USCE 2024: Macklemore Is The New Michael Moore

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PhazonLink: Jul 17, 2010

Bellmaker posted:

This is a reskinned version of Dirty Harry which uhhhhhhhhhhhh sure fits CPAC!

wow the reskin is like objectively worse in so many ways.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 03:00

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# ? Jun 1, 2024 19:31

Zero_Grade: Mar 18, 2004; Darktider 🖤🌊

~Neck Angels~

Kammat posted:

The Republicans were so close to the end of their political breeding program, the perfect setup came in 2016 with McConnell holding them an SC seat open, but instead of their Kwisatz Haderach to usher in their golden age they got Trump. Oops.

It appears their Golden Path was inevitable one way or another.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 03:11

Rogue AI Goddess: May 10, 2012; I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees.
That was a joke... unless..?

Zero_Grade posted:

It appears their Golden Path was inevitable one way or another.

The pathtape is real.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 03:16

Automata 10 Pack: Jun 21, 2007; Ten games published by Automata, on one cassette

Byzantine posted:

Yeah, this is what an actual populist takeover of a party looks like. Very unfortunate that America is such a demonic country that the populace rallies around Donald loving Trump instead of Bernie, but them's the breaks.

populism both potentially threatens neoliberalism and scares the �homeowning, opportunity-seeking, educated and saving� class of americans, and the modern Republican Party, despite being for neoliberalism is built entirely on scaring the hoes

Automata 10 Pack fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Feb 23, 2024

# ? Feb 23, 2024 03:36

Relevant Tangent: Nov 18, 2016; Tangentially Relevant

Zwabu posted:

The big issue, such as it is, is that to voluntarily shed themselves of Trump and his brood, the GOP would have to be willing to eat a one hundred percent guaranteed big election loss, across the board. For at least one cycle, possibly more.

At every turn they have shown themselves completely unwilling to do that and would much rather take their chances with what a fascist dictator takeover of their party and the country would look like.

In recent cycles they have been eating the losses anyway even going with Trump but when they finally ditch him they are guaranteed at least one massive blowout loss, not the usual narrow ones.

They've got the Courts indefinitely, if they had brains they'd rip the bandaid off asap
lucky for us they're sticking it out I think

# ? Feb 23, 2024 04:20

Gyges: Aug 4, 2004; NOW NO ONE
RECOGNIZE HULK

Kammat posted:

The Republicans were so close to the end of their political breeding program, the perfect setup came in 2016 with McConnell holding them an SC seat open, but instead of their Kwisatz Haderach to usher in their golden age they got Trump. Oops.

JEB was the culmination of the plan and Trump is Alia controlled by the baron. The question is, which of the 2012 Not-Romneys was the unexpected appearance of the Kwisatz Haderach?

# ? Feb 23, 2024 04:36

Senate Cum Dump: Dec 18, 2023; IN THIS VERY ROOM:

~Sonia Sotomayor had her confirmation hearing

~James Comey testified on Russian interference in the 2016 elections

~Aidan got some thick German sausage & a Jager sauce finish

Joe Biden is Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, brutally oppressing the indigenous peoples of the desert to maintain his wealthy empire ruled from the polluted hellscape of Giedi Prime where the common people are cruelly exploited. Also, a rapist.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? Feb 23, 2024 06:49

RBA Starblade: Apr 28, 2008; Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Senate Cum Dump posted:

Joe Biden is Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, brutally oppressing the indigenous peoples of the desert to maintain his wealthy empire ruled from the polluted hellscape of Giedi Prime where the common people are cruelly exploited. Also, a rapist.

Beast Rabban did most of the brutal oppressing really

# ? Feb 23, 2024 07:07

Senate Cum Dump: Dec 18, 2023; IN THIS VERY ROOM:

~Sonia Sotomayor had her confirmation hearing

~James Comey testified on Russian interference in the 2016 elections

~Aidan got some thick German sausage & a Jager sauce finish

RBA Starblade posted:

Beast Rabban did most of the brutal oppressing really

Sure, if you want to stretch the analogy even further, Netanyahu is Beast Rabban.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 07:31

Steely Dad: Jul 29, 2006

Is Don Jr going to cover himself in trout?

# ? Feb 23, 2024 07:59

Gyges: Aug 4, 2004; NOW NO ONE
RECOGNIZE HULK

Is that what they're calling cocaine nowadays?

# ? Feb 23, 2024 08:17

Ms Adequate: Oct 30, 2011; Baby even when I'm dead and gone
You will always be my only one, my only one
When the night is calling
No matter who I become
You will always be my only one, my only one, my only one
When the night is calling

Gyges posted:

Is that what they're calling cocaine nowadays?

