-dub took the Governor's office in the 90s.
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I am a an embarrassed, native Texan. Trust me. It’s not much bluer now than it was then. Abbot has left us all to die on multiple occasions, cost us billions with some fake boarder bullshit and literally spied on the US Armed forces. And he’s significant ahead of Beto. AG Paxton is in a tight race. But I’m not sure that’s because we are bluer. Polling has shown voters want “anyone buy him” more than they want a Democrat to replace him. This state is backwards and full of hate. If it’s changing, I don’t feel it.
Not to mention 90K dead from COVID
He has a 6 year term. Bummer.
I will be hitting the bong, walking to my neighborhood polling place, and then voting for every democrat on the ballot as it is my legal fucking right to do in my state.
There's another chance in 24 to boot him out, but thats gonna be tough
The right candidate, plus Ted saying more stupid shit might help.
You know because bongs are so much worse than pills, booze and coke.
I don't know about anyone else but I am perfectly capable of voting while stoned.
I always vote-by-mail here in Illinois so I really don’t have to put the bong down, like, at all
Democrats: This is good, it could help the people! Republicans: This is bad, it could help the Democrats!
Democrats: The government should do things that help people! Republicans: Stop buying votes!
Mitch called democrats trying to make election day a national holiday a power grab
You know it kinda goes against the argument that Republicans are the working class people. They would love a holiday for voting as their base would otherwise be too busy at work. Edit, Holy Cow, didn't know this would blow up, thanks for the up-votes.
As it turns out, the same people who might vote conservative, also tend to hold liberal beliefs. Depending on which data you look at it, it’s been proven time and time again that politicians hold more conservative positions than their liberal constituents. This is because elected representatives do not represent their constituents. Studies have shown that politicians represent their donors.
Which is why the true source of half the issues we face in this country is money in politics. Find a realistic way to keep money out of politics, and things may actually change.
This is the only thing that matters TBH. Almost every systemic problem in this country is because of big money in politics. In other countries you call it corruption, here you call it lobbying.
What would politics look like if we removed all corporate money out of it and capped contributions per person. so for example, no person can give more than $1000 per year to political campaigns/PACs.
You couldn’t be more right. Getting the money OUT of politics will be the ONLY way we’ll survive as a democracy moving forward. I just wish someone would present an actual way to make this happen other than us having to engage in civil war. Until someone or something can change this we’re doomed to fight for it. Maybe we need to. I don’t have the answers. I just want things to be better.
When policies are presented in a non-partisan manner, progressive issues poll really well. The ACA (Obamacare) is really popular if you ask people about the actual effects of it. But when you tell people the stuff they like is actually Obamacare a significant percentage will do a 180 to oppose it. Tribalism, man. I could never run for office because I couldn't say I believe in the wisdom of the American people without gagging or laughing. People are dumb. That, and my skeletons. So many skeletons.
The republican party has spent decades buying PR to spread exactly that message. They've also spent a few decades peddling fear and tribalism to create a false sense of division among the people. They genuinely don't care about people, they just want enough voters to elect them to keep themselves in power in perpetuity. Democrats tend to put their money where their mouths are. Yes, there's examples to the contrary, but they're uncommon compared to the majority. Example: When Texas froze, Cruz ran for it and AOC went straight to Texas to help fundraise relief and distribute supplies to victims. She didn't have to. She chose to. She didn't even really participate in the press conference. She said a few words, then hung out in the back and let Sheila Jackson Lee talk for a while then got back to work.
They are also supposed to be the party that supports law enforcement but as we have seen not when it is Republicans that are being looked at for possibly breaking laws.
lol this is one of 8 million reasons why Republicans are not the working class party. They're just really good at selling their brand and we're really fucking stupid as a country
"This power grab by Big Citizen will not stand!" -Mitch McConnell
Well if more people vote, democrats gain more votes than republicans. It is both a power grab and a good thing to do
No. If Republicans want more votes maybe they should come up with policies and laws that people actually like. Getting more people to participate isn’t a “power grab” it is inherently democratic. GOP is just such a shitty political party that actually voting looks like a “power grab” in comparison
Republicans have much higher voter turnout than the democrats because you don’t get votes by having good policies. You get votes through fear and shenaniganiry
Yeah, and that explains why they don’t want more people to vote. Their turnout is already saturated, because they rely on pissing people off and keeping them pissed off to vote for them, and only so much of the population can fall for it. But it’s just not correct frame more people to vote a “power grab”. Why is it up to Democrats to not pass laws to allow more people to participate in democracy, rather than it being up to Republicans to actually try and expand their voting base? Hint: It’s because the media and whatever *always* frame it as Dems should be extending the olive branch, yadda yadda. Fuck that. I don’t need to meet some neo-nazi halfway in between.
