US US Politics General - Discussion of President Biden and other politicians

 

[tehpope]

Several officials who spoke to Politico say that the Biden administration is drawing up military response options as the Gaza war is threatening to expand into a broader regional conflagration. After months of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis taking potshots at Israel as well as commercial (and military!) vessels in the Red Sea with impunity, the Pentagon could finally hit back—but only after admin officials have become worried over the impact that "doing nothing" would have on the upcoming November election. Middle East quagmires remain unpopular among voters, but so is doing absolutely nothing as things only spiral, and as Washington has refused thus far to place limits on Israel's brutal military campaign in Gaza.

The Politico report was issued the same day (Thurs) that White House national security spokesman John Kirby was asked by a reporter whether the Red Sea shipping crisis in particular would become a "pocketbook" issue for Americans. Kirby said "It would depend on how long this threat goes and on how much more energetic the Houthis think they might become." He added: "Right now we haven’t seen an uptick or a specific effect on the U.S. economy. But make no mistake. This is a key international waterway. Countries more and more are becoming aware of this increasing threat to the free flow of commerce."

Western economies are indeed likely to increasingly feel the effects, given Danish shipping giant Maersk confirmed on Friday that it is extending its directive for all its vessels to avoid the Red Sea for the "foreseeable future" amid the ongoing Houthi attacks. "The situation is constantly evolving and remains highly volatile, and all available intelligence at hand confirms that the security risk continues to be at a significantly elevated level," Maersk said. This of course means the significantly longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.

With November approaching, and an increasing number of Americans seeing foreign policy as a top issue of concern, a rarity in US politics, President Biden risks looking weak with what has thus far been relative inaction. Some Pentagon officials have complained that US forces feel handcuffed, unable to hit back at Houthi positions even as their drones and missiles attack American warships in the Red Sea.

But now, perhaps much belatedly, the White House is drawing up plans to hit back, per the Politico report:

The military is drafting plans to hit back at Iran-backed Houthi militants who have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to three U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the discussions. That includes striking Houthi targets in Yemen, according to one of the officials, an option the military has previously presented.

There's also the issue of Syria and Iraq, where US forces have come under repeat attacks going back to mid-Oct, which international reports now noting at least 120 instances of drone, mortar, and rocket attacks on bases in Syria and Iraq. And yes there have been US troop casualties, and Purple Hearts have been awarded, but the DoD has kept a tight lid on details.

Politico writes, "Intelligence officials, meanwhile, are coming up with ways to anticipate and fend off possible attacks on the U.S. by Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, according to one of the officials."

Apparently asking Tehran and its proxies "nicely" is not having an impact at all:

The U.S. has for months behind the scenes urged Tehran to persuade the proxies to scale back their attacks. But officials say they have not seen any sign that the groups have begun to decrease their targeting and worry the violence will only surge in the coming days.

It’s an escalation that could result in President Joe Biden becoming more deeply embroiled in the Middle East just as the 2024 campaign season heats up and his campaign pushes to focus on domestic issues.

Recent targeted strikes against Iraqi paramilitary leaders have inflamed tensions with Iraq's government, which has denounced the violation of sovereignty, going so far as to say unauthorized US military actions in the country are tantamount to "terrorist" attacks.

Asia to Europe shipping costs surging as container ships forced to avoid the Red Sea.

...and impacting rates to and from US ports as well:

This week, we highlighted a new poll, which shows the number of voters who view foreign policy as a top issue has doubled during the past year. Joe Biden has defined his presidency by waging a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, backing the Israeli onslaught in Gaza, and engaging in a military buildup in the Asia-Pacific to fight a future war with China. As was typical of US foreign policy of prior decades, this is yet more of Washington's penchant for escalation/interventionism with no "plan" - or at least creating for itself constantly moving (and unpredictable) goal posts.

The mainstream media has picked up on this huge vulnerability for Biden's presidency as the Middle East conflict spreads:

The developments are perilous not just for regional security but for Biden’s reelection chances. He entered office with vows to end wars, realized with the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that removed the U.S. from 20 years of fighting. Biden now ends his first term as the West’s champion for the defense of Ukraine and key enabler of Israel’s retaliation against Hamas.

