It's a "Washington Fudge."

[George K]

Biden breaks the law (again) and CNN covers for him.

CNN.com, which for six long years between 2015 and 2021 turned itself into a blog about Donald Trump and his many excesses, has weighed in on President Biden’s decision to take executive action that he knows full well is illegal. And boy, is it . . . a complete whitewashing of flagrant and cynical lawbreaking.

Here’s the headline:

Biden shows he’s ready to make drastic moves in Covid-19 fight — even if he’s not sure they’re legal

Off to a bad start. But, hey, headlines can be misleading, so maybe it gets better?

It doesn’t. Here’s the lede:

Even President Joe Biden doesn’t know whether his new federal eviction moratorium for renters is legal and sustainable. But crushing humanitarian and political pressure left him no choice but to take a chance on an emergency move.

Even the president doesn’t know? Yeah, except he does know, as CNN makes clear in the very next paragraph:

The new US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scheme was announced after the White House, hampered by a Supreme Court ruling and Congress’ failure to act, had repeatedly argued it had no constitutional authority to extend the moratorium. Biden himself said on Tuesday that the new moratorium may not be constitutional, and is essentially an attempt to buy time to get backlogged funding out of state coffers and into the pockets of renters and landlords alike.

Let’s recap, then. CNN is confirming here that the president’s action has been “hampered by a Supreme Court ruling,” that the executive branch had “repeatedly argued it had no constitutional authority to extend the moratorium,” and that President Biden “himself said on Tuesday that the new moratorium may not be constitutional, and is essentially an attempt to buy time to get backlogged funding out of state coffers and into the pockets of renters and landlords alike.”

So what does CNN say next? Does it say “Mr. President, please stop!”? Does it say, “this is an egregious violation not only of the norms we’re supposed to care about, but of the rule of law itself”? Does it say, “gosh, this was precisely the sort of thing we spent years predicting under Trump”? Does it say, “If the executive branch can just do what it wants while litigation is pending, we don’t actually have a constitutional order?”

Nah. CNN says this:

The conundrum threatened to force millions of Americans who lost incomes during the pandemic out of their homes in an appalling twist to what has already been an agonizing year. The problem was that the moratorium expired on July 31 at a moment when much of the more than $40 billion in funds already provided by Congress to pay landlords for back rent for tenants is still yet to be handed out by states and local authorities.

To head off mass evictions, the White House came up with a classic Washington fudge — not unfamiliar in an era of Capitol Hill gridlock — in which presidents, especially Democrats, have improvised with executive power to shield constituencies from consequences of a malfunctioning political system.

Oh, how charming! It’s just one of those “classic Washington fudges” that “presidents, especially Democrats, have improvised.”

“Improvised” against what, you might ask? Congress? The Constitution? The law? The Supreme Court? America itself?

Worry not. Biden is merely “improvising” to solve a “conundrum” that has been caused by “a malfunctioning political system.”

This isn’t “analysis.” It’s a partisan justification for tyranny. Outside of Joe Biden, there is nothing “malfunctioning” about the American “political system.” On the contrary: It is perfectly intact. The Supreme Court has spoken. Congress has declined to pass a new statute. And that is that.

There is nothing within our constitutional order that allows the president to “improvise” if the other branches decline to do what the executive branch wants them to do. Nor, for that matter, is there anything in the Constitution that implies that when presidents — “especially Democrats” — don’t get their own way, the system should be considered broken. The villain here is President Biden, and President Biden alone. By pretending otherwise, CNN is not merely abdicating its responsibility; it’s complicit.

[George K]

Seen on Twitter: "So glad we got rid of the authoritarian dictator and replaced him with the guy who unconstitutionally took Americans’ property rights by proclamation."

[Aqua Letifer]

This guy seems kind of angry.

You get angry like this when you have expectations that aren't being met.

Presumably, this guy's angry at CNN for having a double standard. Because he thinks CNN shouldn't have one.

In other words, this guy's terribly behind and can be promptly ignored. Does he complain about airline food, too?

[George K]

@aqua-letifer here is something a little less passionate.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/08/bidens-eviction-overreach/

[Jolly]

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

This guy seems kind of angry.

You get angry like this when you have expectations that aren't being met.

Presumably, this guy's angry at CNN for having a double standard. Because he thinks CNN shouldn't have one.

In other words, this guy's terribly behind and can be promptly ignored. Does he complain about airline food, too?

I hear Thomas Paine didn't like airplane food, either.

[Aqua Letifer]

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

This guy seems kind of angry.

You get angry like this when you have expectations that aren't being met.

Presumably, this guy's angry at CNN for having a double standard. Because he thinks CNN shouldn't have one.

In other words, this guy's terribly behind and can be promptly ignored. Does he complain about airline food, too?

I hear Thomas Paine didn't like airplane food, either.

