Purple and Black
Taking Independent and Unofficial Back

US elections ~ 2024

I rub my chin as I ponder which point I’d like to raise. We haven’t spoken about the bipartisan group of Senators who are crafting a bill to address border / immigration issues, right now. A short while ago, republicans had indicated willingness to fund aid to Ukraine (and Israel - which I put here in parentheses because the issue of funding Israel is fraught), if the immigration issue was addressed. However, now that a bipartisan bill has actually been crafted, the republicans in the House have done an ‘about-face’, stating that they will not vote for this bill because they want to use the immigration issue as a political weapon against the Democrats and Biden in the upcoming election. t—— owns the republicans in the House and he has told mike johnson (gop rep from Louisiana and the present Speaker) to bury this bill and so he will. Which situation brings me to the other issue I want to raise, explained in the following article by Robert Reich:

How Trump could win the presidency even if he loses the popular vote AND the Electoral College [Robert Reich;2.1.24]

The strategy involves bad faith actors in Congress re-enacting some of the tactics employed during the 2020 election but, this time, the gop controls the House and mike johnson is an election-denying, evangelical lackey to d j t——. Btw, Reich’s article draws on an article in the Washington Spectator. He links to it and I’ll put the link here, too.

Dancing in the Dark: Steps to Avoid a Constitutional Coup in the 2024 Election [The Washington Spectator;1.8.2024]

I find it fairly dense reading because it deals with minutiae in the Constitution that we alive today haven’t had to consider until this recent t—— era, a moment characterized by bad faith actors vigorously attacking our democracy. They have found weak points to exploit. To understand their plan requires delving into language in the Constitution, not an easy read.
 
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Below, I link to a 20-minute discussion among two military vets about what’s happening at the southern border. I thought of using the thread ‘On Immigration’ for this post but put it here because it’s an election-year issue. Topics covered that interested me: how red-state governors are pitting the state national guard against the federal government at the border. Two: calls for ‘armies of god’ to go armed to the border and the stoking of fanaticism. Three: the incident when federal agents wanted to help a mother with 2 young children trying to cross the Rio Grande (I assume that’s the “river” they refer to). The State of Texas said they couldn’t and so they watched as a young mother and her children drowned. Four: asylum seekers at the border and our under-funded system to deal with them, causing chaos. Five: former potus t—— putting pressure on Congress to perpetuate the border crisis as an election ploy. Six: republicans in Congress holding funding to Ukraine hostage to the border crisis and, at the same time, sabotaging efforts to address the border by inserting draconian measures into a bill which would end our long-time asylum policy. Seven: how t——‘s sabotage of the process conforms to a typical demagogue’s playbook: break the system and then claim that he alone can fix it. Eight: The observation that, every time an election approaches, there is a crisis at the border and why that might be.

FED UP Combat Vet BLASTS MAGA Governor’s Latest STUNT [Against All Enemies Podcast; 2.5.24]
 
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Here's the Morning Memo today from Talking Points Memo. There's a lot going on and, admittedly, I like the idea of typing out the title.

Republicans Are Flailing Like Never Before And It's Amazing To Behold [TPM;2.7.24]

Some of the highlights: the failed vote in the House to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; "the Ukraine aid-border bill package that Republicans insisted on for months then immediately abandoned is now in ruins"; the DC Circuit Court's immunity decision "struck a decisive blow against Trump's argument that the president is above the law".
 
barnswallow, I had to LOL when I read this article. I don't regard anyone involved in the entertainment industry as a "leader". Miss me with that mess, folks who aren't asleep know exactly what this is. What a joke. Biden must think black folks are monolithic, mindless lemmings that'll do the bidding of these Hollyweirdos. I wonder who'll the Democrats trot out....Puff Daddy? Oprah? Jay-Z? Cardi B? some pulpit-pimp preacher? You can't make this stuff up.

 
uPtoWnNY said:
barnswallow, I had to LOL when I read this article. I don't regard anyone involved in the entertainment industry as a "leader". Miss me with that mess, folks who aren't asleep know exactly what this is. What a joke. Biden must think black folks are monolithic, mindless lemmings that'll do the bidding of these Hollyweirdos. I wonder who'll the Democrats trot out....Puff Daddy? Oprah? Jay-Z? Cardi B? some pulpit-pimp preacher? You can't make this stuff up.

