Speaker's Poverty Mocked
Like many Americans, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) is living paycheck-to-paycheck. He has no appreciable savings, no stock portfolio, no vacation homes. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md) wondered if "his precarious financial situation may be a sign that he lacks the savvy we expect from a person in leadership. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) has a substantial investment portfolio. Former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) has three homes. President Biden has amassed tens of millions of dollars of personal wealth during his 50 years of public service. I can't help but think that Johnson may not be smart enough for the position he now holds?"
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics CEO Noah Bookbinder speculated that "Johnson's lack of wealth may make him vulnerable to those who might seek to bribe him in order to influence the policies he pursues from his new position of power. Opportunities for corruption that were unavailable to him as an unknown low-ranking member of Congress may be too tempting to resist."
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Al) called Johnson's lack of wealth "a badge of honor that inspires confidence he will serve the best interests of the American people rather than the special interests that have helped enrich some others who have held high positions."
In related news, Raskin denied that House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer's (R-Ky) assertion that "the payments Joe Biden received from foreign businesses were bribes. Clearly, they were payments made for services rendered. These types of commissions for helping open doors or secure other financial resources are normal commercial transactions. Republican accusations that they aren't is a slander for which the President ought to be receiving compensation for damages to his reputation."
FBI & DOJ Coverup
After hearing testimony from former Pittsburgh US Attorney Scott Brady to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) assailed Attorney General Merrick Garland wanting to know "why certain Justice Department and FBI officials improperly delayed and impeded investigative activity into the Biden family."
"Consider that the FBI had information from a credible source that Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, had paid then-VP Joe Biden and Hunter Biden a bribe of $5 million apiece to get a Ukrainian prosecutor fired," Grassley said. "Further, Joe Biden was video taped publicly bragging about how he withheld a billion dollars in aid to coerce Ukraine into firing this prosecutor. Despite this evidence, the FBI not only failed to follow-up, but actively participated in a disinformation campaign to hide additional evidence found on Hunter Biden's laptop."
Garland rejected Grassley's contention that "anything improper transpired. Without naming names, let me remind the Senator that the FBI relies on numerous confidential sources in its widespread national security efforts. To ensure that the flow of information can continue the Agency protects these sources from the legal liabilities they may face for the actions necessary to obtain the vital national security information they provide. If, hypothetically speaking, Hunter Biden were one of our confidential sources he would be entitled to the same kind of protection. Those who fail to respect this protection are the real enemies of our democracy."
Biden Could Lose Muslim Votes
The Hamas October 7 attack on Israel has created a difficult political conundrum for President Biden's reelection chances. On the one hand, this barbaric attack targeting mostly civilians calls for a strong response against the perpetrators. Initially, he strongly condemned Hamas as evil and pledged to extend military aid to Israel.
More recently, Michigan Democrats are warning that the President could see Muslim voters turn against him if he cannot prevail upon Israel to cease its military operations against Hamas. Michigan State Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck), pointed out that "a majority of Muslim voters agree that Hamas was justified in making this attack on Israel. These voters will be lost if the President fails to heed their voices."
The National Muslim Democratic Council issued a "2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum," in which they vowed to withhold Muslim voter support for "any candidate who did not advocate for an immediate ceasefire."
This week, the Biden Administration announced a National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia (NSCI) in the United States. "President Biden ran for office to restore the soul of our nation," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "He is unequivocal: There is no place for hate in America against anyone. Period."
Tabbed to head up the NSCI, Vice-President Kamala Harris asserted "for years, Muslims in America and those perceived to be Muslim have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks."
A completely different perspective was offered by former President Donald Trump who asserted that "the fight between Israel and Hamas is between civilization and savagery, between good and evil. There is no comparison between a group that worships death and a group that cherishes life. Every single life lost in this conflict is on the shoulders of Hamas alone."
Statistics show that in the US Muslims comprise about 1% of the population, yet are the target of about 10% of the hate crimes. Jews comprise about 2.4% of the population, yet are the target of about 60% of the hate crimes. In the wake of the Hamas attack in Israel there have been multiple public demonstrations opposing Israeli retaliation for the Hamas attack. Some of the participants have called for the elimination of Israel as a country and the death of Jews generally. There have been no comparable public demonstrations of hatred toward Muslims in the US.
