Seeing his throne and relevance slipping away, Donald Trump is now trying to reclaim some popular support the same way he held onto farmers’ backing—by promising government checks:
President Trump is threatening to derail a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress on Monday after months of bitter negotiations.
In a video released on his Twitter feed Tuesday evening, Trump said he wants Congress to “send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package.”
Trump said the bill was a “disgrace” and called the payments of up to $600 to qualifying individuals in the current bill “ridiculously low.” He said he wants that boosted to $2,000 per individual and $4,000 for couples — despite the fact that it was Republicans who stood in the way of higher payments for months [Domenico Montanaro and Arnie Seipel, “Trump Slams Covid-19 Relief Bill, Asks for Changes After Bitter Negotiations,” NPR, 2020.12.22].
Gee, if Trump had spent more time pushing for that policy goal instead of his favored corporate caviar tax break, he might have gotten his party to agree to the larger stimulus/relief checks that Democrats wanted all along.
But hey, Dems are ready to play that ball. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say $2K? You betcha! And instead of just tweeting Archie Bunker armchair blurtage like Trump, they show us the actual legislative language they’re ready to enact:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer are having fun taking up Trump’s taking up of their call for more direct coronavirus relief. After all, Senators Bernie Sanders, Ed Markey, and Kamala Harris proposed $2,000 coronavirus relief checks seven months ago. If Trump wants to go out endorsing radical (in a good way!) Democratic positions, bring it on!
But back in reality, Congress will pass the $600 checks and the whole rest of the bill that is intended to keep the government running, and Trump will go out looking all the more incompetent and destructive to everyone’s interests, including his own:
OF COURSE, Congress is not going to renegotiate this bill at this late hour, and the next administration will not be his.
HERE’S THE REALITY: TRUMP now has five days to sign the package Congress passed or else the government shuts down. Real-world stuff, guys. As we’ve written, Congress pushed through a seven-day stopgap as part of this package, and TRUMP has already signed that. Dec. 28 is the day by which he needs to make a decision — this coming Monday. Unemployment benefits end this week for many people. These are real-world deadlines that TRUMP needs to consider in the midst of a worsening pandemic as he relaxes at his Mar-a-Lago club over the Christmas holiday.
IT’S DIFFICULT to see why the White House thinks it’s helpful to TRUMP to look as if he has no sway with the legislature.
IF HE DOES VETO, can Congress come back and override it? Maybe — probably! So, again,it’s difficult to see why it’s helpful to have TRUMP choose to lose another fight with Congress.
IF TRUMP DOES VETO and Congress can’t override it, the Hill will just pass this again in January, and JOE BIDEN will get to take credit, and TRUMP will get none. 4D chess [Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, “Politico Playbook: You Thought It Would Be Quiet?” Politico, 2020.12.23].
Trump’s threat to veto this omnibus bill is no well-thought-out political gambit; it’s one last feeble cry for attention from a failed politician who has never met a real problem he could solve.
Well, seeing the impact on the total amount of the bill increasing the direct payments by TRIPLE or more will clearly demonstrate just exactly how important relief for real working people was relative to other concerns for the GOP Senate – won’t it? I’ll wager it’ll be around 10% (making original concern measure of around 3%) I.E. we will see that 97% of the “relief” went to someone/thing other to the ordinary people of the US.
Republicans just can’t stand the thought of their taxes going to poor people.
Expect another Whitehouse shouting match on the 27th, with fewer leaks, Trump’s little fingers hovering over the nuclear football. Chaos is the drug Trump and his family are addicted to, it squirts endorphins, serotonin and other brain chemistry adjustments marijuana, opioids and alcohol, the rest of us use for the same effect until “death do us part”.
“Meth, were on it” came from watching LOST. We as a society are either in the bar or in front of the tube, satiated. Clueless. Worn out from abusive capitalism Thune/Noem worship. They WANT that $1st million of their own.
When are they coming to take him away?
The big LOSER wants to be removed from office, so Pence can pardon him and he can litigate the result and further complicate the State of New York’s case against him. I think anyway.
Stimulus checks should go to the needy, not the greedy, and wingnuts must be stopped from defining the greedy as those most in need of government largesse.
Did anyone catch Snoot Gingrich throw down blaming Sidney Powell for drumpf’s court debacles. Who does Gingrich suppose hired her as only the best people. It sure wasn’t Screwdy Rudy.
These aren’t tax dollars, they are funny money printed on the back of gum wrappers. Stop pounding cash down a rathole. Stop doling out money. The people who want to work will get money. Stop giving free money to people just to sit at home and smoke weed and watch soap operas.
Yes, grudznick is feeling unxmassy. I found out my granddaughter has to work late on Christmas Eve so our usual dinner will be later, and that makes me grumpy.