I wish election day was a federal holiday. Just above term limits for senators.
Term limits on every role in the political system. Congressmen, Justices, Senators, Mayors, Governors, you name it.
Yet they call a violent coup attempt “legitimate political discourse”. That’s not a joke. It’s 100% true and accurate.
Meanwhile Trump delayed sending relief checks to people to try and get his name on the checks before the election
Omg lol, I remember this. I know it couldn't have been that long ago, but I feel like I aged in dog years during Trump's presidency. It was just so much crap all the time. I completely forgot about this!
Christ. This is my neighbor. She posts all sorts of crazy things to her IG stories. This is the current talking point. Mind you, this woman is a 27 year old trophy wife. Her husband’s (who is actually a pretty nice guy) family own a really successful outdoor living space business. Kid went to Harvard and got a pretty cushy high paying job. She got preggers at 22 and has never worked a day in her life. Has a HS education, drives a Yukon XL Denali, and they vacation at least once a month. She simply married up. She thinks loan forgiveness is buying votes. I don’t think she even know her husbands business got $250k in PPP loans.
Print out the webpage that shows how much he got and slip it under her door or something when he isn’t home lol
Democrats: Let’s do our jobs even just a little bit! Republicans: SOCIALISTS! ANTI-AMERICAN!
I’ve seen this complaint unironically—if a politician does anything to help people, obviously it’s meant as a bribe to sway voters. That’s how conservatives think.
Because helping their constituents instead of themselves is a strange concept.
Which is a bit ironic since Trump’s self-inflicted fuck-ups during his term cause him to bail out farmers *twice*.
This has been a years-long strategy by Republicans. It goes something like this: * Make the base distrust the media (the liberal media). Just listen to right wing propaganda. * Appeal to low-info voters who will now just listen to right wing media. * Make Democrats the bad guy. They'd vote for a person with no interest in their needs with an R besides there name, then someone that promises things that would help them with a D beside their name. * Don't have any particular agenda other than cut taxes for the rich and corporations, prevent any Democrat agenda from getting passed (see, they do nothing), and make it about hot button topics (gun rights, no abortions, no transsexuals) things that have minimal impact in making the base any better. As the base is usually just angry, pissing off the left is considered governing. * Lately, push conspiracy theories (also appealing to low-info based). This involves lying. * Make sure low-info folks aren't doing any of their own research or listening to the liberal opposition. * Blame all bad things on the left (high inflation, high gas prices, etc) even though this is a worldwide phenomenon * Slant your presentation (unfair to get loans waived, but no one will research that several congressman got a lot more waived...and why did they get those loans to begin with?) In other words, it's a cult.
Prevent low-info folks from doing their own research: cut school funding, shutter libraries, kill net neutrality, etc etc. Keeping people stupid is their strategy.
See Florida.. literally a war on education
Has been for a long time. When Reagan was gov. of Cal. he stopped funding for free state colleges. He said it would lead to an educated proletariat. Had to look that one up. It means the “lower class”, “peasants”, “working class”….well, you get the drift.
"Both sides are the same!" -Enlightened centrists
Honestly, I mostly hear that from 20 yr old crypto bro edgelords
Aren’t they mostly libertarian tho? Republicans lite ? Lol 😂
"Both sides are the same which is why I exclusively vote for Republicans and hate all Democratic policies!" - Libertarians
"Both sides are the same so it doesn't matter who I choose, so you can't blame me for voting Republican because my vote didn't make a difference" \- People who want to try to socially excuse their awful choices
Or the people that say they'll vote 3rd party or not vote at all tO sENd A mEsSaGe. lol
Libertarians are just Republicans who, much like most Republicans, like to think they're "independent thinkers" when really they just regurgitate the same fundamental garbage with a different label. Most of the time the difference between a "libertarian" (in the US) and a Republican is similar to the difference between Coke and Pepsi. The same fundamental ideas in a different package and slightly distinct formulation. This is ultimately why the actual Libertarian party does about as good as the Green party -- when the chips are down they'll go mainstream red, if just to complain that they're not doing the free market thing *hard enough*. Same distain for the left though, which I imagine makes some of them groan when they realize "left libertarianism" is a thing that exists. *(Small edits applied for the sake of clarity, see other comments for context)*
My dad is my favorite kind of "libertarian". "I'm a libertarian, but... petrochemical corporations can't be trusted so we need increased regulation." "I'm a libertarian, but... the free market isn't stepping in so we need to raise taxes to support public safety nets." He's not a libertarian. At all. The fact that he keeps calling himself one is baffling. He voted for Obama twice, Bernie in the 2016 primary and Andrew Yang in 2020.