No, it's what they're calling the spice melange

# ? Feb 23, 2024 10:40

Cheesus: Oct 17, 2002; Let us retract the foreskin of ignorance and apply the wirebrush of enlightenment.; Yam Slacker

Steely Dad posted:

Is Don Jr going to cover himself in trout?

Maud'dib's first son was killed, so Eric becomes the worm king tyrant.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 11:35

Rust Martialis: May 8, 2007; Can't post for 3 hours!

Gyges posted:

JEB was the culmination of the plan and Trump is Alia controlled by the baron. The question is, which of the 2012 Not-Romneys was the unexpected appearance of the Kwisatz Haderach?

# ? Feb 23, 2024 14:42

TheDisreputableDog: Oct 13, 2005

Trump should have been a woman and paired with Jeb to birth the perfect Republican: Barron Bush

# ? Feb 23, 2024 15:34

haveblue: Aug 15, 2005; Toilet Rascal

The true corruption of the worst repeat offender in the Biden Crime Family runs deeper than we ever knew

quote:

Commander Biden, President Joe Biden�s family dog, bit US Secret Service personnel in at least 24 incidents at the White House and other locations, according to new internal USSS documents obtained by CNN.

That number does not include additional incidents CNN has previously reported involving executive residence staff and other White House workers. But the new documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, reveal the extent to which the situation had become a serious workplace issue for the hundreds of staff supporting White House operations, and how agency personnel changed their habits to avoid being injured by the German shepherd.

�The recent dog bites have challenged us to adjust our operational tactics when Commander is present � please give lots of room,� an unnamed assistant special agent in charge of USSS� Presidential Protective Division wrote to their team in a June 2023 email, warning that agents �must be creative to ensure our own personal safety.�

That warning came months before the dog was removed from the White House, with multiple biting incidents taking place in the interim.

At this point we gotta start wondering if that dog knows something we don't

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:16

World Famous W: May 25, 2007; BAAAAAAAAAAAA

christ, you'd think the president would have enough money to hire someone to properly train and raise a dog if they couldn't themselves

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:24

Morrow: Oct 31, 2010

Honestly I trust the dog.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:25

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

I'm sure the answer is a much less interesting "Secret Service agents are just who is around the dog the most," but still pretty wild that one dog has so many bite incidents, but it is 100% Secret Service agents and the other dog is 96% Secret Service agents.

Do those dogs have an phobia of earpieces?

World Famous W posted:

christ, you'd think the president would have enough money to hire someone to properly train and raise a dog if they couldn't themselves

They did hire one for the dog who temporarily moved out of the White House. ~~Not sure if Major has one or not.~~ Edit: This article is about Commander and not Major, so he does have one.

I'm suspicious that the White House cat is keeping such a low profile. When a cat disappears for that long, nothing good is going to happen.

Leon Trotsky 2012 fucked around with this message at 16:41 on Feb 23, 2024

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:35

Mooseontheloose: May 13, 2003

haveblue posted:

The true corruption of the worst repeat offender in the Biden Crime Family runs deeper than we ever knew

At this point we gotta start wondering if that dog knows something we don't

This is what CNN is focusing on? Real hard hitting journalism there.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:38

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Mooseontheloose posted:

This is what CNN is focusing on? Real hard hitting journalism there.

CNN puts out about 60 articles per day from dozens of reporters. Some of them are fluff or silly. I don't think they were recalling their foreign correspondents to come watch the dog.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:39

haveblue: Aug 15, 2005; Toilet Rascal

If I had to be posted in DC anyway watching the First Dog would be a pretty plum assignment tbh

As long as I don't look like a Secret Service agent

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:43

Dapper_Swindler: Feb 14, 2012; Im glad my instant dislike in you has been validated again and again.

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

CNN puts out about 60 articles per day from dozens of reporters. Some of them are fluff or silly. I don't think they were recalling their foreign correspondents to come watch the dog.

yeah, most of CNN is about biden and nalvaney aftermath and sanctions. a couple on the IVF stuff. some on gaza, mostly random stuff because friday.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:43

Dapper_Swindler: Feb 14, 2012; Im glad my instant dislike in you has been validated again and again.

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

I'm sure the answer is a much less interesting "Secret Service agents are just who is around the dog the most," but still pretty wild that one dog has so many bite incidents, but it is 100% Secret Service agents and the other dog is 96% Secret Service agents.

Do those dogs have an phobia of earpieces?

They did hire one for the dog who temporarily moved out of the White House. ~~Not sure if Major has one or not.~~ Edit: This article is about Commander and not Major, so he does have one.

I'm suspicious that the White House cat is keeping such a low profile. When a cat disappears for that long, nothing good is going to happen.

It might be a german shepard thing and that i believe they are both ex military/adoptions. German shepards are great with Family group but are kinda skittish around strangers. My gfs dog is like that though way worse trained and also not a shepard.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:47

Paracaidas: Sep 24, 2016; Consistently Tedious!