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Hmmmm. . . Yeah. Not exactly hiding the alarm about losing this important voting block. On a barely related thought and not meaning to descend to what-about-ism, from time-to-time I still have feelings of profound gratitude that the Prince estate quickly put the kibosh to t—-- playing Purple Rain at his rallies, way back when. Wasn’t he even prevented from going to Paisley Park when he was in Minneapolis? I don’t know how they got that done.
 
uPtoWnNY said:
Black Americans already know what the GOP is all about. There's not going to be a mass exodus to vote for party of Trump. But if even a small percentage of black voters decide to switch, go third party or stay home, the Democrats are cooked and they know it. According to the article below @ 73% of black voters have a favorable view of Biden. He has no chance of winning unless he gets 90+% of the black vote as he did in 2020.

www.newsweek.com

Black Voters are Abandoning the Democratic Party. Where Will They Go?

President Biden's struggle with keeping the support of Black voters is not his alone. The entire party is losing Black support—and for good reason.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com
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Same shit, same result
 
I really don't want Trump to get back in, it will be a grudge match and petty politics.

Then again Biden is proving day by day, he is way out of step and reality.

Its time on both of these old age fossils!
 
barnswallow said:
Hmmmm. . . Yeah. Not exactly hiding the alarm about losing this important voting block.
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Well, Biden has several months to regain that support, but IMO, I don't think he will. Younger black voters (and even some older ones like myself) aren't going for the "lesser of two evils", "vote blue no matter who" or the Trump fear mongering tactics. After nearly 60 years of being taken for granted, Black Americans want tangibles from the Dems (just like they give other groups) and not symbolic shit. Voting blue no matter who hasn't exactly worked out for us here in NYC (or Chicago) thanks to the open border policy. Did you hear about the migrants who attacked police officers here or the Times Square shooting involving a 15 year old migrant. Now we have migrant moped gangs robbing cell phones on the sidewalk. You would not believe how angry people are here, regardless of color. Even Mayor Adams chastised Biden for his immigration policies. Then the powers-that-be put an investigation on Adams' ass, and he's been quiet ever since.

barnswallow, I just hope we don't have one of those "long, hot summers" in the city, where the anger explodes.

 
uPtoWnNY said:
Well, Biden has several months to regain that support, but IMO, I don't think he will. Younger black voters (and even some older ones like myself) aren't going for the "lesser of two evils", "vote blue no matter who" or the Trump fear mongering tactics. After nearly 60 years of being taken for granted, Black Americans want tangibles from the Dems (just like they give other groups) and not symbolic shit. Voting blue no matter who hasn't exactly worked out for us here in NYC (or Chicago) thanks to the open border policy. Did you hear about the migrants who attacked police officers here or the Times Square shooting involving a 15 year old migrant. Now we have migrant moped gangs robbing cell phones on the sidewalk. You would not believe how angry people are here, regardless of color. Even Mayor Adams chastised Biden for his immigration policies. Then the powers-that-be put an investigation on Adams' ass, and he's been quiet ever since.

barnswallow, I just hope we don't have one of those "long, hot summers" in the city, where the anger explodes.

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I listened to the video. I covered two sides of an 8x11" sheet with tiny writing and almost ran out of space, so I could respond.

The first point I looked up, this is what I found:
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration's Historic Investments and Support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities [The White House;12.17.2021]

And, furthermore:
Biden's ambitious HBCU funding proposal challenged in Congress [Reuters; 10.18.2021]
Misleading posts on social media sites say that the Biden administration cut funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by billions of dollars. Congress is still negotiating the amount to be allocated to HBCUs in reconciliation efforts. Posts on social media are misleading in saying that funding cuts have already taken effect, as it is a proposal that is being negotiated in Congress.
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And, more recently,
Post Retreads False Claim About Biden's Funding for Historically Black Colleges [FactCheck.org; 8.1.2023]

Quick Take​

The Biden administration has awarded billions in funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including more than $2.7 billion provided in the American Rescue Plan. Yet a social media post revives an old, false claim that Biden revoked $250 million that then-President Donald Trump “pledged to give historical black colleges for the next 10 years.”
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I watched 4 dreadful years under t----, ending in an attempt to overturn our democracy so that his orange so-and-so self might stay put. I hope never to see him anywhere near the WH again.

I listened to the Phillip Scott video. Of course he's right: Black Americans have ample reason to decry the terrible treatment they've received, across centuries. I just don't know about the 'blame Biden' schtick, especially when the very first item I checked burst like a balloon after a one-minute search.
 
uPtoWnNY said:
Well, Biden has several months to regain that support, but IMO, I don't think he will. Younger black voters (and even some older ones like myself) aren't going for the "lesser of two evils", "vote blue no matter who" or the Trump fear mongering tactics. After nearly 60 years of being taken for granted, Black Americans want tangibles from the Dems (just like they give other groups) and not symbolic shit. Voting blue no matter who hasn't exactly worked out for us here in NYC (or Chicago) thanks to the open border policy. Did you hear about the migrants who attacked police officers here or the Times Square shooting involving a 15 year old migrant. Now we have migrant moped gangs robbing cell phones on the sidewalk. You would not believe how angry people are here, regardless of color. Even Mayor Adams chastised Biden for his immigration policies. Then the powers-that-be put an investigation on Adams' ass, and he's been quiet ever since.

barnswallow, I just hope we don't have one of those "long, hot summers" in the city, where the anger explodes.

