Was the elect a dead guy thing supposed to be funny? Political violence is nipping at our heels in the US, this is not a “poor country” problem. It’s heartbreaking.

@3 " I do not see any other Democrat who is more qualified."

That's simply because you don't want to see.

@3 "I do not understand his low poll numbers, Biden really has done an impressive job as President."

Maybe because he says things like "our Republican friends." They are not friends. They are enemies of the state.

Maybe because he refuses to name and shame the people trying to destroy our social safety nets.

Maybe because he is still delusional enough to think these people can be reasoned with and worked with.

Maybe because centrist Democrats, for some reason, reuse to actually campaign on the things they've accomplished. Instead they run from the accomplishments because come election time, they are scared of alienating conservatives who would never vote for them anyway.

So let's watch as the country keeps sliding further and further right with the centrists in control. Domestic terrorism. Book banning. Trans oppression. Whitewashing history. Any day now the centrists will save us.

gotta say I haven't been Overwhelmed
by Smokin' Joe but last night he
musta found some Steroids
coming out Swinging:

"to curb credit card late fees, airline price gouging, overdraft service fees," and "to boost domestic manufacturing, cap insulin at $35, add a minimum tax on billionaires, quadruple the tax on stock buybacks and pass a bill to prevent 'junk fees' and hidden surcharges, like surprise hotel resort fees."

pretty fucking Progressive
I'd call it. he's setting
the Stage for 2024

if he continues to
be as Vigorous
& Progressive
he'll Likely
fucking
Win.

@6: So you prefer extremists to save us?
@2: I don't think Nathalie meant "dead" (Ecuadorian mayor) as funny, but as "unusual".

Re: the monkey snatcher. I'm curious about the details of the "cruelty" allegations. It sounds like he was keeping the animals in an enclosed space and not taking great care of them, which is obviously bad. But humanity's paternalistic sensibilities towards all other living creatures also leads to great cruelty, even if it has the best of intentions (I say with a cat in my lap, though I don't think that releasing them into a human-dominated world would be particularly kind, so I try to do my best to understand what they need and want).

@3 I certainly like the way Biden has acted better than the past administrations I have paid attention to. In particular, I think that his administration has done a good job of balancing the need to oppose Russia's war of aggression but avoid adding so much fuel that the war turns the other way. If either side gains military dominance in Ukraine, the world will lose. But letting Russia keep the territory it seized is just begging for WWIII.

When it comes to matters that are more properly attributed to the legislature, which seems to be what most people judge the President on, I will admit that we have made more progress in this session than I expected going in, but I also worry that the progress follows a pattern of prioritizing certain kinds of progress over others. For example, the ability to make economic investments (infrastructure bill) but the inability to address social issues (George Floyd Justice in Policing Act). I won't decry the progress that we are able to make, but it worries me when we see progress in any area as "things are moving in the right direction", and ignore the imbalanced way in which we progress.

@6 I don't think it's accurate to say they are enemies of the state, they are happy to increase state power by supporting those who are in control of informal power structures. I think it's more accurate to say that they are enemies of the populace (along with many Democrats).

It's a miracle those psychopathic, lying, treasonous Republinazis haven't murdered Biden and succeeded in overthrowing democracy and carrying out their national murder-suicide.

It's only their own stupidity, insanity, and incompetence that's saved us.

Thanks, Merrique Garlandtoinette: "Let them eat endless investigations!"

Really loved the way the President handled the opposition last night. Who comes out looking wiser after that circus of disrespect – disrespect even for the tradition? Some of those people don’t know the difference between a State of the Union address and Saturday night at the barn dance.

Oh, and all that Republican shaking of heads when the President brought up something that had clearly been advocated by them previously? Like they were saying, “What the fuck are you talking about?” That must have been the agreed upon strategy at the last Republican weekend get-together at Hilton Head. Can I get another plastic spoon for this caviar, and please make sure my $125 8-ounce Wagyu steak is blood rare or I'll speak to the manager, and see those guys at the next table in suits? They'll be picking up the tab.