Why Four Million Student Borrowers Got Debt Relief

quote:

Basic competence in government makes too few headlines. But to four million Americans, it was exactly what they needed to escape a lifetime of financial burdens. Any president could have done it, but Joe Biden actually got it done.

On Wednesday, Biden spoke at a Culver City, California, library about how the new round of student debt relief, which brings total loan forgiveness during his presidency to $137.8 billion for 3.9 million borrowers, came together. In his remarks, Biden noted that he tried to enact a $430 billion mass cancellation program for tens of millions of borrowers in 2022. �But my MAGA Republican friends in the Congress, elected officials, and special interests stepped in and sued us. And the Supreme Court blocked it,� Biden explained. �That didn�t stop me. I announced we were going to pursue alternative paths for student debt relief for as many borrowers as possible.�

This line in particular was met with derision, as conservatives fulminated about �Nixonian� processes to defy legal rulings and boost public benefits in an election year. They wrongly assume that these cancellations were undertaken in direct response to the Supreme Court. To be fair, Biden is confusing the issue himself, by failing to explain clearly the truth of the matter: His Education Department is just doing its job.

None of the programs used to cancel student debt are newly created by the Biden administration. Biden�s Education Department simply fixed existing programs that weren�t working to give borrowers relief that they deserved. These are borrowers who were defrauded, became disabled, or signed up for a repayment program that guaranteed debt relief, under long-standing U.S. laws and federal rulemaking. These people saw those promises of help broken for decades, increasing their anger until the political system finally acted.

The fact that the low-hanging fruit of student debt forgiveness adds up to hundreds of billions of dollars highlights how broken the system was before, and how absurd this system of higher-education financing and the numbers thrown around in conjunction with it still is.

THE DEBT RELIEF INITIATED UNDER the Biden administration falls into five buckets. First, the Education Department has forgiven $22.5 billion to 1.3 million borrowers who saw their schools close, or who were promised a useful diploma for obtaining employment that proved to be worthless. An example of this is the wholesale forgiveness of $5.8 billion for students who attended for-profit Corinthian Colleges, a now-bankrupt institution that has been found guilty of misrepresentation and predatory lending on multiple occasions.

Forgiving loans to student borrowers whose colleges defraud them, or when their schools close, is a requirement under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Previous administrations worked actively to delay or outright deny these requests, including the Obama and Trump administrations. The latter, under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, tried to shortchange defrauded students explicitly with only partial relief.

Even today, conservatives are attempting to block this fully legal imperative. The right-wing Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals put on hold the administration�s latest regulations for borrower defense and closed school discharges. But earlier regulations put in place have not been challenged and are still active, and the Education Department continues to work through borrower discharge applications using those rules.

The next batch of forgiveness is $11.7 billion for 513,000 borrowers who became �totally and permanently disabled� after taking out student loans. The Total and Permanent Disability Discharge program has been in place since 1965, but many disabled borrowers had no idea they were eligible, and borrowers had to affirmatively apply. Biden�s Education Department put together a data match with the Social Security Administration so that debt relief could be enacted automatically. Using a 1965 law more efficiently so people with a disability who cannot work are not on the hook for student loans they cannot pay is hardly some Nixonian plot to skirt the law.

About $56.7 billion in debt relief has gone to 793,400 borrowers who signed up for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Initiated by Congress and signed by George W. Bush in 2007, this repayment program allows borrowers who go to work for government organizations or agencies (including teachers or public defenders paid for by the state) or nonprofit organizations to get their loans forgiven after making ten years of on-time monthly payments.

This was supposed to be implemented in 2017, when the first batch of borrowers completed ten years of payments. But during the Trump administration, only 7,000 individuals total ever received forgiveness, as the program was marred by servicer errors and reluctance from DeVos�s
Education Department. (Trump budgets and Republican-sponsored legislation would have eliminated PSLF entirely.) The Biden administration has increased the pace more than 100-fold, though there are probably several hundred thousand more borrowers who fulfilled their obligations under PSLF, a congressionally authorized program in place for 17 years that has not been challenged, but haven�t yet seen relief.

Another 930,500 borrowers have received $45.7 billion in debt forgiveness simply by getting what they were entitled to under a separate repayment program known as income-driven repayment (IDR). Under the old terms of that program, which started with a pilot program in 1992, after 20 to 25 years of repayment (depending on the loan), outstanding debt was supposed to be forgiven. But once again, borrowers experienced administrative failures and servicer errors. The Biden Education Department fixed this, and got this cohort of nearly one million borrowers debt forgiveness.