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You keep saying "open border policy" like it is an actual thing. It isn't.
Please tell me EXACTLY what policies you would support to change this perceived issue.
As for migrant involvement in crime........mate gangs have been robbing folks on the sidewalk in Chicago and NYC for as long as they have existed and shootings? Really?
This is what i mean about the 1930's in Europe- your whole argument is based upon what the GOP tell you the problem is.....its fucking weak.

However we can engage, let's talk policy, what policies do you want enacted that will get your vote?
 
Republicans don't tell me shit, son. What the fuck makes you think I'd listen to a party that's been openly hostile to Black Americans for decades. I live and work in NYC and go by what my fucking eyes tell me, what family/friends tell me, and it's one big mess. Predominantly poor/working class black & hispanic neighborhoods bearing the brunt of this crisis. NY, Chicago, Philly, Detroit....citizens are saying the same thing - the needs of migrants are being prioritized over theirs. Blacks are the base of the Democratic Party, and there's a younger segment(at the grassroots level) that's fed up with the old, out-of-touch party establishment and decades of being taken for granted. They're angrier at Biden more than they fear Trump, which is why party leaders are running scared, asking black Hollywood shills and preachers to get the base in line. As I stated before, they can't win without the turnout Obama got and Biden in 2020. Anything less, and it's a wrap for the GOP (as Hillary Clinton found out).

I'm a registered Independent, not tied to any political party. What I want is something tangible....a hate-crime bill for Black Americans (just like Biden did for the Asian-American community), an end to "Sanctuary City" status here in NYC, and a serious reparations bill. Payment is long overdue. Shit, the U.S. paid money to folks of Japanese ancestry who were interned during World War II. The governor of NY, Kathy Hocul, secured millions for Holocaust victims and their heirs. The descendants of slavery/Jim Crow are still waiting for the "40 Acres and a Mule".
 
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Stephen A. actually said something I agree with (except the part about liking Mayor Adams, who despise);



I understand this brother's anger...I hear the same frustrations here in NY.

 
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uPtoWnNY said:
Stephen A. actually said something I agree with (except the part about liking Mayor Adams, who despise);



I understand this brother's anger...I hear the same frustrations here in NY.

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This is exactly what i said before - point at the bogeyman so people will say "what about me?"- it is the worst of humanity.
I have just been involved in a grant for a rural community to the tune of 55million dollars, we jokingly said " its less than the cost of one F-22 by a significant margin.
In this country we have enough money to kill folk while the normal folk are left to fight about this shit and BLAME IMMIGRATION.

Right out of the 1930's playbook and people are lapping it up.
 
uPtoWnNY said:
Republicans don't tell me shit, son. What the fuck makes you think I'd listen to a party that's been openly hostile to Black Americans for decades. I live and work in NYC and go by what my fucking eyes tell me, what family/friends tell me, and it's one big mess. Predominantly poor/working class black & hispanic neighborhoods bearing the brunt of this crisis. NY, Chicago, Philly, Detroit....citizens are saying the same thing - the needs of migrants are being prioritized over theirs. Blacks are the base of the Democratic Party, and there's a younger segment(at the grassroots level) that's fed up with the old, out-of-touch party establishment and decades of being taken for granted. They're angrier at Biden more than they fear Trump, which is why party leaders are running scared, asking black Hollywood shills and preachers to get the base in line. As I stated before, they can't win without the turnout Obama got and Biden in 2020. Anything less, and it's a wrap for the GOP (as Hillary Clinton found out).

I'm a registered Independent, not tied to any political party. What I want is something tangible....a hate-crime bill for Black Americans (just like Biden did for the Asian-American community), an end to "Sanctuary City" status here in NYC, and a serious reparations bill. Payment is long overdue. Shit, the U.S. paid money to folks of Japanese ancestry who were interned during World War II. The governor of NY, Kathy Hocul, secured millions for Holocaust victims and their heirs. The descendants of slavery/Jim Crow are still waiting for the "40 Acres and a Mule".
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1. Don't call me "son"- I see the attempt to demean me and I wont tolerate it.
2. You may not think you are listening to them but strip what you just said apart and it is GOP playbook 101- blame the guy who cant fight back to detract from the real problem.
3. Tell me what is not covered in US code 249 that you want covered? The bill Biden passed was to do with additions to existing bills because of the additional issues over Covid ...for reference that was driven by the right? So what do you want in addition to US code 249 and its racial protections?