House Passes $14.3 Billion Aid for Israel
The US House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) passed a stand-alone $14.3 billion bill to aid Israel in its fight against Hamas terror. The 226-196 tally in favor included 12 Democrats. President Biden has said he will veto the bill "because it doesn't included the $61 billion we want for the war in Ukraine or any aid for Gaza. Further, the funding is from money previously earmarked for enhanced IRS enforcement of tax collections."
Johnson argued that "it is unnecessary to complicate the issue by attaching it to a much bigger amount desired for continuing the war in Ukraine. Taxpayers have already seen more than a hundred billion of their dollars spent on this war. All that President Biden can assure is that 'we will spend as much as it takes for as long as it takes'--to do what has never been specifically stated. As for the so-called humanitarian aid to Gaza is there any doubt that the Hamas-led government of Gaza will divert it to military use? Finally, even without the $14.3 billion, the IRS budget is still bigger than it's ever been. We don't need swarms of new tax collectors to harass the people and eat out their substance."
In related news, in testimony before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel admitted that "contrary to President Biden's assurances that no one earning less than $400,000 per year would be forced to pay higher taxes, we cannot rule that out. The fact is, making the rich pay more is harder than he thought. There fewer of them and they can afford the best accountants and lawyers to help them exploit every loophole in the tax code. The same isn't true for the middle classes. That's where the most money can be extracted."
GOP Wants Details on Ukraine Aid
Ukraine has already received more than $100 billion dollars in US aid for their war with Russia. The Biden Administration is asking for another $61 billion. Since the war seems to be a stalemate there doesn't appear to be much sense in investing more money in it. The argument that Putin is a "bad dude" is an insufficient rationale for funding more slaughter and destruction. Recent allegations of massive corruption in Ukraine's handling of the US aid raise more doubts about the wisdom of keeping on doing what we've been doing.
In the light of these developments, Republicans in Congress are insisting on a better accounting of what has been spent before agreeing to spending more. House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky) observed that "Ukrainian government officials allegedly engaged in bribery, used government vehicles for personal use, and purchased inflated food supplies for Ukrainian forces. In response, President Zelensky fired his Minister of Defense for malfeasance. We need to put proper protections in place to prevent the misuse of funds before we authorize sending them more money."
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) more succinctly said "I've sat in a lot of briefings where I was promised Ukraine doesn't have a corruption problem. The Biden admin has lied to us. Not one more penny to Ukraine."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak), and Roger Wicker (R-Ms) are adamant that aid to Ukraine must be part of any funding for Israel. "I don't think there is enough support for a stand-alone Ukraine aid bill," Murkowski said. "Too many voters doubt the wisdom of continuing this war. Only by lumping it in with funding that is essential for a surrounded and besieged Israel's survival can we get voters to swallow it."
Presidential Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized "the importance of ensuring that President Biden's promises to Zelensky are kept is crucial for maintaining his credibility as a world leader. Like FDR's World War II promise to achieve the 'unconditional surrender' of Germany and Japan, President Biden's pledge to 'do whatever it takes for as long as it takes' must be sustained if we want the voters to reelect him."
Poll Boosts Confidence of Biden Campaign
A recent Rasmussen poll found that 24% of American adults say someone they know personally died from covid vaccine side effects. Sixty-nine percent say they don't personally know anyone who died from a covid vaccination. Seven percent say they aren't sure they know anyone personally.
Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Campaign Manager for the Biden 2024 reelection campaign, was buoyed by this finding, saying "with more than three-fourths of voters unaware of anyone dying from the covid vaccines we enter the race with a substantial lead. To them the President has fulfilled his promise to protect the country from covid. The mandates for vaccination, masks, social distancing, and lockdowns are all vindicated in the eyes of the majority of voters. There is no viable path for any Republican to unseat President Biden."
In related news, a study of patients with covid revealed that only 0.8% of patients at a facility in France who received hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and an antibiotic died, compared to 4.8% of patients who did not receive the drug combination. Dr. Didier Raoult, one of the authors of the study, said "similar results were found in other studies done in France, Spain and Iran. It certainly makes you wonder why so much energy was put into discouraging the use of HCQ as a therapeutic. Lives that could've been saved were foolishly lost due to a prejudicial suppression of a viable therapy."