Finally, we have this week�s announcement, the only one that relates to a program Biden at least had a hand in. Last year, the administration revised the three-decade-old income-driven repayment program, naming their version Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE). Biden�s version is far more generous than past iterations (so much so that Republicans in Congress have tried to repeal it), but what�s important is that borrowers who initially borrowed $12,000 or less only have to pay in for ten years rather than 20 to get forgiveness. What was announced is that 153,000 borrowers who meet this standard and have already paid for ten years will have their balances automatically forgiven, for a total of $1.2 billion. The White House accomplished this six months ahead of schedule.

SO THE REASON THAT 3.9 MILLION borrowers have received loan forgiveness is that the government stopped breaking promises made to them. Whatever your views on the student loan program, the fact is that when the government outlines steps people can take to get a benefit, they should probably honor it. Amazingly, Biden�s was the first administration, really, to actually follow through.

Now, Biden is also trying to institute a Plan B to deliver broader debt cancellation after the Supreme Court blocked his first attempt. He is using something called the negotiated rulemaking process to set out the terms by which, again under the Higher Education Act of 1965, student borrowers can receive debt relief.

Last week, the Education Department released a revised proposal for this debt cancellation program. It could include borrowers who owe more than they originally borrowed, students of poorly accredited colleges, and most recently borrowers experiencing financial hardship, defined as those with �unreasonable� payments relative to income, those with high expenses for child care or health care, or those with other debt obligations that compound the inability to pay. (Student debt is often a factor in financial hardship, according to economic and legal surveys.)

This could sum out to millions of Americans being eligible for debt relief. And it will likely be subject to another right-wing lawsuit from those who don�t want to see mass cancellation. But none of that would roll back the $138 billion of debt relief already obtained from simply making programs work.

It�s incredible that such an enormous sum was withheld from student borrowers for so long. It�s an indictment of presidents over the past half-century that their administrations allowed this higher-education finance bubble to balloon and then refused to honor the programs they themselves set up to lighten the burden. And it reflects well on Biden that he has reversed that, not to mention the student debt activists who tirelessly pushed for this to happen.

That said, while the Federal Reserve estimates that outstanding student loan debt has actually fallen from its overall peak over the past year, federal student loan debt has gone up by more than $300 billion during the Biden presidency. The program itself continues to envelop students in debt that they cannot afford, leading to a lead weight on young people starting their lives and on the broader economy.

The robust SAVE program, with its lower monthly payments and generous debt forgiveness, might offer a path to fixing that. But that just means that the numbers thrown around about student debt are creative fictions, and, in many senses, the government is simply subsidizing higher education. I�d argue that they should as part of a larger new approach that would demand that colleges lower tuition costs, remove administrative bloat, and direct budgetary resources to actually teaching kids. That way, the government gets good value and students get a good education, both of which will pay off for the country.

Fairly well summarized. Since before inauguration with with Day 1 Agenda, Dayen's had the prospect all over this kind of poo poo and it's been tremendously enlightening (and moderately infuriating). "What, specifically, I can implement immediately even with a divided Congress" needs to be a baseline requirement for future Dem primaries.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:47

TheDeadlyShoe: Feb 14, 2014

Paracaidas posted:

Why Four Million Student Borrowers Got Debt Relief

Fairly well summarized. Since before inauguration with with Day 1 Agenda, Dayen's had the prospect all over this kind of poo poo and it's been tremendously enlightening (and moderately infuriating). "What, specifically, I can implement immediately even with a divided Congress" needs to be a baseline requirement for future Dem primaries.

The NYT, as always, here to make sure everyone is informed.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:50

Dapper_Swindler: Feb 14, 2012; Im glad my instant dislike in you has been validated again and again.

Paracaidas posted:

Why Four Million Student Borrowers Got Debt Relief

Fairly well summarized. Since before inauguration with with Day 1 Agenda, Dayen's had the prospect all over this kind of poo poo and it's been tremendously enlightening (and moderately infuriating). "What, specifically, I can implement immediately even with a divided Congress" needs to be a baseline requirement for future Dem primaries.

i think part of the problem with that is it will be met with(and somewhat justifably) reaction of "incrimentalism" and etc.

TheDeadlyShoe posted:

The NYT, as always, here to make sure everyone is informed.

stuff like that doesnt help either.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 16:52

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

This election has been frustratingly light on actual policy proposals from any candidates. However, Biden is reportedly finally going to introduce some of his 2024 campaign platform at the State of Union address.

In addition to the platform information, Politico reports that Biden is planning to devote a large portion of his State of the Union address to grocery prices and "shrinkflation" this year. Additionally, he will announce support for new legislation regulating "shrinkflation" and price increases as part of his 2024 campaign.

He has asked his team to come up with additional policies they can propose, but they have only settled on a few so far because there is not much he can do executively.

So far, the policies they will announce/support are:

- The FTC challenging a merger between the Kroger and Albertsons grocery store chains.

