Tag Archives: Joe Biden

January 13, 2017 Open Thread

Vice President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (link)

The Justice Department Inspector General is opening an investigation into the Justice Department and the FBI’s handling of the Clinton Email Server case. Hopefully, FBI Director James Comey will catch some major shit. (link)

The Crimes of SEAL Team 6. It’s an hour-long read but well worth it. (link)

All sorts of hearings are going on in DC regarding Trump’s cabinet picks. Just read the Washington Post. (link)

Vice President Joe Biden says that Trump is playing into Putin’s hands. (link)

Rosie O’Donnell could be going crazy. (link)

Enjoying the unseasonably warm weather in Delaware yesterday.

A photo posted by #WilmToday (@wilmtoday) on

The eerie similarities between Donald Trump and Christine O’Donnell

O’Donnell was an anti-establishment candidate who ran to show that “career politicians and the establishment don’t own our country.” Thanks to the media coverage of her bizarre statements, O’Donnell’s name was much more recognizable in Delaware than her opponent. And as far as I can tell, Donald Trump isn’t a witch, either.

Read the full essay on Newsworks.org

Hillary raising money in Joe Biden country

With all the media chatter about e-mails and Benghazi, it’d be a good time for Hillary to come to Rehoboth Beach to relax and raise some money for her campaign.  Unfortunately, Hillary’s not expected to attend the fundraiser on Joe Biden’s turf. Probably the wise choice, considering some pundits still seem to think the VP might make a surprise entrance into the race and take out the limping front runner.

Listen, as a cartoonist, I would love nothing more than for Biden to enter the race. But despite reports of pow-wows in South Carolina (where the idea of Biden as a one-term president could unite Washington), there is no way he’s entering this race unless Hillary drops out.

Continue reading at Newsworks.org

Cannonball! Should Biden disrupt the 2016 election?

Joe Biden Hillary Clinton 2016 Tornoe cartoon

To quote Ron Burgandy, “That escalated quickly.”

Over the course of one weekend, Joe Biden went from lovable Onion character just trying to wash his Trans Am in the White House driveway to giant cartoon grand piano ready to crush an unsuspecting Hillary Clinton.

But should he run?

Continue reading at Newsworks.org

Joe Biden Shows How To Speak About The Ray Rice Abuse/Assault

I love Joe!

Here are his comments regarding the Ray Rice “incident” or – as it’s known when it happens outside of a relationship – assault.

It’s never, never, never the woman’s fault. No man has a right to raise a hand to a woman. No means no. […] The one regret I have is we call it domestic violence as if it’s a domesticated cat. It is the most vicious form of violence there is, because not only the physical scars are left, the psychological scars that are left. This whole culture for so long has put the onus on the woman. What were you wearing? What did you say? What did you do to provoke? That is never the appropriate question.

And…

The next challenge is making sure, ironically, we get college presidents and colleges to understand that they have a responsibility for the safety of women on their campus. They have a responsibility to do what we know from great experience works. Bringing the experts. Provide people, give the young woman the support that she needs. Psychological support. the medical support, and if need be, the legal support. Societal changes taking place. It takes time. But I really believe it’s taking root, and we have an obligation to just keep pushing it.

This is how it’s done, people!  Really, it’s not difficult.  Go Joe!

Not Being Registered to Vote Is Malarkey

Literally Malarkey. So says the folks from MotivationalBiden.com (it’s a Facebook page) to remind people that today is National Voter Registration Day. Most of the folks who read this are registered to vote, but it is worth it to ask around your family and friends to make sure that folks are signed up to participate in their Government. You can check here for the status of your registration. Click here to go to the State’s Department of Elections to sign up.

Tell them Joe Biden sent you.

ps. And do LIKE Motivational Biden on Facebook. It is hilarious — starting with the fact that it advertises itself as a Health/Wellness site.

An Emerging Working Congressional Coalition?

I think it’s possible, perhaps probable. I also think it’s the most overlooked byproduct of the ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations.

I also think this means that President Obama has more leverage in upcoming fiscal negotiations than many progressives are willing to admit or have yet come to realize.

Allow me to explain.

Here is the roll call on the House vote to accept the Senate’s fiscal cliff bill. 170 Democrats voted yes. Several of the 16 no votes were from D’s who objected to some of the compromises on marginal tax rates. In other words, we’re not talking Blue Dog Dems here.

24 R’s from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania voted yes. 11 more R’s from from midwest heartland states Michigan and Ohio voted yes. 7 more from Illinois.

The R’s from New Jersey and New York are outraged that R house leadership did not allow a vote on the Senate bill providing aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy. They blame the leadership of their caucus. If I’m President Obama, I demand that the new Congress sends him legislation providing relief to states and victims of Sandy post-haste. My point is that, while these legislators are not necessarily ‘gettable’ on every issue, they are likely to be far more amenable to working across party lines than any tea party types. The Obama/Christie working relationship continues to bear fruit.