I have pretty strong opinions about zoos. Yeah, they are way cheaper that a photo safari, and it provides a chance for kids and adults to see animals they wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. And some zoos' breeding programs may have saved a species or two. Still, I don’t know how good it is, generally speaking, for the animals. Sort of falls into that Animals as Entertainment category. Perhaps they are going the way of Sea World and the like. It was once thought to be great fun watching dolphins jump through hoops of fire or watching Orcas play the xylophone. Now, I think, most people see that as sad for the animals (or at least I hope they do). Zoos, too.

That said, looks like we have another candidate for Uncle Bauhaus’s Magical Electric Spa. Namely, Davion Irving. Don’t worry. He’ll have a great time. We have many soothing conducting gels and quite an assortment of flavored bite sticks. Hard to say at this point, but first impression points to taking him to the sippy-cup stage. C’mon down, Davion. We have lots and lots of chain-link fences for you to cut through.

@9 -- "@6: So you prefer
extremists to save us?"

you mean like Insurrectionists
book burners LGBTQ Haters
or the M4A terrorists?

I had to click through on the Aurora forklift story to see where it happened (apparently around 96th).

Once when I was walking down Aurora I saw a forklift operator at Dunn Lumber (at 93th) use a break in the traffic to drive in reverse in the bus lane from their north exit to their south door (about half a block) while carrying lumber. It was an impressive bit of maneuvering, but still made me nervous.

Dark Brandon trapped the GOP into publicly retreating from agreeing they would not touch Medicare or Social Security. Whooops.

Of course their base cult of blathering dumbfucks won’t remember this nor understand it. There is no low low enough for the GOP Death Cult. But supposed independents (also dumbfucks) might.

I never thought I’d say it but Biden is a great president. But he should not run again. He’s way too old and 2024 is going to require a massive youth turnout. We know this because the GOP is literally floating bills to raise voting age they are so freaked out with how badly Roe V Wade tucked them out of the under 40 demographic. So democrats have to get someone younger. I don’t know who that someone is. Biden simply cannot carry it. It will be a miracle if he lives through another campaign. That shit is just way too brutal on someone his age. And for god sake do not let Bernie run again.

You will not the ONLY thing De Santos and the Republicans can run on is culture war bullshit. It’s all they got. And Americas corporate elite do not give a shit about that stuff. This is why with the Russian oligarch spigot mostly turned off, in order to raise the money they need, they will have to eventually let the cat out of the bag and admit (well dog whistle) they are going to rape social security to get those Wall Street donations. And Biden and democrats only need to get them to NOT pledge to protect entitlements for seniors. Once those ads hit of every lunatic GOP candidate refusing to say if they protect old people a big enough chunk of that demo will go democratic.

It will again be a nail biter in 2024. But with Trump set to go at any other GOP candidate’s throat and thus the GOP establishment then willing to allow prosecution of him move forward as a threat the GOP infighting could for the first time give Democrats an edge if they get an even marginally good younger candidate.

But. You know. The Democrats have a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. So.

@16 "“I promised to be the president for all Americans.”

That is a platitude. It is a meaningless empty phrase. Saying words makes him qualified?

He doesn't have to promise to be the president for all Americans. He is the president for all Americans. And for some bizarre reason he still thinks he can win over the people who don't acknowledge this. Many of whom are actual threats to the country.

Please do not include sports news in this roundup. The Stranger is supposed to be a safe space for nerds and queers, not some lowbrow jock rag.

@11,

They don't cheer for other groups to unionize. They support unionization efforts when and where they exist. Learn the difference, you stupid, stupid fuck.

@22,

They cheer employee Group A because employee group A collectively deemed the terms of their employment contract to be subpar, hence the unionization effort. And they're critical of efforts that fail when reports of efforts to bust and subvert those legally protected organizing efforts come to light.

And because I forgot to mention this in my last comment, you're an idiot.

I absolutely think Biden should hang it up, having presided over a dysfunctional country and system as well as could have possibly been expected given all of the constraints he and his administration were saddled with. That said, it doesn't appear that's a possibility and the first primaries are already less than a year away.

Tangentially related, but presidential terms are too freaking short.

@23 I don't why I bother since you are Inca[able of admitting when you are wrong but all you have to do is look at the last midterms and the fucking 2020 election.