The FTC will likely announce this next week.

- Requiring companies report their price increases and data justifying them to the SEC during "times of crisis."

Examples would include a pandemic, national/global shortage, or severe economic conditions.

- Looking into a way to require companies to advertise on their packaging that they have shrunk the unit size of their product, but maintained or raised the price, for a certain period of time after they do so.

- Endorse "The Price Gouging Prevention Act"

Specifics of the legislation here:

quote:

Prohibit price gouging at the federal level � anytime and anywhere. The proposed bill would clarify that price gouging is an unfair and deceptive practice under the FTC Act. It would allow the FTC and state attorneys general to stop sellers from charging a grossly excessive price, regardless of where the price gouging occurs in a supply chain or distribution network.

Create an affirmative defense for small businesses acting in good faith. Small and local businesses sometimes must raise prices in response to crisis-driven increases in their costs because they have little negotiating power with their price-gouging suppliers. This affirmative defense protects small businesses earning less than $100 million from unjustified litigation if they show legitimate cost increases.

Target dominant companies that have exploited the pandemic to boost profits. The bill would create a rebuttable presumption of price gouging against firms that exercise unfair leverage and companies that brag about increasing prices during periods of inflation.

Require public companies to clearly disclose costs and pricing strategies. During periods of exceptional market shock, the bill requires public companies to transparently disclose and explain changes in their cost of goods sold, gross margins, and pricing strategies in their quarterly SEC filings.

Provide additional funding to the FTC. The bill appropriates $1 billion in funding to the FTC to carry out its work.

- Make shrinkflation and corporate greed, including calling out specific companies, a focus during his public speeches in the hope that it will pressure companies to slow price increases or lower prices.

That is all they have settled on so far and most of it won't have any immediate impact because it is likely to be dead in the legislature and the options for executive action are limited. They plan to have other policies implemented or announced during the election, but no information about what those potential policies would be.

https://twitter.com/meredithllee/status/1761049989604590043

quote:

Biden planning to hit food �shrinkflation,� corporate greed in SOTU

President Joe Biden is weighing how hard to hammer big food companies over painfully high grocery prices in his upcoming State of the Union Address. But some some aides remain wary of focusing too much on food inflation, given how little power the president has to singlehandedly force down prices.

Biden embraced the concept of �shrinkflation� in a Super Bowl message targeting major snack food corporations � as the president framed it, there are now �fewer chips� in your bag, while companies are �still charging you just as much.�

President Joe Biden is weighing how hard to hammer big food companies over painfully high grocery prices in his upcoming State of the Union Address. But some some aides remain wary of focusing too much on food inflation, given how little power the president has to singlehandedly force down prices.

Biden embraced the concept of �shrinkflation� in a Super Bowl message targeting major snack food corporations � as the president framed it, there are now �fewer chips� in your bag, while companies are �still charging you just as much.�

And the White House has been aggressively testing out the messaging on the airwaves and in internal polling ahead of Biden�s speech, according to two White House officials familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to speak on the issue and were granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations. Recent polling circulated within the White House has been favorable to Biden�s push to blast what he�s described on the campaign trail as �corporate greed� driving higher prices across a range of sectors.

The most recent drafts of Biden�s State of the Union address have included a reference to shrinkflation as part of a broader segment on administration efforts to pressure companies to lower costs across the board, a third White House official said, though the speech is not yet finalized and could still change.

�It�s about framing this for the American people,� said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Biden�s open frustration with tactics like shrinkflation, the official added, �speaks to what they feel in a way that�s useful for us both in terms of messaging and making sure they understand that the president sees what�s going on.�

The White House in recent weeks has sought new ways to neutralize concerns over grocery costs, a major factor dragging down voters� otherwise improving views of the economy. Officials are keen to push back on the GOP emphasis on high food prices, and Biden has personally taken issue with the practice of shrinkflation � though some officials still question how much attention the president should devote to food inflation, specifically.

Biden has periodically assailed corporations for driving up consumer prices throughout his term as a way to redirect voter anger over costs and reinforce his populist credentials. The president targeted oil companies over a surge in gas prices in 2022, and more recently has accused companies of �price gouging� for failing to lower prices even as they pull in larger profits.

Republicans are highly critical of those White House claims, arguing it�s Biden�s policies that are fueling inflation, not corporations jacking up prices. And even some Democratic economists remain skeptical about how much of the price increases can be pinned on so-called �greedflation.�

�Costs have gone up � wages are 20 percent higher than they were in 2019,� said Dean Baker, a senior economist at the progressive Center for Economic and Policy Research. �We�re not going to have a world where people get to keep their 20 percent pay increases and pay what they did four years ago for food.�

Biden, however, likes the �greedflation� and �shrinkflation� arguments, an interest sparked most recently conversations with Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) during a January trip to Allentown, Pennsylvania, according to three other people familiar with the matter, who were also granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. Biden and Casey have also discussed the topic on the phone several times, both before and after the Pennsylvania trip. The president sees the ideas as a relatable way to acknowledge and explain the lingering financial pressures on Americans, even as inflation is falling and prices for some food staples are moderating.