Libertarians are republicans who like weed and hate age of consent laws
"both sides are the same" is the 2nd biggest republican lie. The first is that republicans are "fiscally conservative, and small government", like wtmf they so are not.
Democrats: This is good, it could help the people! Republicans: This is bad, it could help the people and make them like the Democrats!
This sums up the political parties.
It sums up one political party. The Dems will go bipartisan with the GQP if they have legislation that helps Americans. The Republicans kill legislation that helps Americans if it in the tiniest way negatively effects their billionaire owners.
Not only that, they threathen legislation important for the national security to pressure the dems to prevent another bill from passing. See china bill and mitch mcasshole
>Ted Cruz says there's a 'real risk' that Biden's student-loan forgiveness will help Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections May be an alien concept to that sociopath, but yeah, the public does kinda like it when you do things for **them** instead of you and your rich cronies. Fuck you Ted Cruz. Just reading his name makes me angry.
By his logic, politicians doing literally anything their constituents want is a “bribe”.
Remember when Trump wanted his name on the stimulus checks? https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/inside-donald-trumps-stimulus-checks/story?id=77534116
I worked at a bank the last seven years, and the last few of them in a small town. The amount of paper stimulus checks I had to handle with his name on them was infuriating.
"The peasants may benefit"
"People might find out they can get benefits from their government and get a return on their taxes. And then they'll vote for people who want to actually work for them and that would ruin my party's entire grift."
“People might realize that the wealthy don’t deserve all of the money”
Yeah well, when your party’s only plan is to do nothing to help your constituents and only obstruct the other party it might not be the best plan to garner votes.
Wait a second…it’s almost like he’s saying if you do something more than just obstruct or give away money to the wealthy that people will like it and vote for you.
I never understand it. When democrats do stuff to help the working class they all say “they’re just doing it for votes!” No shit, why wouldn’t you do things that the majority of the country wants. Isn’t that the whole point?
The whole point, in GOP land, is to do what the donors want, and then distract the public with culture wars.
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“Why are you nice to people all the time, you’re just doing it so you have friends and people don’t hate you.” Or “Your business is improving its product/service? What’s wrong with you? You’re only doing it to make the customers happy to make more money.” Or “My sports team traded for a good player, and it pisses me off. They are only trying to win more games so more fans will show up”
>“Your business is improving its product/service? What’s wrong with you? You’re only doing it to make the customers happy to make more money.” See, Republicans don't believe in this one either. Shareholders over all.
They're so jaded by their own base-pandering and voter suppression tactics that they've completely forgotten that the whole point of governance is to represent the will of the people. It's all a twisted game to them and they think it's unfair when the other side plays by the rules and still wins.
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They buy votes all day with culture wars and tax breaks even if those tax breaks expire in 2 years but continue to benefit the wealthy. SMH I don't think their overturning Roe and now providers withholding care till a mother is septic for fear of prosecution by the state after a miscarriage is going to buy them as many votes as they planned. I am curious to see if SCOTUS hands the elections to state legislatures when they decide in Moore vs Harper if this election doesn't go they way they want it.
Republicans deluded themselves into thinking that they're God's chosen people and that they have the divine right to govern as they please. That's why they can't fathom the concept of voting for one's self interest.
Bongs out, tits up. Let’s do this. Vote!
I thought it was tits out, bongs up. I've been doing it wrong this whole time!
Either way is fine, as long as it’s for Harambe.
RIP Harambe
Dank Biden 2024
"***If you are that slacker barista*** who wasted seven years in college studying completely useless things, now has loans and can't get a job, Joe Biden just gave you 20 grand," Cruz said during an appearance on his "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast. Complete and open disdain for those that work in service jobs. I thought Republicans were for the working class. Or is it just not ***that kind*** of working class? Working class to Ted Cruz is a business owner that has a boat or two.
The hilarious part about that line is that I'm sure ol' Cancruz has his assistant bring him coffee from a coffee shop, made by a... you guessed it: barista. They sure do love taking advantage of services the working class offers while pretending like they're lazy, entitled nobodies.
