[juner]

And now I am being attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech

Poor guy, I can't believe this is happening. Just a joke, bro. Stop being so triggered.

[Roundy]

And now I am being attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech

Poor guy, I can't believe this is happening. Just a joke, bro. Stop being so triggered.

Maybe he doesn't understand that attacking someone verbally over utilizing freedom of speech is itself utilizing freedom of speech. But given what he's famous for the intricacies of democracy are probably a bit murky for him.

[crutonius]

I doubt that Jill was embarrassed by Joe's response so much as she was by the guy saying the dumb phrase to begin with, but there's really no way to say for sure. In related news, Jared Schmeck is now making his tentative first steps towards a right-wing media/MAGA career:

https://www.rawstory.com/jared-schmeck-stolen-election/

Depending on how he plays this, we may see him at CPAC in the coming months and years, or maybe even in Congress. Because these are the kind of people that the GOP promotes nowadays.

Yep.  If Trump isn't running then I think we're looking at a Rittenhouse/Schmeck 2024 ticket.

They'll be running on very important policies.  Like... umm... I don't know.  Crank calls and defending dumpsters.

[stack]

I doubt that Jill was embarrassed by Joe's response so much as she was by the guy saying the dumb phrase to begin with, but there's really no way to say for sure. In related news, Jared Schmeck is now making his tentative first steps towards a right-wing media/MAGA career:

https://www.rawstory.com/jared-schmeck-stolen-election/

Depending on how he plays this, we may see him at CPAC in the coming months and years, or maybe even in Congress. Because these are the kind of people that the GOP promotes nowadays.

Yep.  If Trump isn't running then I think we're looking at a Rittenhouse/Schmeck 2024 ticket.

They'll be running on very important policies.  Like... umm... I don't know.  Crank calls and defending dumpsters.

They will probably also get that MAGA hat kid with the face most likely to be punched to be secretary of state.

[Tumeni]

Actually Biden continues to be a deeply unpopular president. Your claim that people have changed their opinion on him since September is what needs evidence, rather than assumed.

What do you actually WANT your President to do?

Can you name, say, half a dozen bullet points?

[juner]

They will probably also get that MAGA hat kid with the face most likely to be punched to be secretary of state.

That kid is already a millionaire from all of the defamation settlements, probably the same thing Rittenhouse will get. Poor Jared is going to be relegated to a gofundme if he is lucky and won't get a spot on the team.

[stack]

They will probably also get that MAGA hat kid with the face most likely to be punched to be secretary of state.

That kid is already a millionaire from all of the defamation settlements, probably the same thing Rittenhouse will get. Poor Jared is going to be relegated to a gofundme if he is lucky and won't get a spot on the team.

So true.

[honk]

That kid is already a millionaire from all of the defamation settlements

Some lawyers have convincingly argued that his lawsuit was almost certainly settled for a relatively tiny sum:

https://lawandcrime.com/media/some-lawyers-think-covington-catholics-nick-sandmann-walked-away-from-media-lawsuits-with-peanuts/

[juner]

That kid is already a millionaire from all of the defamation settlements

Some lawyers have convincingly argued that his lawsuit was almost certainly settled for a relatively tiny sum:

https://lawandcrime.com/media/some-lawyers-think-covington-catholics-nick-sandmann-walked-away-from-media-lawsuits-with-peanuts/

Well he settled another one like a week ago, so those nuisance fees are adding up.

[Tom Bishop]

Looks like Biden surrendered to the Coronavirus.

[Rama Set]

Looks like Biden surrendered to the Coronavirus.

When you have a bunch of dumbfucks like DeSantis in charge there is nothing Biden could do. It’s also hard to anticipate how radically illogical and anti-science the GOP has is.

[Iceman]

That’s pretty shite leadership if he’s saying that, even if efforts at the federal level have been hampered by state politicians.

[Rama Set]

That’s pretty shite leadership if he’s saying that, even if efforts at the federal level have been hampered by state politicians.

True enough. It would have been better if he called the GOP on their BS and said that his efforts are being impeded by them.