The White House declined to comment on the specifics of its planning for the State of the Union. But spokesperson Michael Kikukawa said in a statement that Biden �will continue to call out rip-offs such as shrinkflation, greedflation and price gouging, and for corporations to pass savings on to their customers.�

White House officials, backed by key progressive antitrust advocates, have argued major food companies, including big grocery chains, raised their prices during the pandemic, when supply chain snarls and other issues drove up input costs, but have yet to pass savings onto consumers now that costs are falling.

Food prices are primarily shaped by a wide array of external factors, including labor shortages, rising energy prices, Russia�s war in Ukraine and other global disruptions. That leaves the administration with little power beyond the bully pulpit to compel companies to cut their prices � and increasing pressure from that bully pulpit is now their focus.

Biden leaned into the message especially hard during an event with leaders of the powerful Culinary Union in Las Vegas earlier this month.

�We have the best economy in the world. Inflation is coming down,� Biden told the group. But some goods are �still too expensive,� the president continued, adding that he saw �a little bit of corporate greed going on, too, nationwide.�

And since his conversations with Casey last month, Biden has increasingly bashed corporations over �shrinkflation.�

Casey had published a �greedflation� report in December, detailing instances where companies sold smaller versions of their products for the same price.

Biden, who often presses aides to translate complicated concepts into plain language, ordered his senior aides to begin incorporating shrinkflation into its messaging soon thereafter, one of the White House officials said, and develop policy options cracking down on the practice. Since then, he�s peppered his speeches with shrinkflation references � at one point last month abruptly asking attendees at a dinner whether they�d �seen that article about the Snickers bars,� an apparent reference to a New York Times op-ed on shrinkflation.

Super Bowl Sunday, in turn, struck aides as a prime opportunity to spotlight the types of brands using smaller packaging to hide increases in their unit costs.

Biden has continued to zero in on the food industry in recent weeks, frustrated by stubbornly high grocery prices and their influence on voters� economic outlook. The urgency in the White House to directly address high grocery prices only increased after the latest inflation data showed a higher-than-expected rise in food inflation, which Republicans were quick to highlight.

But while the White House is studying potential policy options, Biden is not expected to take any immediate unilateral action. The administration is instead likely to support legislative efforts spearheaded by Casey, who along with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), has a bill to tackle price gouging and other tactics. Casey is also working on a forthcoming bill to specifically address shrinkflation, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Warren, Casey and Baldwin�s legislation is unlikely to garner GOP support to pass this Congress. But it would be a highly notable step for Biden to endorse such a legislative plan, since it would enact significant federal oversight into big companies� pricing strategies. The legislation would go as far as to require companies to explain large price increases to the SEC during major economic shocks like another pandemic.

Casey told POLITICO that corporations are �trying to pull the wool over our eyes� by shrinking their products without reducing prices. �Anyone on a tight budget sees it every time they go to grocery store,� he added.

Senior Biden aides in recent weeks have also closely studied a move by European grocery chain Carrefour to add labels to some products warning that their package size had shrunk even as their prices remained the same. But they�ve not yet settled on a way to replicate the consumer awareness tactic in the U.S.

Administration officials note that Biden has sought to ease the pain of higher grocery prices for the lowest-income Americans by expanding federal food benefits. But those initiatives do not directly lower retail food costs.

Biden�s war against price gouging and his eagerness to blast �corporate greed� is not new. Early on in his presidency, Biden waged a high-profile campaign against consolidation in the food sector amid crippling prices for meat and other grocery staples. Biden and White House officials under Brian Deese, his top economic adviser at the time, led a very public pressure campaign in particular against the four meatpacking companies that dominate the beef sector.

But large packaged food companies and grocers, for their part, have been blindsided by the new White House push and are scrambling to avoid what they say are efforts to scapegoat their industry ahead of the November elections. Food trade groups and lobbyists are scrambling to tamp down the rising pressure and have been working to especially head off any extra heat Biden is looking to focus on their industry during his State of the Union Address.

The Food Industry Association, a national trade association, cautioned earlier this month that the food retail sector still has �intense� competition and operates on a slim margin.

�In the context of food prices, it�s imperative that such discussions are grounded in reality rather than rhetoric,� said Andy Harig, the group�s vice president of tax, trade, sustainability and policy development, following the recent hotter-than-expected inflation report.

But Biden could have a well-timed reason to lean on grocery giants in particular during his address.

