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The Biden "legacy" is being cemented. The passing of this Infrastructure Bill will be remembered as part of a series of efforts by his administration to improve the quality of life in America. Of course, the legacy will be recapped starting with the efforts to save life itself...as many millions of Americans became vaccinated. The lovely side effect of being alive and being able to go back to work was that the economy was boosted faster than anyone expected. Apparently, being alive and not being afraid of death by disease were helpful factors in such mundane issues like stats about unemployment, GDP, etc. Wall Street loved it, too.

As to socialism as a term, what else would we expect from the people of Party Q? They have perverted, twisted and wrecked other perfectly normal words. If "socialism" now means all the evil that a Democrat does, then doesn't "Conservative" now mean authoritarian liar? And then there is our favorite: "Liberal". It used to mean tolerant, open minded.

For a very long time I thought of myself as a fiscal conservative with liberal values. Now that sounds like some sort of maniac based on today's usage. So I give up. Just call me a socialist and be done with it.

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I voted for Ike in 1956. I put my life on the line for my country. Somewhat later I was on the Nixon White House Enemies List. Later still I was on my union’s negotiating team determined to get a fair share for my colleagues. Now Republican means reprehensible to me. I guess that I’ve become a sensible socialist who cares deeply about my fellow citizens and my country.

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You’re one of us, Keith, and we’re the better for having you. Thank you for your service.

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I think that covers a lot of us, your last paragraph fits me to a tee. The Republican Party of John McCain and Colin Powell, men of decency, integrity, and honor has evaporated with their passing RIP, it’s remnant's are inhabited by people that share none of those qualities, none, zero, zip, most of them are highly educated and wealthy to 🥾 boot, so it makes no sense that they would align themselves with a con man who’s entire entitled life has been built on lies. None of us are perfect and we have all probably at one time shaded the truth to benefit ourselves only to realize what a mistake that was, can you imagine a lifetime in which every single time you opened your mouth a lie came out. The Republicans have embraced a con man and a cheater and a large part of our evidently uneducated nation is in his thrall. Disaster on the order of what Hitler did to Germany is on the horizon and approaching very fast. We have to get the voting rights legislation passed, our nation depends on it, if we do that there are enough of us to straighten out this mess, this is a battle that we must win, the stakes are that high.

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can you imagine a lifetime in which every single time you opened your mouth a lie came out? And yet with 24/7 news coverage of DJT - it doesnt bother him or his twits one bit! Certainly telling, isnt it?

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The Frontline show called The Decision (I think) about the upcoming presidential election did a deep dive into the both candidate's lives. It really drove home for me how Trump is just not a normal human being.

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No he is not Kim. And these are not normal times. And it would be good for the press to keep that at top of mind when they write articles that strain to equate “both sides”.

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I guess that was never a surprise - couldnt stand him from the moment I first heard of him - normal - far from "normal" & not a decent human being to put it plainly.

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Nope! He is a bottom feeding creature Not a human being!

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anyone who's lived in NYC for the last four decades knew what he is. it amazes me that ANYONE here voted for him (even on--god help us--Staten Island, which is mostly a fascist coven). and it's all about the excising of social studies as a serious subject in public schools. it was better back when I was in school, even if it wasn't great. but now, with these miserable tests, it's only about math and "English language arts," god help us yet again.

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Approaching at the speed of a meteor. The absolute highest of stakes.

The R’s have used him to distract us for four years while the final pieces of endgame were tuned up and installed. The state houses. The judiciary. SCOTUS. Sleepers in all federal departments, including the military, etc. They’re out in the open now: attempted hostile takeover in CA, a completed one in VA. No attempt to hide what they are accomplishing in GA, TX, FL. (I feel like a raving paranoid, but my natural skepticism can’t overcome what I’m seeing!)

If they take the House and Senate next year, I am afraid it’s all OVER.

The absolute highest of stakes....

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Well said Keith and Dick. It is sad that these knuckleheads can't put aside their politics to build infrastructure that will benefit this country and improve our economy. And the 13 Republicans who voted for the bill are getting backlash from breaking ranks from the likes of Green, Gaetz, and Boebert who called them RINOS. In reality, the 202 who voted against the bill are RINOS! And, how crazy is it that the Squad voted against it as well! So, this apparently isn't a socialist bill if the real claimers of that position voted in opposition.

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Bipartisan opposition? No, Nancy had a comfortable margin, and apparently allowed the Squad to be true to what they are made of. It all worked out for the liberal good

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This time....

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Isn't it sad that a member of Congress can't vote their conscience without leadership permission or suffering insults from their party, which is what the 13 Republicans who gave Pelosi her comfortable majority endured.

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it's funny. I keep seeing those scumbags in Congress being described as "highly educated." I take exception. they might have gone to good, expensive universities and top-rated law schools, but I still wouldn't call them "highly educated" if they either are or pretend to be yahoos because that tells me they didn't learn anything. or rather, anything of real value (like, say, honesty, morality, kindness or any of the "core values" everyone likes to pretend is somehow a part of "America's DNA." and lawyers reading this might resent a non-lawyer saying this (although I DID write briefs for two years in my brother-in-law's law practice), but a great memory and a reasonably intact intelligence (which is to say, an IQ in three digits) will get somebody through law school.

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I would agree with your taking exception as well as the fact that most of them are scumbags. To me the fact that they are so divorced from the truth, not slightly shaded away, but not even on the same planet with it, is infuriating. They are playing a game with people’s lives and are smart enough to know it, and the people who’s lives are at stake are clueless about it. Dishonorable does not begin to capture a description of them.

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Unfortunately not all in his thrall are "uneducated", or stupid. Just taken in. Saying that serves to feed division, feed their anger at the elites for condescending.