[Lord Dave]

Know what Biden should try to push through? 
A law allowing insurance companies to not cover any covid care for unvaccinated people (who could be vaccinated).

Not require them to not cover it but allowing them the option and watch the free market bankrupt any conservatives who survive.
Hospital visits would be a death sentence one way or another.

Mwahabhahahahaha! 

[stack]

I think it's complicated. We didn't really have a "Federal" solution under Trump. Then Biden runs on a campaign to provide a "Federal" solution. As Rama pointed out, it's hard to have a Federal solution when the States are all over the place. So Biden, on a call to the "States" says, You guys need to fix this, we can't because of you guys...

A change in course, for sure. But every course has changed. Delta smacked us silly and Omicron will be a transmissibility war. The States, take DeSantis as an example, have been defying Feds, clamoring for decision making in their own fiefdoms. One would think the GOP Govs would reward this notion. It's what a lot have been begging for all along. States rights, baby! That's a GOP mantra.

[honk]

The quote is being presented somewhat out of context:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/12/27/remarks-by-president-biden-at-covid-19-response-teams-regular-call-with-the-national-governors-association/

It wasn't great phrasing on his part, not least because of the right-wing media gleefully seizing upon it for use as a sound bite, but he's not literally just saying that he has nothing and it's the states' problem now. He was encouraging governors to do everything they could to control the pandemic in their respective states and promised to back them up with the resources of the federal government. This was far from a message of surrender or apathy.

[stack]

Honk, you're spot on. As always, whether right or left, the media teases out a political figure's quote and runs with it. And then someone turns it into a meme, smears it all over social media so that it tantalizes people like Tom.

Here's a portion of the transcript. Biden is responding to the Gov of Arkansas who specifically mentions the Federal efforts being employed as well as what his State is doing and what his State would want to do:

Arkansas Governor: ...but we also as governors are getting pressure to do more and the need is great to do more in terms of the rapid test and the availability of it and so one word of concern or encouragement for your team is that as the as you look towards federal solutions that will help alleviate the challenge make sure that we do not let federal solutions stand in the way of state solutions and the the production of 500 million rapid tests that will be distributed by the federal government is great but obviously that drives up the supply chain for the solutions that we might offer as governor and so just that a brief comment before i turn it over to you mr president but i want to say personally i've enjoyed working with you when i was in congress as head of the dea and i appreciate your leadership and thank you so much for giving us the time today to hear from us but also so that we can hear from you personally about the challenge that we face so uh mr president the microphone is here thank you president biden they said thank you very much."

Biden: Look there is no federal solution, this gets solved at a state level I'm looking at governor Sununu on the board. Here he talks about that a lot and it ultimately gets down to where the rubber meets the road and that's where the patient is in need of help or preventing the need for help.

Here's the full video of the Gov's call. The aforementioned part of the transcript starts at around 20:00.

[crutonius]

One big factor that I don't think we know yet is exactly how Lethal Omicron is. If it's substantially less deadly then it could almost be a good thing. Like cowpox running rampant through a smallpox outbreak.

[Iceman]

I think Honk is mostly right as well. It’s bad phrasing making it seem worse than it is and giving the entire right a free pass at crucifying him.

But it’s also his own doing, and not just a poor choice of once in one isolated instance. Yes it’s difficult to implement federal policies in the US when each state has so much independence to just railroad anything that comes along they don’t like. But Biden is supposed to be a leader - regardless of what he’s up against, he should be actively charting a path forward and championing that path. This reeks of a cop-out where he’s going to try to pin the blame on the red states when things spiral out of control next. As much blame as individual governors may have in this, it’s still not an excuse for Joe ‘the buck stops here’ Biden to just hedge his bets instead of taking action.

[Pete Svarrior]

The real poor choice of wording was the Democrats saying "vote for us and we'll get COVID under control". The fact that this was always impossible is not an excuse for them. On the contrary, it's something that should have informed voters' decisions in advance.

Alas, stupid voters are why America is in decline.