The Federal Trade Commission is widely expected to challenge a merger between grocery store chains Kroger and Albertsons as soon as next week, a decision Biden is likely to tout as a populist victory ahead of his State of the Union address.

Leon Trotsky 2012 fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Feb 23, 2024

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:10

Dapper_Swindler: Feb 14, 2012; Im glad my instant dislike in you has been validated again and again.

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

This election has been frustratingly light on actual policy proposals from any candidates. However, Biden is reportedly finally going to introduce some of his 2024 campaign platform at the State of Union address.

In addition to the platform information, Politico reports that Biden is planning to devote a large portion of his State of the Union address to grocery prices and "shrinkflation" this year. Additionally, he will announce support for new legislation regulating "shrinkflation" and price increases as part of his 2024 campaign.

He has asked his team to come up with additional policies they can propose, but they have only settled on a few so far because there is not much he can do executively.

So far, the policies they will announce/support are:

- The FTC challenging a merger between the Kroger and Albertsons grocery store chains.

The FTC will likely announce this next week.

- Requiring companies report their price increases and data justifying them to the SEC during "times of crisis."

Examples would include a pandemic, national/global shortage, or severe economic conditions.

- Looking into a way to require companies to advertise on their packaging that they have shrunk the unit size of their product, but maintained or raised the price, for a certain period of time after they do so.

- Endorse "The Price Gouging Prevention Act"

Specifics of the legislation here:

- Make shrinkflation and corporate greed, including calling out specific companies, a focus during his public speeches in the hope that it will pressure companies to slow price increases or lower prices.

That is all they have settled on so far and most of it won't have any immediate impact because it is likely to be dead in the legislature and the options for executive action are limited. They plan to have other policies implemented or announced during the election, but no information about what those potential policies would be.

https://twitter.com/meredithllee/status/1761049989604590043

I mean thats probably a good idea. its what alot of people care about. good on him actually focusing on it.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:23

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

I'm sure the answer is a much less interesting "Secret Service agents are just who is around the dog the most," but still pretty wild that one dog has so many bite incidents, but it is 100% Secret Service agents and the other dog is 96% Secret Service agents.

Do those dogs have an phobia of earpieces?

Probably has a phobia of bodyguards. It's not especially weird for a dog to be nervous about tall, tense men who are constantly scouring their owner's surroundings and staying very near to their owner's personal space.

Dapper_Swindler posted:

i think part of the problem with that is it will be met with(and somewhat justifably) reaction of "incrimentalism" and etc.

I think this is completely different from the incrementalism we saw under previous Dem presidents. Biden did try to do a much broader debt forgiveness first, but was stymied by the fact that neither Congress nor the Supreme Court were willing to cooperate. He's attacked the problem from a bunch of different angles, too, even after the Supreme Court struck it down once.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:24

Papercut: Aug 24, 2005

Main Paineframe posted:

Probably has a phobia of bodyguards. It's not especially weird for a dog to be nervous about tall, tense men who are constantly scouring their owner's surroundings and staying very near to their owner's personal space

Also a lot of dogs get nervous around people wearing sunglasses

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:27

FlamingLiberal: Jan 18, 2009; Would you like to play a game?

While I think those Biden proposals are all good, they need to run on Trump being a criminal. You don�t win elections on policy or Bernie would currently be in the WH.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:27

Dapper_Swindler: Feb 14, 2012; Im glad my instant dislike in you has been validated again and again.

Main Paineframe posted:

Probably has a phobia of bodyguards. It's not especially weird for a dog to be nervous about tall, tense men who are constantly scouring their owner's surroundings and staying very near to their owner's personal space.

I think this is completely different from the incrementalism we saw under previous Dem presidents. Biden did try to do a much broader debt forgiveness first, but was stymied by the fact that neither Congress nor the Supreme Court were willing to cooperate. He's attacked the problem from a bunch of different angles, too, even after the Supreme Court struck it down once.

oh i know. I just know arguments that are used.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:28

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Main Paineframe posted:

Probably has a phobia of bodyguards. It's not especially weird for a dog to be nervous about tall, tense men who are constantly scouring their owner's surroundings and staying very near to their owner's personal space.

Many of the reports say the incidents happened when Biden wasn't around, so probably not that.

Although, some of the reports are also pretty silly. One of them says an agent was concerned for their safety because "the dog ran up to him and emitted sustained barking shortly after he emerged from the door."

Yeah, dawg. Running and barking when you're outside and see a new person is a pretty normal dog thing.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:31

Dapper_Swindler: Feb 14, 2012; Im glad my instant dislike in you has been validated again and again.

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Many of the reports say the incidents happened when Biden wasn't around, so probably not that.

Although, some of the reports are also pretty silly. One of them says an agent was concerned for their safety because "the dog ran up to him and emitted sustained barking shortly after he emerged from the door."