Reparations? Ok
You understand that 48% of Dems support this and 8% of Republicans.........how do we pass it? Honest question

​

 
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@uPtoWnNY . . . The videos are good in explaining the issue. Can Biden single-handedly solve this problem? I’m asking because that’s not clear to me. Johnson as House Speaker (and lackey for t—— ) clarified he, and many of the maga contingent, don't want to solve the immigration problem. It’s foundational to the gop election strategy.

With regard to reparations and solving the struggle to make ends meet in poor communities, again, I don’t know if that’s something Biden can do single-handedly. I wonder if there might be legal issues preventing concentrating on a particular group, such as what we saw when affirmative action was attacked as discriminatory. He could meet with congressional leaders and ask for an effort to bring the reparations issue to the table. Maybe that's what's necessary; bring a delegation to the White House for a discussion, at least. Also, some of the needed policies are probably state level, not federal. Although, I'm guessing, the federal government probably has applied pressures to cities and states to accommodate immigrants. I hate just speculating. Will add corrections, or expand on what I'm guessing at here, when I have more information. What do you know about procedures?

I see Biden as an 'everyperson' leader. He's made efforts to hold the rich to account and encourage a more equitable society. I think!

Here's a blog post with a summary of stuff he's done. And, conveniently, it includes a video created by Robert Reich with a 6 minute history lesson of how we got to the unhappy economic policies we currently live under. It doesn't address the Black American experience. That's another topic. I've learned some of that history from Heather McGhee, author of 'The Sum of Us', which I'm sure I'd benefit from reading again. But, as advertised by the blogger, it gives 'the really big picture'.

The Little Picture and the Really Big One [Andrew Tobias blog;2.15.24]

As @mdiver suggests, driving a huge wedge through critical Democratic Party support is a goal of republicans and, I'd add, some international adversaries interested in messing with our elections to obtain certain outcomes, for example seeing comrade t----, red hats, red tie, and all, back in the WH.
 
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barnswallow, if you were here in NYC with me, you'd feel the anger too. It's boiling over. Eric Adams reversed his position on moving migrants into a vacant luxury apartment building in Harlem after hearing it from residents. Black Chicago Democrats are suing the city and that clown mayor. Now you have young black voters in Detroit saying they're done with Biden.

www.rollingstone.com

Young, Black, and Done With Biden: The Issues That Could Decide the Election

Taking a ride through Detroit with the young Black Democratic voters who helped get Biden into office in 2020 — and aren’t sure about doing it again
www.rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com
 
uPtoWnNY said:
barnswallow, if you were here in NYC with me, you'd feel the anger too. It's boiling over. Eric Adams reversed his position on moving migrants into a vacant luxury apartment building in Harlem after hearing it from residents. Black Chicago Democrats are suing the city and that clown mayor. Now you have young black voters in Detroit saying they're done with Biden.

www.rollingstone.com

Young, Black, and Done With Biden: The Issues That Could Decide the Election

Taking a ride through Detroit with the young Black Democratic voters who helped get Biden into office in 2020 — and aren’t sure about doing it again
www.rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com
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So the GOP plan is working, good to know
 
Lawrence on what they don’t tell you about the Dump Biden 'fantasy' [The Last Word w Lawrence O’Donnell (MSNBC);2.22.24]

Monster episode well worth listening to. I know, who has 40 minutes? I love what he does with the title question: so much helpful insight. Top notch.

Then, he goes on to talk about this guy, Smirnov, who has just (2/14) admitted to lying to the FBI (oops!). He’s the linchpin to the whole impeachment inquiry the gop has been using to try to smear Hunter and thereby his father POTUS Joe Biden. The bottom just fell out of that barrel. And guess who Smirnov says is the source of his disinformation? Could it be our favorite international election interference actor? Why yes, it is!

Listen to that story, too, if you like spy stuff. Smirnov’s a flight risk and it’s kind of interesting hearing about the dilemma the FBI must contend with: not revealing so much as to compromise maybe ongoing investigation / sources / etc but revealing enough so a judge will order him put in detention.

Oh. And don’t miss the ‘last word’ with Tremaine Lee describing redlining-type, discriminatory behavior in Santa Monica, in 1957.

This is a link from Apple Podcasts, so if that won’t work for you, look for this episode on your platforms.
 
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