The last candidate to get less than 42% of the popular vote in a race that did not have a major third party candidate was Mondale in '84, who lost the electoral college 525-13 and the popular vote 58.8-40.6.

Has Mondale signaled whether he is running?

Trump wall - all you need to know about US border in seven charts





Does the wall (fence) work?

Yeah, so basically Dems give up the filibuster on the first one and it passes on party lines. Then Mitch allows the vote on the second, which has already passed 100-0. It probably passes something like 70-30. The House passes the clean extension through February 8, and Trump gets to decide how he wants to play it.

Of course, we're probably in for another extended shutdown on February 8th... but at least we can get everyone paid in the meantime, right?

I'm astounded that the Dems seem to be avoiding punching themselves in the face.

I mean Lucy can only pull the football away from Charlie Brown so many times before he figures it out. Turns out it only took the Dems 40 years.

Am I being too skeptical when I ask the order the two Senate bills will be voted on?

(Thinking of tricky Mitch scenarios.)

It sounds exactly like the laws in a lot of Scandi area countries. Guns can only be transported to and from places for sport/hunting. They must be kept locked away in a safe while being transported. Etc etc.

It works. It works all over the world. It isnt bull**** in any way.

In 2016 we gained 77K manufacturing jobs due to reshoring and lost 50K due to offshoring, resulting in a net gain of 27K manufacturing jobs. In decades past we lost more jobs to offshoring than we gained in reshoring (on an annual basis). So for the first time in decades more manufacturing jobs came back than left. What’s misleading about that?

I don't see what scenario exists.

Even if the wall-funding bill is first, it passes with no D votes, and it's DOA in the House.

Overall, the CR through Feb. 8 doesn't strike me as a good option for the Dems, even if it's a short-term win. It relieves the pressure on Trump to get 800K workers paid and mitigate the impact the shutdown is having on the economy. It then allows him to say he ceded to their request to re-open and then negotiate, and then he starts banging the drum for the wall again. When the D's say no wall, the government shuts down again, and this time it's viewed as their fault.

My evil scenario was after the Republican bill passes, Mitch does not allow the CR bill to be voted on.

Right, which would be no different from them just passing the Trump bill, which they were always going to do after the Saturday announcement. That bill then doesn't pass the House. There's no way for Mitch to "sneak" that bill into law.

You don't seem to be understanding my (obvious) point which could well be because I did not make it clearer or maybe I don't really have a point.

I don't really care which.

Democrats will have to "lift" the filibuster for the bill including the wall to pass the Senate though, won't they? so the "trick" would be to pass it and then not pass/ not even vote on the "short term CR".

I don't think this would be a good move for McConnell strategically, as it puts too much spotlight on him. Right now he can sort of look at this thing from the sidelines.

Things depend on how Democrats react after the short term CR has been passed until Feb 8. I think this is the time to ask Trump for concessions he might be willing to give, but Republican senators will hate. Take the fight to them (or actually get something good in return for 5b$)

If the line is 13 EV for Trump with those poll numbers--my entire life savings will be on the over.

It gives trump a chance to pull the same exact stunt EXCEPT this time try to not go on TV and explicitly he'll take all the blame for it

Ben Smith is head of BuzzFeed politics. He's at least as credible, and actually more credible, than most editors at major publications. Plenty of youtube interviews if you are curious. The journalists they hire are as good or better than their peers.

The last time they got serious flak was for publishing the Steel Dossier--which they published not for its factual content, which they did not vouch for, but merely because it was floating around Washington and, as such, was relevant.

I'm glad they are more aggressive than, say, the NYT, and they generally have better news judgment. As far as the comment from the special counsel's office--Trump and Cohen apparently had many conversations prior to his testimony. If Trump did not directly instruct Cohen to lie, it's very likely only because he gave him "instructions" in the mob boss, "don't you remember it like this?" style.

Agreed. Based on demographics and geography, his foor is much higher.





Yup, that's of course if he doesn't veto it. But I think Dems offering an extension to only February 8 could be a mistake, unless they immediately make a grand offer that is DOA in the Senate and try to drive a wedge right through the GOP.

https://twitter.com/ScottMStedman/st...31766063149056

I'd get a perverse pleasure out of it too except for the fact that it has totally ****ing hosed me as well as a homeowner in New York.

What if dems allow it to pass with only 50 votes by giving up filibuster and it passes 53-47 or whatever and then republicans vote no on the clean one so it fails 47-53

Then house doesn’t pass the new poison pill bill and public blames dem house instead of trump?


Seems like the latest ploy to shift blame...not feeling easy about it

And some more actual reporting by Buzzfeed.


https://twitter.com/ChemiShalev/stat...59037400907777


https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedBen/stat...24059856048128

Yeah, and this is the best case scenario where Rs actually do vote for clean bill and we open back up.

We are back here in 2 weeks but gives trump a chance to change the narrative

I won’t feel good until the govt is opened for the long term (months not days) without wall funding

No they were never going to pass the trump bill bc they need 60 for it

This is a compromise to let them pass this bill with only 50 to show that republicans are willing to pass a wall bill

I think this hits on something that's pretty spot on. And also is just completely irrational. Like, from a standpoint of traditional masculinity even, you work so you can provide a good living for yourself and your family. You can do a much much better job of that working with your brain than working with your body.