Yeah, dawg. Running and barking when you're outside and see a new person is a pretty normal dog thing.

maybe he was a cat guy.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:33

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

FlamingLiberal posted:

While I think those Biden proposals are all good, they need to run on Trump being a criminal. You don�t win elections on policy or Bernie would currently be in the WH.

They are mostly just policies to show that they are "doing something" about it and shore up a weak spot.

The FTC blocking the merger will have the biggest impact on prices, but it is basically stopping a likely increase over several years and not something that will lower prices right now. It's good policy, but not going to change prices in the short-term. The other stuff is probably going to be dead in the legislature anyway. They may get a couple Republican votes here or there, but I can't see too many signing on to it - especially in the House.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:34

Sir Lemming: Jan 27, 2009; It's a piece of JUNK!

Dapper_Swindler posted:

I mean thats probably a good idea. its what alot of people care about. good on him actually focusing on it.

Pffft, he's just trying to buy our votes by attempting to address the thing everyone's constantly complaining about!

# ? Feb 23, 2024 17:36

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Trump just openly saying he is a Christian Nationalist now. He's also promising to make it illegal to deface crosses - no idea how he plans to do that with the first amendment still existing.

The bolded quotes are still wild to me and that anyone can take Trump seriously as a Christian Nationalist and "most religious President ever."

https://twitter.com/meridithmcgraw/status/1761021671668887654

quote:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) � Former President Donald Trump promised to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and even suggested he�d shield the faith�s central iconography, warning a convention of religious broadcasters on Thursday night that the left wants �to tear down crosses.�

�Remember, every communist regime throughout history has tried to stamp out the churches, just like every fascist regime has tried to co-opt them and control them,� Trump told hundreds of cheering attendees at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in Nashville. �And, in America, the radical left is trying to do both.�

�They want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags,� Trump added. �But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you.�

Trump�s comments reflect his embrace of Christian nationalism, a belief that is powerful among conservative evangelicals who say the founders of the U.S. intended the country to be a Christian nation. Some adherents believe the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God and that the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation, advocate Christian values or stop enforcing the separation of church and state.

Trump is favored in a Republican primary where the once crowded field has dwindled to just him and his former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley. The Christian media gathering, where sponsors distributed free red and white baseball caps emblazoned with �Make America Pray Again,� was exceedingly friendly territory for the former president, whose address often felt more like a rally than a staid convention speech.

�The left is trying to shame Christians,� Trump said. �They�re trying to shame us. I�m a very proud Christian.�

Trump brought the crowd to its feet repeatedly and frequently championed his record on abortion, including appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. But he notably didn�t mention the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has prompted providers there to pause in vitro fertilization after justices ruled that frozen embryos could be considered children under state law.

President Joe Biden �s reelection campaign released a blank statement on the matter late Thursday, ironically calling attention to Trump�s lack of reaction on the �Alabama IVF ruling he is responsible for.�

Instead, Trump used his speech to boast that he had used his first term to do �more to uphold religious freedom than any administration in history.�

�The enthusiasm for this election coming up in November is far greater than it was in 2016 or 2020,� he said. �Far greater, it�s not even a contest.�

Tennessee holds its primary on Super Tuesday, March 5, when many states around the country vote and could move Trump to the cusp of claiming the Republican nomination.

Some religious leaders were initially hesitant to get behind multi-divorcee Trump when he first ran for president in 2016, but now they are among his mostly solidly loyal �Make America Great Again� base.

That�s despite a personal history that has only gotten more checkered in recent years, including Trump being indicted in New York in connection with hush money payments made to a porn actress in an attempt to suppress an extramarital affair.

�When he came onto the scene, people were skeptical,� said Troy Miller, president and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters. �But I think, as they�ve learned more and listened to Donald Trump speak, the one thing I hear all the time from people ... is that they really feel like Donald Trump understands them and that�s the biggest connection that people make is, �This is a guy in politics who gets us, who understands us, who doesn�t talk like he�s an elitist and talk down to us.��

# ? Feb 23, 2024 18:09

Blue Footed Booby: Oct 4, 2006; got those happy feet

FlamingLiberal posted:

While I think those Biden proposals are all good, they need to run on Trump being a criminal. You don’t win elections on policy or Bernie would currently be in the WH.

You also don't win on just not being Trump. Otherwise, Trump never would have been president. Biden needs to do both.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 18:13

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# ? Jun 1, 2024 19:31

mawarannahr: May 21, 2019

Dapper_Swindler posted:

yeah, most of CNN is about biden and nalvaney aftermath and sanctions. a couple on the IVF stuff. some on gaza, mostly random stuff because friday.

No Navalny in the first 10,000 pixels.

# ? Feb 23, 2024 18:15

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