This is the equivalent of a kid in high school bringing home Common Sense and ranting to his parents about it as if he discovered the fucking book. Week after week after week. I'm tired of it.

[Jolly]

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

This guy seems kind of angry.

You get angry like this when you have expectations that aren't being met.

Presumably, this guy's angry at CNN for having a double standard. Because he thinks CNN shouldn't have one.

In other words, this guy's terribly behind and can be promptly ignored. Does he complain about airline food, too?

I hear Thomas Paine didn't like airplane food, either.

This is the equivalent of a kid in high school bringing home Common Sense and ranting to his parents about it as if he discovered the fucking book. Week after week after week. I'm tired of it.

Then be fair. Call a spade a spade. If it exists, acknowledge it.

And yeah, I don't care for airline food, either. Except one time I had prime rib and a passable red wine on a Air Canada flight.

[Aqua Letifer]

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

Then be fair. Call a spade a spade. If it exists, acknowledge it.

I don't know much about history. Don't know much biology. But I do know much more about this particular spade than you do. How many jobs have you quit over it? I'm up to 2.

[Copper]

In the early 80s Continental had a nice breakfast on the flight from Dulles to Dallas. I used to look forward to it on Mondays.

[Jolly]

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

Then be fair. Call a spade a spade. If it exists, acknowledge it.

I don't know much about history. Don't know much biology. But I do know much more about this particular spade than you do. How many jobs have you quit over it? I'm up to 2.

I've never been fired. I've only quit one job, and that's because I chased a millwright across a six-inch I-beam, swinging an 18-inch crescent wrench. I had just finished twisting off some one-inch bolts with it (no cheater pipe), so I guess he figured I could do exactly what I told him I could - which was to break every bone in his miserable body.

I tend to take a direct approach.

[Aqua Letifer]

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

Then be fair. Call a spade a spade. If it exists, acknowledge it.

I don't know much about history. Don't know much biology. But I do know much more about this particular spade than you do. How many jobs have you quit over it? I'm up to 2.

I've never been fired. I've only quit one job, and that's because I chased a millwright across a six-inch I-beam, swinging an 18-inch crescent wrench. I had just finished twisting off some one-inch bolts with it (no cheater pipe), so I guess he figured I could do exactly what I told him I could - which was to break every bone in his miserable body.

I tend to take a direct approach.

Try that shit with a 23-year-old woke intern and you'll have to lawyer up in addition to updating your resume.

This is all a digression, anyway. The point is that there's no longer any point in acting surprised at or thinking you're clever by pointing out the hypocrisy in media. The only ones left that aren't aware of it are so woke that nothing you say is going to enlighten them.

As for solutions, you can't even talk about that until all of the "get a load of this shit" is out of everybody's system, and conservatives have a terrible problem with motivated reasoning on this issue. They want so bad to fight the liberal juggernaut boogeyman that they refuse to see the practicality of bias in today's media environment. It's not nearly as fun an argument as "the damn Lamestream Media," but it's much closer to the truth.

[Horace]

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

They want so bad to fight the liberal juggernaut boogeyman that they refuse to see the practicality of bias in today's media environment

I don't understand this. What is it that they refuse to see?

[Aqua Letifer]

@horace said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

They want so bad to fight the liberal juggernaut boogeyman that they refuse to see the practicality of bias in today's media environment

I don't understand this. What is it that they refuse to see?

That they're biased not because Those Damn Liberals. They're biased because bias and hyperbole are how they win the attention game, which keeps the lights on. As does Fox. The primary motivator is business and not politics.

[George K]

@aqua-letifer rather than complaining about the complaining about the media coverage, how about addressing the basic issue that he's angry complaining about - Biden's ignoring the Supreme Court mandate?

That, to me, seems at least as bad as Ukraine an impeachable offense.

[Aqua Letifer]

@george-k said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@aqua-letifer rather than complaining about the complaining about the media coverage, how about addressing the basic issue that he's angry complaining about - Biden's ignoring the Supreme Court mandate?

Because like bad airline food, I've heard the story before, there's precisely nothing new about this particular iteration of the story, I'm not interested in the story, and acting all surprised about MSM double standard number 12,000 is absurd.

[George K]

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

precisely nothing new about this particular iteration of the story,

Other than the President of the United States ignoring the Supreme Court, that is.

[Horace]

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@george-k said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@aqua-letifer rather than complaining about the complaining about the media coverage, how about addressing the basic issue that he's angry complaining about - Biden's ignoring the Supreme Court mandate?

Because like bad airline food, I've heard the story before, there's precisely nothing new about this particular iteration of the story, I'm not interested in the story, and acting all surprised about MSM double standard number 12,000 is absurd.

I generally couch my reactions in the degree to which the double standards have infected the culture at large. It is, of course, a losing game to argue that only one side is ever hypocritical.