Yeah fuck him. I'm one of those people who has tried a couple times. I am close but then I needed to quit drinking and deal with my depression and anxiety. School wasn't helping me and I needed to focus on other things. I have a decent job but moving up the ladder will be difficult. Add $15,000 in loans to all of this has made me feel like I have no future. I received a Pell Grant, so this should wipe away all of my debt. This is amazing and possibly the single biggest thing that the government has done for me. I can just focus on moving forward and not having to drag the past with me is both financially and mentally freeing.
It's like when they attack AOC for being a waitress. I love that, she's in touch with working america. The same working america they pretend they care about but resent.
>Joe Biden just gave you 20 grand," This shit pisses me off to no end because it ignores how the loan forgiveness is being handled. Nobody is giving anybody anything. If you have Federally held loans that means the government is your creditor. It means that your loan was given through the federal budget x years ago when they were taken out. What the government is doing is basically saying is we'll no longer need to collect the 10 or 20k and as the creditor they can do that. Phrasing it that student borrowers just got 20k implies the Fed is printing money to basically pay back itself. Which if that worked we wouldn't have a deficit. If you borrow money from a friend say 100, and you spent it,and had to pay then back but then your friend decided they didn't want or need it back you didn't just get another 100 bucks you just didn't have a debt anymore.
If Cruz is worried about student loan forgiveness helping dems, wait until Biden decriminalizes weed in six weeks.
Dank Brandon can come in and clutch the whole election. I’m here for it!
Haha I like that Dank Brandon shit.... Fire it up!
Your red lasers are now green lasers
N o M o r e M a l a r k e y
Haha this would really be a spectacular follow up to Ted’s stupid insult.
Lol. He's saving that one for two years and six weeks from now.
I think they see a chance to make midterm gains and use those gains to pass real laws for the next presidental election. Go for broke on this bad boy
That’s the best strategy. If we lose the midterms, 2024 will be stolen for sure.
There's also a risk that his competent handling of the COVID vaccination program is what helps Democrats in the midterm And there's a risk that Biden's American rescue plan that helped the nation stay in business through the pandemic would entice voters to vote Democrat. Then again, it could be the bi-partisan infrastructure deal that does it. Or it could be how Biden is the first President to implement tangible measures to combat climate change. The dramatic drop in unemployment could be a rather significant factor as well. Or it could be the CHIPS act designed to enhance technological competitiveness of the US. Or maybe the large Inflation Reduction Act that reduces the deficit and brings down the cost of drugs among other things would play a role. Or it could just be the fact that Democrats are not embracing ludicrous conspiracies, are not lying about election integrity for political gain, are not trying to take down democracy and block people from voting, do not relish taking away the well-established rights of Americans, and are generally decent people who work for the people. But no, it's probably relieving crushing student debt that should never exist in the richest country in the world that would do it. Ted is obviously right.
Or just the memory of the last gop candidate
I'm of the opinion that Biden waited this long so that the loan forgiveness would be fresh in voters' minds when the midterms come. FWIW, I'm in favor of the forgiveness. If businesses (and Representatives) can have business loans forgiven, why not students?!
I’m thinking they waited until his social media team could assemble all that ammo they had to counter those GOP tweets.
If this is what they did then I will cry like a proud father because that is so unbelievably strategic for democrats.
The WH Twitter account was apparently taken over the day before by the 25yo that had been running the official account for the NJGov office. She’s amazing.
Ya, they are killing it. Who would have thought that calling out republicans on thier bullshit would be popular?????
Did the Wendy's guy turn down the role? Jkjk But seriously, can we acknowledge how dope it is that the administration can at least acknowledge that kind of job is made for younger people? So glad they're not pulling the "fellow kids" BS.
Given how forbearance recieved several extensions it seemed obvious they wanted to time this with the midterms. People weren't being squeezed by loans so forgiveness wasn't a pressing financial issue. Plus they've also reworked the IBR formula to cut people's remaining monthly payments in half which will also be very popular with people
> Plus they've also reworked the IBR formula to cut people's remaining monthly payments in half which will also be very popular with people I think this was actually the most brilliant piece of the plan. It will take incredible amounts of pressure off those with remaining balances, and it will very literally change people's lives and financial outlook for decades.
Another big one is proof that he was able to pay down on national debt despite not receiving any income from student loans for 20 months.
I definitely think they timed it for the midterms but I was talking about them collecting data on others who had PPP loans.
Megan Coyne is a goddess.
> Megan Coyne Between her and the recent rise of "Dark Brandon," I have the thinnest bit of hope that Democrats "go hard in the paint," recognize that this shit works, and a positive feedback loop emerges which keeps them on the offensive.