But for anyone else capable of understanding facts, data and trends:

"Youth Vote Helps Dilute Red Wave To Pink Tint"
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/11/10/youth-vote-helps-dilute-red-wave-into-pink-tint/?sh=45ddd4ae2cce

Midterm exit polls show that young voters drove Democratic resistance to the ‘red wave’
https://www.brookings.edu/research/midterm-exit-polls-show-that-young-voters-drove-democratic-resistance-to-the-red-wave/

"Near record-high numbers of young people voted during the midterms, signaling a possible shift – or exception – in voting trends"
https://theconversation.com/near-record-high-numbers-of-young-people-voted-during-the-midterms-signaling-a-possible-shift-or-exception-in-voting-trends-194957

"According to data collected by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, 50 percent of young people aged 18 to 29 voted in the 2020 presidential election, marking an 11-point increase from 2016. The election’s youth turnout rate is “likely one of the highest rates of youth electoral participation since the voting age was lowered to 18.” Furthermore, many of these young voters are progressive and have shown a pattern of voting for Democrats. The statistics compiled by Tufts University further estimated that 27 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 cast ballots in midterm elections and that 63 percent of them voted for Democrats in elections for the House of Representatives. Political analysts reported that young people were attracted to the Democratic party generally because of its positions on issues they consider crucial, including abortion, climate change, and gun rights.

Data compiled after this year’s midterm elections reveal that Democrats in swing states were among the biggest beneficiaries of the strong turnout of young voters. For example, in the highly contested Pennsylvania Senate midterm race, where Republican Mehmet Oz ran against Democrat John Fetterman, Fetterman defeated Oz by just over four percentage points. The victory has been partly accredited to youth voters in the state, with Tufts University finding that 70 percent of youth voters turned out for Fetterman—a historically high percentage. "

https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2022/12/will-the-youth-vote-decide-the-2024-presidential-election/

The youth vote and young voter enthusiasm is crucial for a democratic win. And polls conclusively show that young people are fed up with old politicians. End of story. This is not a debate, Trollflake.

" is ineffective at stopping the spread "

"Stopping." Once again giving yourself away as a total dumbfuck. This framing no matter how many times you deliver it is still a straw man for morons such as yourself.

There is no vaccine to stop brain tumors. But I still think you should go get an MRI to see if you have them because, man oh man, are stupid as fuck. Like, you are impaired.

There is no evidence that almost any vaccine "stops" the spread of any infectious respiratory disease 100%. That is not vaccines are for. It's not what they do. And you would know that you colossal stupid fucking troll if you got out of your basement and understood basic biology.

They reduce the RATE of infection. And the covid19 vaccine has clearly done that. Th covid19 vaccines were always mostly targeted to reduced infaction rates and prevent hospitalization and death. And that they do.

So. The end of the municipal mandates: What happened was the new vaccines being released are now are no longer free and subsidized by the federal government. Tax payer healthcare is going to be on the hook for millions to buy vaccines for every single firefighter, city worker and cop if there is a mandate.

So they are hoping, by making it voluntary, they can reduce that load. AND because so many firefighters and police took early retirement or fucking died of Covid19 before the vaccines came out during the pandemic that everyone is short staffed; so they are now forced to dip into the stagnant waters of the dumbfuck MAGA pool for staff.

Again. COVID was again the leading cause of death among U.S. law enforcement in 2021.
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/12/1072411820/law-enforcement-deaths-2021-covid

Why do you hate the police so much?

@26: "Tangentially related, but presidential terms are too freaking short."

Except the one from 2017 to 2021, right?

I am so sick of the members of Congress behaving like toddlers. The only thing they understand is money. Fine them. Take away their pay. Take away their perks. Take away their lobbying money, their crony capitalist bullshit, their insider stock trading, and their never ending terms.