[Jolly]

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@aqua-letifer said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

@jolly said in It's a "Washington Fudge.":

Then be fair. Call a spade a spade. If it exists, acknowledge it.

I don't know much about history. Don't know much biology. But I do know much more about this particular spade than you do. How many jobs have you quit over it? I'm up to 2.

I've never been fired. I've only quit one job, and that's because I chased a millwright across a six-inch I-beam, swinging an 18-inch crescent wrench. I had just finished twisting off some one-inch bolts with it (no cheater pipe), so I guess he figured I could do exactly what I told him I could - which was to break every bone in his miserable body.

I tend to take a direct approach.

Try that shit with a 23-year-old woke intern and you'll have to lawyer up in addition to updating your resume.

This is all a digression, anyway. The point is that there's no longer any point in acting surprised at or thinking you're clever by pointing out the hypocrisy in media. The only ones left that aren't aware of it are so woke that nothing you say is going to enlighten them.

As for solutions, you can't even talk about that until all of the "get a load of this shit" is out of everybody's system, and conservatives have a terrible problem with motivated reasoning on this issue. They want so bad to fight the liberal juggernaut boogeyman that they refuse to see the practicality of bias in today's media environment. It's not nearly as fun an argument as "the damn Lamestream Media," but it's much closer to the truth.

1. Even woke interns know enough not to fuck with people that will bury them. Literally. At the point I was at, I would have cheerfully killed that MF. And he knew it. The only lawyering would have been the DA and the defense attorney.
2. When all cats are grey, it's only one small step to let them all eat cake, ladee-da. The problem is that not all cats are grey, there are things worth getting pissed about and there are things that need to be halted. Full stop.

[George K]

Washington Post:

The CDC’s eviction moratorium is almost certainly illegal

Americans behind on their rent payments may have cheered when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday a new eviction moratorium for most of the nation, this one set to last until October. With some 6 million people owing back rent, many of them victims of covid-19’s sudden economic damage, there is little doubt about the need for aid, particularly because people are about to be thrown out of their homes just as disease rates are climbing.

But the CDC’s action was almost certainly illegal. Under pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and progressive Democrats, President Biden and the CDC may have muted accusations that they failed to stick up for desperate renters. The administration also may succeed in giving many Americans a short reprieve from eviction. But perhaps not as long as advertised — because courts may strike it down before October — and at the expense of the rule of law.

The CDC crafted its new moratorium after a previous eviction ban expired last week. The old policy covered the whole country and had been in place since September. But Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh warned in June that the CDC had “exceeded its existing statutory authority by issuing a nationwide eviction moratorium” and that it could not be renewed absent “clear and specific congressional authorization.” Justice Kavanaugh was the crucial fifth vote that stopped the court from immediately striking down the old eviction ban, giving states an extra few weeks to begin distributing some $47 billion in federal rental aid.

The CDC on Tuesday tried to get around this ruling by issuing a new ban that covers only areas “experiencing substantial and high levels of community transmission.” This amounts to 80 percent of counties. Advocates argue that the rise of the delta variant may have changed the court’s thinking and that the new policy is more closely tailored to the worsening public health situation. They also argue that Justice Kavanaugh may uphold another temporary policy while federal rental aid money is still only trickling out.
That is unlikely. The law the CDC relies on to justify its unilateral eviction ban authorizes the agency to impose measures such as “inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, and destruction of animals,” not to freeze the rental housing market month after month in nearly the entire country. Many landlords are themselves desperate, on the hook to keep up their properties, pay taxes and service loans whether their tenants pay their rent. Justice Kavanaugh in June clearly signaled willingness to disregard their plight — and the law’s limitations — for another few weeks, not months.

It is not the Biden administration’s fault that states have been slow to get federal rental aid to needy Americans. But the administration’s only reasonable options were to push states to get their acts together and to request that Congress give the CDC the authority it needed to reimpose an eviction ban. Indeed, the onus remains on states and localities; they cannot count on the new moratorium, issued on shaky legal ground, to absolve them of responsibility to aid renters.

And yeah, the Washington Post actually goes there:

If the Trump administration had ignored a direct warning from the Supreme Court, Democrats would rightfully line up to condemn the president. Mr. Biden does not get a pass on the rule of law because his heart is in the right place.

Nice cover about his "heart." He's a nice guy, dontcha know?

Bullshit. Law is law. Biden, like Obama when he unilaterally altered the healthcare law, gives the middle finger to the rule of law.

You don't like the law? Change it.

You don't like the judges? Change them, and if you can't, consider the reasons you can't.

Tell me again, you sanctimonious sons of bitches at the Washington Post, where democracy dies.

[George K]

Amazing.

"Even if it's illegal, we'll keep doing it until appeals are exhausted."

SCOTUS said it's illegal.

Tell me again about fascism and tyrants.