Even without U.S. troops in either conflict, voters may see 2024 as their chance to weigh in on the key foreign policy question of this election: how involved should America be in foreign wars?

In December, the Biden administration came under widespread accusations that it was downplaying the Houthi threat in the Red Sea. By then, US warships had actually come under direct fire more than once, but the American public wasn't informed as the incidents were made ambiguous.

Underscoring this, a December 19 article in The Wall Street Journal had this to say:

Recently the news broke that the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney had fended off several missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea. While Biden administration officials tried to frame the battle, for a battle it surely was, as the Carney’s defending nearby merchant ships, it seems clear that Iranian-supplied Houthis were targeting the Carney directly as well as the commercial ships it was accompanying.

This was only one of several recent assaults on American naval assets in the region. They have happened despite the presence of the Ford carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean and the Eisenhower strike group in the Gulf of Aden—a conventional level of naval deterrence that should have reduced aggressive activities by U.S. enemies. Instead, Iran attacked American ships and allies.

Fast-forward to this week's Politico report, and we have this illuminating quote from an unnamed US official...

"From our perspective, the most worrying thing is that the Houthis might sink a ship. Then what happens?" said one of the U.S. officials.

So far, the Houthis have responded to every 'threat' and 'warning' of the US and its allies by ramping up the aggression. Attacks have become daily, as the Iran-backed Yemeni group lets its defiance over the Gaza war become crystal clear. They aren't playing by the West's 'rules'. It demonstrates that still in the 21st century, a ragtag third world rebel group can make enough of an impact as to block off an entire key international shipping transit waterway.

Threats to international shipping aside, there's still this legitimate

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/houthis-threaten-sink-bidens-reelection-chances-white-house-belatedly-draws-options

 

[Meat Target]

Okay, who had "Operation Eagle Claw reboot" on their Bingo card?

 

[dustbuster]

They have in a sense, in defense of state marijuana laws. With that said, I feel like this is the Republican equivalent to gun grabbing. It's unconstitutional, that's not going to change, but your voters demand something.

You can't have decisions upholding the "right" of states to impede federal immigration enforcement with 'sanctuary' laws, AND decisions saying states CAN'T impede federal immigration policy by enforcing federal laws on their own.
One of these things has to go for jurisprudence to be consistent.

This is why I will continue to argue the point that "citing precedent" is useless at the moment.

UPDATE:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/another-gop-rep-announces-retirement-amid-wave-retirements/

A third rep announcing retirement since McCarthy was forced out.
Another self-purge by the RINOs at the last possible second trying to sabotage the 2024 house elections.

 

[The Hardest R]

Commies infected higher education. They push out people to work for the managerial class. Those folks end up at HR. They mostly think a like.

When diversity quotas started being enforced en masse, mostly in the 90s, the sleight of hand was to dump the quota babies in the most useless departments like human resources and call centers. Turns out they became a cancer that eventually brought down everything else. Short term thinking loses again. Something to think about next time some retard thinks there’s some multidimensional chessmaster solution that gets thumped by basic checkers.

 

[dustbuster]

The tactic got so common during the fentanyl riots that a couple states passed laws that would have shielded him from conviction.

Apparently not in texas.
The same gambit of systematic violation of judicial procedure was weaponized against Alex Jones.
In his case:
Demand "discovery" of materials over which he had no legal custody.
Declare him "in default" when he predictably cannot produce them.
When the Supreme Court refused to intervene, that was their green light to use the same bullshit against anyone pointing out election fraud, like Giuliani

 

[Meat Target]

UPDATE:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/01/another-gop-rep-announces-retirement-amid-wave-retirements/ A third rep announcing retirement since McCarthy was forced out.
Another self-purge by the RINOs at the last possible second trying to sabotage the 2024 house elections.

That's a blood-Red district that's gerrymandered to keep St. Louis out, and that Trump won by about 2/3rds.

 

[The Last Stand]

Anti-Israel protesters interrupted the annual J6 pity party.

View attachment 5613946

Plot twist: they're about to start the next insurrection with Hamas' sanction.

 

[dustbuster]

That's a blood-Red district that's gerrymandered to keep St. Louis out, and that Trump won by about 2/3rds.

Most states whose ballot access laws I've seen had the deadlines between october and november of last year.