MJT should have been forcibly removed from the room last night and fined. She's out there whining about how her life sucks as a member of Congress and she's so poor now? FUCK HER. Fuck all of them. They have nothing to offer and do nothing but lie and stir up shit and dismantle and destroy everything that has been built. Take away all financial incentive to remain a member of the federal government when said member refuses to do their job and behave like an adult. Screaming and yelling at the president and behaving like a child to get attention because you and your colleagues are nothing but skin bags full of shit with nothing to offer to anyone in any way is not acceptable. Why are we accepting this? Why are these assholes, guilty of sedition (at the very least, more likely guilty of treason) allowed to stomp around behaving like preschool bullies?

Take away everything every time they misbehave. Take everything away from them the moment they no longer are a member of Congress. Two term limits, with the condition that if you don't do anything in your first term, you can't run for a second term. No begging for cash. No billions of dollars to get elected. Either do the work or get the fuck out. And if you cannot control your behavior, are incapable of adhering to a code of ethics, commit crimes in the name of destroying the country you took an oath to uphold, YOUR ASS SHOULD GO TO PRISON. We need a Guantanamo for domestic terrorists and most of them are currently sitting members of Congress.

@10 - The problem with your (and Joe's so far) Ukraine strategy is that it's a recipe for bleeding the Ukrainians white and ensuring an eventual Putin victory. There are 3.5 times more Russians than Ukrainians, and Putin has already stated he will continue to throw bodies at this war for as long as it takes to win and no matter how many deaths Russia suffers. Half a million casualties and 5 years? He's down for it, and anyone who thinks he's really not are just fooling themselves.

Providing Ukraine with just enough weapons to hold off Putin without winning means Putin eventually wins. Ukraine cannot win a drawn-out war of attrition against an enemy who vastly outnumbers them and doesn't give a shit about casualties. They cannot do that in the long term.

Asking them to do that is asking them to burn through their military aged men until they cannot sustain it anymore and then lose to Putin anyway. So, either provide them the arms and munitions they need to actually win or tell them the spigot is turned off and they need to negotiate away a good chunk of their country and cross their fingers that Putin doesn't simply use the time after to rebuild his forces and try for the rest of their country again at some point down the road. Those are the only two options we have...if we want to spare Ukraine a generation of their young men.

NATO and Biden are so far choosing the unsustainable middle path.

On a more general note, I would say MTG is the lowest of the lowest trailer trash, but that would be being cruel and insulting to the lowest of the lowest trailer trash.

@29,

Nah. Terms are terms and I'd much prefer us establishing a standard applicable to all who hold the office, regardless of the ugly nature of any such term. Of course, if we're thinking in terms of systemic fixes, we could also ditch the EC and move to a far more democratic popular vote mandate, which would render your point moot.

@28- I think it’s equally likely that Redmond (and other places) has decided that the forms of Covid that are now circulating are not the dire threat that the virus was a couple of years ago. This is not an unreasonable position (and I defy you to find anyone who was more supportive of vaccine mandates than I was).

Because of that, the balance of equities tips somewhat less in favor of a requirement.

Having said that, unvaccinated people are still dying and you are still a moron if you refuse to get vaccinated. But your stupidity is less of a threat to others than it was earlier in the pandemic.

Dark Brandon broke Twitter today and Elon's code blew up.

So sad. Putin must be sad too.

@35.1 - Why is there such a quest to expect absolutes and routines when it comes to virology? Yes, everyone thought the vaccine would prevent transmission more than it actually does, but the undeniable fact that it prevents severe disease does not negate its need -- including mandates when/where warranted.

Cheap Trump ho Marjorie Taylor Greene is way overdue for a rabies shot in the butt.

@30 xina for the WIN!!! +1 BRAVO! Nailed it. I have nothing more to add.

@24 and @35 PhallusImpudicus:...said the typically clueless unvaccinated MAGAt with his head stuck up his 50-going-on-10-year-old butt. Dude, put down the bong and get serious help. Did you just move in with raindrop, or fall and hit your head on a rock? Your leaving the comment threads to the adults in the room, and seeking immediate medical assistance is what would be moving in the right direction.

You can also wear masks and wash your hands.

But don't tweet about it, Elon can't even handle the load during the SuperBowl

@4 SwampThing: I share your concerns.

@7 kristofarian: Smokin' Joe is infinitely better fit to govern at 83 than any RepubliKKKan, that's for damned sure.