Grudz, I was one of those people who took all the work I could to support my family. No free money for us. No big screen TVs, no $1000 phones, no huge SUV to pick up food from a food bank. I often worked late on Christmas Eve and then came home to cook dinner too. Then the next day I got up and cooked Christmas dinner and cleaned up. Maybe you could help the family with some of the holiday work so you could feel less grumpy.
That is a really swell idea, Mr. Eddy. I expect you are right and my heart will grow three sizes. I feel the spirit of the season already coming back.
Wait, there are $1000 phones? That just seems insaner than most.
I’d work all night to avoid sitting across a table from the cowardly Grudznick.
As you know from experience, Bob, if you actually had to work all night I’d eat your cheeseburger too, just like before.
Certainly grdz the cute, and Kristi’s staff have read here about this Crow Creek/Job Corps individual who “decided to apply for acceptance into college at the Institute of American Indian Arts [IAIA] in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The distance between IAIA and home would be 857 miles—this thought gave me anxiety. In the end, I decided I had to give it a try.”
https://blog.nativehope.org/an-education-journey-and-the-need-to-go-further
Grdz and Kristi will only go back to killing with their words and actions, like he says here: No more “funny money printed on the back of gum wrappers. Stop pounding cash down a rathole. Stop doling out money. The people who want to work will get money. Stop giving free money to people” whose land you have benefited from every day of your miserable, miserly Republican ideologue life. Paint with too broad a brush? You say these things EVERY day here.
She said “I share South Dakotans’ frustration about the amount of time that has taken….” Really? When playing with your flame thrower? When legislating that George Soros is a threat? When derisively labeling Democrats as socialists, like McCarthy went after Communists? When? You belong with Trump the criminal.
What do you know of ratholes, really, both of you? Join the human race. And STFU.
MFI. just how is it we will sort out the needy from the greedy? I stand with with the compassionate and the honorable and those are becoming a rare breed.
You have to feel sorry for grudz, he can’t help it. Wish him a happy holidays.
Thank you, Mr. Anderson. A jovial celebration to you, too, on this fine Festivus.
You’d better watch those luminaries tommorrow night Grudz, they can be wicked.
No matter how big, the bribe is what it is. and as much as i would like an extra 2k to buy some groceries for the hungry, the the price is too high, the apprentice LOSER chose’s to sell us out in exchange for a few pieces of silver and a fleeting moment of notoriety, which is is his hallmark and his despicable legacy.
An interesting take from September on Trump autogolpe-coup in the making. (Like an antelope perhaps?) You would think as POTUS he and the GOP would not have time for such horseplay. During a pandemic.
Kristi is witless.
https://artprofiler.com/donald-trump-vs-the-people-xii-amendment-autogolpe/
Personally, I could use about $10,000 just to get caught up for this unforgettable horrible year. I lost $5,000 in income from my 2 part time, low paying, and no benefit jobs. Then $2000 for the use of my Visa card for supplies, food, etc that I can not get in town thanks to the Trump tariffs. Can’t do my once a month trip to Aberdeen so have to pay for shipping and Covid fees instead. And since this town is the end of the world for truckers, we get the last of the fruits and veggies that look like discards and are over priced. For that, I want another $1000 because canned and frozen have exceeded their price range. Really? $6 for a small bag of frozen raspberries that were $3 less a year ago. $2 for a can of mandarin oranges. I haven’t had an edible avocado for months and I’m pissed.
Never before in my life have I had to pay into the IRS in April. However, since the Republican oligarchs passed the 1% tax scam, I’ve not received a refund. Instead, 2018, I owed and in 2019 I handed my $1200 stimulus check over to the them. For 2020, I’ll need about $2000 because I’m convinced it’ll go up again even though I made less money. Did I mention that Trump payed way less than me and I’m just a simple, humble, retired teacher? For that, I’m also pissed.
I need about $10,000 for the year. Of course we all know that people are disproportionally affected by the pandemic. So for those of you that haven’t suffered any fall back or don’t agree with a stimulus check, send it back or give it to a charity, food bank, or even someone who has suffered. Why do Republicans act as if the taxes EVERYONE pays belong just to them? Thousands are way worse off than me in SD alone and for that, I’m extremely pissed.
No amount of money in the world can replace our relatives, friends, former students, and fellow South Dakotans. For this, I’m sickened.
Some of you might not be able to understand loss, but surely, you can understand love. Have some compassion for those in need.
The $1000 per month Freedom Dividend for every adult. You read and saw it first in the primary campaign.
“Either I am going to win or other candidates are going to sound like me.” – Andrew Yang
It’d be so nice for these low intelligence democrats to use proper grammar. Someone, somewhere should help these knuckle draggers.