 

[doodoocaca]

The left fucked up.

Liberalism and its adversaries and rivals fucked up.

 

[mandatorylurk]

Joepedo is doing his squinty yell about Trump being a nazi where it looks dark and ominous, but not as horrible optics as his 2022 red light bitching.

People don’t care anymore they want to be able to afford food and shelter .

 

[ForgedBlades]

My God, this Biden speech.

 

[Seething Troon Collector]

My God, this Biden speech.


View attachment 5614284

Where was this (and don't you fucking say Blue Bell, Pennsylvania or C-SPAN). Also, what fucking planet is he on? Moreover, do people in the audience actually believe this shit? That part at the end to, 'we're doing great'....'It's not my doing'. Great campaign slogan. This whole thing has to be a fucking clown show, I've got to go find it.

EDIT: Holy fuck it's worse than I imagined. I'm not even ten minutes in. Okay, for the Trump campaign people. Here's a brilliant idea.

Spoiler: Uneducated Political Sperging

Treat the January 6 things exactly as people say they are. To retort to this, explain how the Jan 6 things were a relief valve to a desperate American public, a bloodletting to get back at the political system that's been oppressing the American working class using the courts, the tax system, the executive branch, the financial markets and banks, etc.

Send young men to die in pointless wars. Let bitter old bankers continuously steal the life savings from hard working people. Ensure that the courts take a hatchet to established constitutional rights and ensure that public-private partnerships exist to divide and censor whatever the establishment doesn't like. Draw comparisons to cities burning to the ground during 2020 that were anointed by the political class. Seriously, if you start thinking about it. A retort to this wouldn't be very difficult.

People are angry, capitalize on that. Capitalize on people's anger and frustration over how America stopped working for all but the political and financial classes in the country for the last 50 years.

 

[Sniperwoof]

"Support me because I'm Nazis, uh Democracy, Democracy and Nazis."

This is really bad, I'm stunned they're actually rolling him out instead of locking him in the basement and issuing statements through press surrogates.

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

My God, this Biden speech.


View attachment 5614284

America's not winning because of Joe Biden....you could say, in fact, that it's not winning at all. There, Donald, I wrote your campaign ad for you

 

[Breadbassket]

The Biden campaign seems to be going all in on a "saving democracy" and "stop the extremists" narrative . I look forward to a potential future where as the election reaches its climax, comments like Hilary Clinton's 2016 "basket of deplorables" statement will seem tame in comparison.

 

[Rykel22]

I have to wonder if Joe's 'It's not winning because of me' line was adlibbed or not. Because, if not, boy, those script writers are as braindead as he is.

 

[tehpope]

Where was this (and don't you fucking say Blue Bell, Pennsylvania or C-SPAN). Also, what fucking planet is he on? Moreover, do people in the audience actually believe this shit? That part at the end to, 'we're doing great'....'It's not my doing'. Great campaign slogan. This whole thing has to be a fucking clown show, I've got to go find it.

EDIT: Holy fuck it's worse than I imagined. I'm not even ten minutes in.

I've watch a lot of vids by don't walk, run productions. Andrew features a lot Biden at public events. The left are sheeple who will clap at anything.

timestamped at 6:14 btw. they're clapping at Joe saying "MAGA republicans are destroying america".

 

[Breadbassket]

I have to wonder if Joe's 'It's not winning because of me' line was adlibbed or not. Because, if not, boy, those script writers are as braindead as he is.

It seems like a line you'd follow up with "It's winning because of you" or "It's winning because of Americans like you" but since this is Joe Biden he may of messed up the timing for that although such a statement is kind of oddly self-deprecating for a politician wanting to get re-elected.

 

[ForgedBlades]

It's been three years and I'm still waiting for someone to explain how the capitol building being cleared out in a few hours, the election results being certified by Congress later that night, Trump peacefully leaving Washington, and Biden being sworn in on inauguration day led to us "almost losing America" as Joe claimed in that speech.

 

[Rykel22]

It seems like a line you'd follow up with "It's winning because of you" or "It's winning because of Americans like you" but since this is Joe Biden he may of messed up the timing for that although such a statement is kind of oddly self-deprecating for a politician wanting to get re-elected.

Even if that's the following line, it's such an easy line to turn into an attack against Biden.