@39: But also logic and common sense most emphatically suggest that mandates are needed to keep ERs and morgues from overflowing in hard hit locations during high-infection periods of time.

"I don't think I've met a single person who contracted polio or measles after being vaccinated."

Well your anecdotes certainly prove it then!

Oh wait?
"Why Polio, Once Nearly Eradicated, Is Rebounding"
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-02/why-polio-once-nearly-eradicated-is-rebounding-quicktake

"Measles Outbreak Risk Is Rising as Vaccination Rates Drop, CDC Says"
https://www.everydayhealth.com/measles/measles-outbreak-risk-rising-as-vaccination-rates-drop-cdc-says/

Shit is still happening because of herd immunity compromise.

Breakthrough infection with measles and polio are pretty rare because they don't mutate like Covid19. But they do happen. And regardless it takes collective herd immunity to lower infection rates of a virus regardless of how well vaccines work on the individual level as a prophylactic.

Eventually herd immunity happened. But it was MANDATES that made that happen, wasn't it? Right? You fucking idiots squeal about his comparing different vaccination efforts but don't understand it was the MANDATES that made them work.

The measles and polio vaccines are treating very different diseases from Covid19 and on very different time frames. Herd immunity not only takes a very long time it works differently for different diseases. Particualry with a virus that mutates very quickly like corona viruses do.

For instance three years out from the first measles vaccination efforts there were still massive outbreaks of measles, you stupendous dumbfuck. The vaccines first came out in 1963. It took GENERATIONS to eradicate. And it's coming back thanks to total brain dead blood farts like you. Vaccination efforts began again with the improved vaccine in 1968. And people like you back then were saying the same stupid shit. "These vaccines don't work! Look there are still measles! It didn't 'stop' measles!"

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html

"In 1978, CDC set a goal to eliminate measles from the United States by 1982. Although this goal was not met, widespread use of measles vaccine drastically reduced the disease rates. By 1981, the number of reported measles cases was 80% less compared with the previous year. However, a 1989 measles outbreaks among vaccinated school-aged children prompted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) to recommend a second dose of MMR vaccine for all children. Following widespread implementation of this recommendation and improvements in first-dose MMR vaccine coverage, reported measles cases declined even more.

Measles was declared eliminated (absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months) from the United States in 2000. "

So measles was not "stopped" until 2000! a full whopping 37 years after vaccination efforts began! And now they are coming back. Thanks to you antivaxers.

But you after three scant years are saying "these vaccines don't work" is not only a fucking lie but suicidal.

The fact that the Covid vaccine doesn’t totally prevent infection in no way means it’s not helpful to individuals and critical to public health. As others have pointed out, it greatly reduces one’s chance of winding up in the hospital or a pine box, and reduces the stress on the public health system.

I’d greatly prefer that, if I ever need to go in for something other than Covid, that I don’t have to trip over half-dead vaccine deniers clogging up the system. I’d also note that there was a good bit of overlap between Covid vaccine deniers and those who said that it was their God-given right not to have that commie health insurance that Obama made available. So not only do we have to wait to be treated while the nurses are busy putting their fool asses on ventilators, the rest of us get to pay for their care.

Look-you’ve got a right to play Russian Roulette, too, so long as you don’t talk anyone else into playing. But I will consider you an idiot for doing so. Same for being willfully unvaccinated.

Yes the vaccine do reduce the rate of spread. You stupid fuck. We’ve proven this to you a dozen times. And I’m not going to post the same fucking cites and studies for dozenth time only for you to pull this stupid gas lighting bullshit you pull every fucking day. You are wrong. You have no credibility here. Nobody listens to you.

You’ve had your account deleted for spreading this disinformation three times already. I guess it’s time again.

@48,

He's had his account(s) deleted far more than three times. Like, literally 10X that many. He's had easily 30 or 40 profiles dating back to the widely mocked facts2supportURpoint, and george in georgetown before that. He sent in this comically ridiculous letter to the editor way back when.

https://www.thestranger.com/blogs/2015/05/29/22301818/this-is-the-most-ridiculous-letter-to-the-editor-weve-received-all-day

He used to get deleted all the time for trolling about guns. He'd make some point, have it refuted with links proving he was incorrect, reply, be proven incorrect again on a couple other points, then eventually circle back to his original point, which had already been disproven. Same as he does with nonsense relating to vaccines and unionization efforts. He's a piece of shit and you're absolutely right that we should continue to report him for banning, even if he'll just continue to create new profiles ad nauseam.