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Yeah they are taken in - but as in a cult - its a safe place where they dont have to think! The elite excuse (?) is just another excuse to blame someone else - both the ones they call elites & "others" who they want to "keep in their place".

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I’ve objected to labeling myself a long time ago. Just judge me on my label-less values. Discuss current issues on moral and ethical grounds. It serves clarity

Of course, there are those that get confused by morals and ethics because those concepts escape them

They are the ones that attempt to “own me” and are quite satisfied with themselves by labeling me a Communist/Socialist for my attempts to explain basic supply and demand curve effects on the price of gas

Is it time for the sequel to “Dumb and Dumber”?

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Yes, supply and demand. So Biden's aggressive efforts to vaccinate have subdued the pandemic just enough to get people back to work and school - driving up demand for gas. So we definitely can blame Joe for higher gas prices, right? Ooops, I forgot. Everything is Obama's fault. Joe, you are off the hook.

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Here’s where we need to start our messaging. The fact that there are now sports events, including the New York marathon today, Broadway shows back, movies back in theatres, etc. is a big “thank you” to Joe Biden and his vaccination efforts. There should be great bigs signs saying so at each of these places.

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Maybe including a big thank you to all Americans who complied with health directives ( you know, masking and distancing and vaccination) and stayed strong, and businesses that also supported those efforts. A real WW II type campaign.

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Thank You Brandon!

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I agree. If we wait to long to claim that, the R’s will swear the anti-maskerswon!

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Here's more messaging: https://twitter.com/BrunoAmato_1/status/1456994880572452868

We need more of this ...Go Bruno!!!!!

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The demand side is strong.

The supply side is manipulated to maximize profits for the producers.

But, what drivers see at the pump is the only thing that matters as they fill their tank and watch the cost dial on the pump spin faster than ever.

Voters will look to President Biden for answers.

From CNN

“Gas prices are sky high and Bank of America warns $120-a-barrel oil is on the way

Oil prices backed off from recent highs on Wednesday. US crude tumbled 3% to around $81 a barrel and Brent lost 2% to $83 amid jitters ahead of Thursday's OPEC meeting.

A further oil spike would raise the already-elevated cost of living for Americans. And it would squeeze businesses grappling with sticker shock, shortages and supply chain disasters.

Americans pay very close attention to prices at the pump and concerns about inflation have helped sour their views on the overall economy.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans described the economy as poor in a poll released this week. In Virginia, where Republicans won a key prize in the state's governor's mansion, the economy ranked in exit polls as the most important issue, surpassing education, taxes and Covid.”

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/03/business/gas-prices-oil-opec/index.html

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Love the Turn around. Can I borrow?

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I don’t add depth of observation on this platform, I come here to reassure myself that there are many others, more articulate than I am, right here!

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Me too! And for me, to learn from those much wiser voices than I.

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We have been watching that unfold for the last 5 years, the strange part is that so many don’t get it, I mean they literally have no clue.

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I believe they either have made the sequel or are going to!

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We are living the sequel to “Dumb and Dumber”- Green and Boebert.

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Ha! Ha! We’re living Dumb and Dumber!

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I used to call myself that too. Social liberal, fiscal conservative. No more. Liberal all the way, baby!

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Unfortunately close to half the people in this country will see you as their enemy because you believe we should take care of vulnerable people and help them get their basic needs met.

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I know. And most of them consider themselves "Christians", eh? I think if there was a Jesus he would be very irritated with them. Sorry if I got you riled up about your "favorite" subject :) But I just can't escape the pathetic irony. So much for "my brother's keeper".

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If more Christians spent more time emulating the version of Jesus that ministers to the poor by feeding them I might be more sympathetic to the Christian diaspora.

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If you were to visit the church of one of those 'Christians', you probably wouldn't be surprised to find that Jesus has left the building.

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Smart and witty, thank you, Bill the Socialist.

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I actually have an old voter registration card from Miami, 1982 that has Socialist written in the Party space. I never actually participated in any Socialist Party activities, but just rebellious against the white Cuban bourgeoisie that took over the place. (I've only met one black Cuban in Miami - There are hundreds of them still in Havana) Now ppl accuse me of being a Democrat, altho I am registered NPA.

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Rob There has been an historic discrimination against blacks in Latin America, even in Brazil. This remains true in Cuba according to news reports in recent years.

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Castro was always the #1 racist in Cuba.

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Worst things to be accused of.

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I just read your "Dream on" post. If only! I enjoy your writing.

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Welcome to the « Socialist Club »👍🏻❤️🤍💙

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It’s worked so well. Ahhhh. Reminds me of a song from long ago.

Beatles. I’ a Loser…

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A "Democratic Socialist" a la Bernie Sanders seems to modify the sting.

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Yes, that would be me. Ala Finland, etc. But such subtleties would escape the zombies impersonating Republicans.

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We may not know what to call ourselves Bill, or what we are. But we definitely know what we’re NOT, yes?

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Yes, we definitely know we are not #45. But we do know, if you know shat book/movie of which I speak, that the answer to life is 42.

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I like your comments. Economist Richard D. Wolf has just published his new book, entitled "UNDERSTANDING SOCIALISM". Readers might wish to read this. Richard D. Wolf is not your usual economist.

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Richard Leonard Silk of the NYT years ago published several common sense books on economics. I taught ECONOMICS FROM FEUDALISM TO THE PRESENT for two decades and prefer Groucho Marx to Karl Marx who, not so incidentally was subsidized by his friend Engels, who was running a factory in, I believe, Birmingham. As part of Marxist communality, Karl got his housemaid pregnant. Karl mistakenly placed class above nationalism and his theory that only workmen’s labor provided value to products was wrong headed.

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Well said!

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