We haven’t even gotten to the composition of the new congress yet. Two more D’s in the Senate, and nine more D’s in the House. A total of 200 D house members, give or take a vacancy here and there. 200 plus…18 equals a majority. Plus, we now have precedent for breaking the so-called ‘Hastert Rule’, which required a majority of House R’s to approve a bill before it could even go to the floor.

President Obama and Joe Biden had to craft this fiscal cliff deal with the congressional cards they were dealt. I’m very pleased with what they were able to get out of the deal.

Guess what? As of January 3, the odds will have improved, markedly in my opinion, in their favor and our favor.

Giving Thanks for Delaware’s Politicans

People are thankful for many different things by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. Some are thankful for their health. Others are happy they have close friends and a loving family.

I’m thankful for politicians.

Seriously, without those do-nothing bureaucrats wasting taxpayer money, I would have to remove the “political” from my political cartoons. Suddenly, what passed as biting satire about the relevant issues of the day would quickly become an illustrated guide to your Facebook feed.

Continue reading at Newsworks.org…

There Were Some BFD Statements Last Night

Lost in all the in depth pundit discussion of body language and water consumption is the fact that Paul Ryan made some very interesting statements last night.

1.  About those tax loopholes Romney will close…

MS. RADDATZ: Can you declare anything off-limits—MS. RADDATZ: Can you declare anything off limits? Home mortgages deductions—
REP. RYAN: Yeah. We’re saying close loopholes on high-interest people—MS. RADDATZ: Home mortgage deductions—REP. RYAN:—for higher-income people. Here—VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Can you guarantee that no one—
REP. RYAN: This taxes—VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:—making less than $100,000 will have a mortgage—
REP. RYAN: This—VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN:—their mortgage deduction impacted? Guarantee?
REP. RYAN: This taxes a million small businesses.
He keeps trying to make you think that it’s just some movie star or hedge fund guy or an actor—

Um, okay.  So… Ryan won’t take the mortgage deduction for those making less $100,000 off the table?  Because… it’s on the table?  That’s news.

2. How about Social Security

MS. RADDATZ: You were one of the few lawmakers to stand with President Bush when he was seeking to partially privatize Social Security.
REP. RYAN: For younger people. What we said then and what I’ve always agreed is let younger Americans have a voluntary choice of making their money work faster for them within the Social Security system.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: You saw how well that worked.
REP. RYAN: That’s not what Mitt Romney’s proposing. What we’re saying is no changes for anybody 55 and above.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: What Mitt Romney is proposing—REP. RYAN: And then the kinds of the changes we’re talking about for younger people like myself is don’t increase the benefits for wealthy people as fast as everybody else—VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Martha—REP. RYAN:—slowly raise the retirement age over time.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Martha—REP. RYAN: It wouldn’t get to the age of 70 until the year 2103, according to the actuaries.
Now, here’s the issue.
MS. RADDATZ: Quickly, Vice President.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Quickly, the bottom line here is that all the studies show that if we went with Social Security proposal made by Mitt Romney, if you’re 40—in your 40s now, you will pay $2,600 a year—you get $2,600 a year less in Social Security. If you’re in your 20s now, you get $4,700 a year less. The idea of changing—and change being, in this case, to cut the benefits for people without taking other action you could do to make it work—is absolutely the wrong way.

Really?  We’re back to privatizing Social Security.  That’s news.

3.  And given all the Romney abortion flip-flopping/lying of this week, Paul Ryan tells us…

MS. RADDATZ: I want to go back to the abortion question here. If the Romney-Ryan ticket is elected, should those who believe that abortion should remain legal be worried?

REP. RYAN: We don’t think that unelected judges should make this decision; that people, through their elected representatives and reaching a consensus in society through the democratic process, should make this determination.

Bye bye, Roe v Wade.  Wanna bet if Team Romney gets the chance to appoint Supreme Court Justices that they’ll suddenly be fine with unelected judges making this decision.  Ryan was, and unlike his running mate has always been, very clear on the abortion issue, and since I haven’t heard the Romney campaign quietly walk this back (as is their habit once the TV cameras go off), then I’ll assume this is where they stand – overturning Roe v Wade.  That’s news.

So once the press moves beyond the chuckling and water drinking, perhaps they could discuss these BFD statements.

It’s Not a Flip-Flop If You Get It Right

Cross-posted from Newsworks

What is the definition of a flip-flopper?

It’s interesting to explore the origin of the term. Famed New York Times columnist William Safire wrote about a U.S. politician in the late 19th century who was refereed to as “the Florida flopper” by an opponent. Safire noted that the “fl” sound appearing twice is an indication of ridicule, which is why “flip-flop” rolls off politicians’ tongues so nicely.

Safire also noted that the doubling of the sound worked well in other two-word phrases used to disparage someone, including “wishy-washy” and “higgledy-piggledy”.

Ironically, those are all words I would have used to describe President Obama’s over-calculated and highly-political stand on Gay Marriage prior to this week. Obama, who once came out in support of gay marriage before deciding to run for the U.S. Senate, had let politics get in the way of his personal beliefs, even as society’s acceptance of same-sex unions has changed drastically.

Continue reading…