It's more sad than it is funny, but it's also pretty funny.

@50 so report these fuckers already. Enough of this bullshit. If his weird mental illness compulsion forces him to make new identities and sock puppets every week, so be it. But these atnivax trolls need to go every single time they pop up. They get people killed.

None of those studies say what you claim.

Meta analysis that INCLUDED the above studies from August 2022
"The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in reducing the incidence, hospitalization, and mortality from COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis"

"Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis indicated that vaccination against COVID-19 with BNT162b2 mRNA, mRNA-1273, and ChAdOx1, and also their combination, was associated with a favorable effectiveness against SARS-CoV2 incidence rate, hospitalization, and mortality rate in the first and second doses in different populations. We suggest that to prevent the severe form of the disease in the future, and, in particular, in the coming epidemic picks, vaccination could be the best strategy to prevent the severe form of the disease."

"New research suggests COVID-19 vaccines can slow the spread of disease, even with Omicron"
https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/new-research-proves-covid-19-vaccines-can-slow-spread-disease-even-omicron

"Vaccines Need Not Completely Stop COVID Transmission to Curb the Pandemic"
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccines-need-not-completely-stop-covid-transmission-to-curb-the-pandemic1/

Not to mention that fully preventing transmission was required for the vaccines when they were developed. Nobody ever said it was. Only that it would reduce the RATE of infection. This magical prevention thin is only the straw man claimed by antivaxers.

"Fact Check-Preventing transmission never required for COVID vaccines’ initial approval; Pfizer vax did reduce transmission of early variants"
https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-pfizer-vaccine-transmission/fact-check-preventing-transmission-never-required-for-covid-vaccines-initial-approval-pfizer-vax-did-reduce-transmission-of-early-variants-idUSL1N31F20E

For the non-morons out there who are wondering. Why vaccines, even vaccines like the covid19 vaccine, help reduce transmission is simple: Vaccinated people clear infection faster than unvaccinated persons. They recover faster, remain symptomatic for shorter duration and in that simple process come into to contact with fewer people while infected. It's fucking simple. It's just god damned simple math.

But it's fucking irrelevant to why we need continued vaccination. It's UNVACCINATED populations that provide the greatest and fasted reservoir for variant development. The more people vaccinated the longer it takes for variants and the more time we have to develop new vaccines to deal with them.

Of course as a greater share of people get vaccinated the more breakthroughs you see because the larger proportion of humans to infect are vaccinated. That is also math. But the RATE is lower. The death rate is lower. And the hospitalization rate is lower.

And first responder mandates make perfect sense because if another variant develops we need a many first responders as possible not getting sick and dying. Not to mention the savings to tax payers for fewer (or dead) sick public health workers.

Again it took 37 years to get measles cases to almost eradicated levels. 37 fucking years of mandates. It only came back because of anti-taxers.

And suddenly not even THREE YEARS into a vaccination effort — that isn't even a mandate — and the death cultists dumbfucks are all "It doesn't work!"

All they can do is fear monger, distort and misrepresent data they do not understand.

Correction: "Not to mention that fully preventing transmission was NOT required for the vaccines when they were developed."

@53 - thank you. You have (yet again) amply demonstrated the "benefit to the herd" that 56 etc. is jonesing for.

Agreed, Nathalie. That there is still a razor thin chance of nationwide bans on abortion makes me want to vomit, too. I feel particularly sick for all women and girls younger than I am---particularly women and girls aged 15-45 in their reproductive years, and little girls from birth to adolescence. What kind of healthy choices and decisions on body autonomy will they be able to make in the future?

And speaking of all that is nauseous...

OH, that hideous mouth on Marjorie Taylor Greene! She looks like she could suck a Russian torpedo, and after it exploded and blew her batshit brains to the moon there would still be enough lip left to cram in more senseless ammo.