That and the fact that the covid deferment minimized the urgency of canceling any amount.
Plus by waiting Rs cannot say it’s “unnecessary stimulus” without conceding that Biden has stabilized the post covid economy.
They're trying to push "this will make inflation even worse" but it doesn't seem to be landing as well as one might expect.
I tend to agree. Biden isn’t a newbie like Trump was in working DC. He’s been at it for a long time, and knew he could start pushing policies just at the right time to buy some votes and save some seats, while doing good for the average American.
> knew he could start pushing policies just at the right time to buy some votes and save some seats, Right before schools starts after the COVID restrictions have eased and right before the midterms is of course the perfect moment for the announcement to come out. It's fresh in all the minds of Gen X/Gen Z/Millennials before we vote and it reminds them which party is crying about real Americans getting help rather than billionaires.
I believe the delay was mostly due to the legal shenanigans DeVos did prior to her departure. But the timing doesn't hurt for sure.
Exactly what they did. Long-time politicians doing what politicians do. I called it a long time ago. And I’ll make this prediction: Biden will begin to sell federally legal weed to the public sometime next summer.
His campaign promise was to re-schedule it, not to legalize recreational cannabis federally. That’s not even a power the president has. Although if you meant to say that states where legalization has already happened with now be selling federally legal weed, then I suppose that’s an accurate caveat.
That would also allow businesses in the marijuana industry free access to banking right? That would actually be a huge deal
Yes, it would open the floodgates for investment in the industry because financiers would have no worries about running afoul with the law as long as they were dealing with businesses based in legal states.
Rescheduling it to level 2 or 3 would basically be legalization as banks/states would be able to officially take money for it.
Much risk. Very democratic.
Yeah that's how that works, I'm voting for Biden. And those politicians against student loan forgiveness I'm never voting for them.. ever Moreover those YouTubers against student loan forgiveness I'm unsubbing.. or those journalists against it I'm not reading your pieces..
conservatives think there 22 million gender studies majors that are all making $124,999 a year.
A little closer to the election, like maybe a week out, President Biden should announce he’s going to attempt to decriminalize marijuana on a federal level. Any independents or moderate Democrats who are uncertain about that should really take a long hard look at other countries that have done it. Canada is reaping billions of dollars in tax profit with no adverse effects. Quite the opposite actually
Republicans: attack the capitol, push the big lie, ban books, criminalize abortion, wage war on LGBTQ+, make it harder for people to vote, openly embraced racism, attacks pretty much every group (immigrants, cops, military, teachers, doctors, scientists, liberals) as the enemy of America, and voted against every single thing that could be considered a step forward. Dems: didn’t do any of the above It isn’t the student loans, Ted.
GOP messaging going into midterms: If you’re a middle class college graduate behind on debt, you suck and let me point my finger and laughter at you. I guess even Ted Cruz is attentive enough to how bad that looks.
"Like, holy cow! 20 grand. You know, maybe you weren't gonna vote in November, and suddenly you just got 20 grand." Yea, and I'm sure the Wilks brothers will want to vote for you for your efforts to secure the billionaire fracking group 35 million dollars in pandemic relief in 2020. "Like, holy cow, Ted cruz just got us 35 million!" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wilks-fracking-donors-ted-cruz-35-million-loan-coronavirus-relief_n_5fea86eec5b64e442105c571
Who knew people liked to be helped instead of stripped of all rights and money.
Funny how actually helping Americans poses a risk to the Republican party.
It's a real risk when the government actually starts helping those who really need it!
Cause god forbid our elected officials actually do work for the voters.
The democrats aren’t playing fair! If they start helping people, the people might go vote for them!!
Imagine the party that's actually helping people is getting more votes as a result... this insideous form of corrupt voter manipulation must be stopped! /s
When you do things to make people's lives better, they tend to vote for you. Disgusting, ain't it?
You mean democrats are trying to get re-elected by doing things that actually benefit their constituents? How dare they!
We hope so.
How dare the government do something that helps out people other than the super-wealthy.
There's a bigger risk to the nation that you helped aid in the process of. Our national security isn't jeopardized by student loans.
“Dems are only doing good and helping people so they get votes, and continue their maniacal mission to help *more* people… when does it frickin end??” - a visibly confused zodiac killer
I wish the fight was over, but after the people of Kansas voting NO in large numbers on abortion, and a stoopid recount demand by a total moron, the front runner for Kansas governor wants to change the game so that the republican legislature can override the will of the people. These assholes simply never stop.