Who the heck is Cynthia Nixon, anyway. I mean WHO is she!?

Richard Nixon's daughter... as far as you know. ;)

Run Beto, run. ;)

I agree with you on this point, Stucki, and I'm not ill nor under the influence of any mind-altering substance(s). :)

Now don't take this the wrong way, or out of it's context, American voters can't be trusted to turn out for elections, let alone make an informed choice...no no no. Clinton fell at the last hurdle because she was an uninspiring character and had far too much baggage. The Dems, and Biden, need to dig up a squeaky-clean bible-thumping white male of middling political bias... A Pence 2.0, if you like. Next best choice would be a popular Floridian politician, if one exists...being the biggest swing state, it couldn't hurt.

To be clear, I think a Bernie/Biden ticket would be problematic for the progressive wing of the party to wrap their heads around. Personally, I'd like to see a Biden/Booker or Biden/Harris ticket... Warren is too toxic to help in any other capacity than as a spittoon for Trump's twitter-spittle, and Bernie (sadly) will be painted as the poster child for the weak-tea version of socialism that's so feared.

2020 is the Dems to lose only. After four million years, and twice as many lies, people are exhausted with Trump's bread and circuses, give the independents a anything that resembles a normal choice, they'll bite your hand off, as I suspect most republicans will too, given the alternative.

LL&P

[Biden's] VP would be critical: not a lightweight, not this time.

That's an interesting point.

But, I'm not sure what you're saying about Biden's choice for a running mate. Could you elaborate a bit?

I think Felix Sater is likely to be the most colorful witness, but ultimately a bit John LeCarre novel murky (is there any side this guy ISN'T working for and/or against?) but ultimately in the middle of the food chain that is Trump's "business."

Allen Weisselberg, CFO of the Trump Organization, now that is the person who can sink Trump in an afternoon. He understands the entire "business" structure and has every incentive to be a very cooperative witness. Accountants are well aware of the legal perils that come with the job and they keep lots of records.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO)Act was made to prosecute people like Trump. Just remember the old cough drop ads from the late 1990s... Rico Law, Rico Law. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-1ik3S6Ct4

Actually, what I meant to say here is that he'd probably announce these picks strategically, in one of the Democratic debates. Just like he did the last time when you could find me bouncing off the walls. Not literally. :)

In any case, Biden would probably announce his running mate, and possibly secretary of state (John Kerry) soon after becoming the nominee.

I have some thoughts on Treasury secretary (on which I'll have to remain mum until after the nomination, ahem)and on who should be the next head of the CFPB, a woman for whom this post was made.

i actually had a different harris in mind:

https://www.filmonpaper.com/site/media/2011/05/HaroldandKumarEscapeFromGuantanamoBay_onesheet_advance_NPH_USA-2.jpg

pie!

JL

I had hoped that more people would come to know that about Biden after 8 years as vice president.

He'll probably be one of the best presidents that America never had.

Hope I'm wrong and we can get back to those days ...

"So, what do you think of Biden?"

I like Biden quite a lot. Always have. I think he'd make a good candidate. I think his gaffe was minor, as gaffes go, and he handled the response to Cynthia Nixon, who had a valid criticism, very well.

"Let me rephrase the question … who the heck does she think she is."

That would be mostly my number 3 I think

So, what do you think of Biden?

"Who the heck is Cynthia Nixon, anyway. I mean WHO is she!?"

In a short nutshell:

1) One of the four main stars of the hit HBO TV and movie series "Sex In The City."

2) A well known bi-sexual / current Lesbian American actress

3) A loud voice in the liberal / progressive / LGBTQ community

and finally

4) A recent candidate for governor of the state of New York

I have a general rule not to click on links but, I clicked anyway. That was one to prove the rule.

Let me rephrase the question … who the heck does she think she is. Let that be the last time we hear from her.

As for Biden, one more dishonourable mention around here and he's toast.

she's the one in the middle

https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5ab00de21e000057107af23c.jpeg?cache=hmd4xlpop9&ops=1910_1000

Who the heck is Cynthia Nixon, anyway. I mean WHO is she!?

Maybe Biden will qualify for another dishonourable mention next Friday. And, maybe he'll get 1% in Iowa.

As badly as the American people need a President Joe Biden, they do no deserve him.

LL&P

Here's another irony: the stuff, including the check the Trump signed, came from a box of stuff returned to Cohen by the SDNY, and were kept in a storage bin where Cohen lives - in the basement of Trump Tower! You just can't make this up.

She just did, while cutting my hair. Seems I'm running a bit hot - good call ;)

TP4 - the insidious thing that the Republicans did was alter the withholding guidelines to bump paychecks before the 2018 midterms, and of course they did this without telling people that they would be getting a smaller return (that would have spoiled the story line).

Wow, you probably oughta have your wife feel your forehead to see if you're running a fever. Anytime you agree with me, there's gotta be some medical problem.

Exactly right. It is a strange aspect of human nature.

When I came over here almost 30 years ago the whole tax thing threw me.

In the U.K. we'd have our taxes calculated for us and automatically deducted. The only people filling in tax forms were the self employed, etc. Most people never filed, never owed anything or got refunds etc.

So I was asked my first day of work to fill out a W-4 - I talked to a couple of friends and they all said "Make your deductions high and you'll get a refund - it is like a present".

It took me one tax cycle to wise up.

LL&P

TP 1...It's completely normal for Trump to 'play nice' with these villains, he is, afterall, feathering his nest for life after the White House. He no doubt expects to enjoy financial gain in the 'aftertime'.

TP 2...And why not be completely normal and act on your instincts as an elected official? It's a 50/50 to exercise your own opinion and act on behalf of your constituents when you are a public official...like it or not, it's true.

TP 3...Surely the GOP hypocrisy is completely normal where Cohen is concerned, they liked him just fine when he told their committee what they wanted to hear, then vilified him for fessing to lying before them...The difference being, the price he's going to pay for the lies they enjoyed.

TP 5...Naturally, Grassley thinks it's completely normal to expect Joe Blow to be an idiot, he's been an elected official since Roman times...Stupidity knows itself and no other.

TP 6...The wall will fence in all its proponents eventually. It's completely normal that notable people from both sides of the aisle pounce on the 'no wall' side, try and tell Texan and Arizonan land owners they have to cede land to an upstart New Yorker to put up a concrete barrier on their land...See what happens.

TP 7...And finally, it's completely normal that Trump usurp another American reality and try to make it his own. The great economy was Obama's doing, the historically low unemployment...another Obama legacy. If Trump had his druthers, he'd declare Sunday prayer as his initiative too...I'd concede that to him, someone has to be the face of utter stupidity, he's the natural choice.

LL&P

With any luck, it'll go viral.

When I clicked on the casually remarking link, I expected to be taken to the speech that Biden gave in Omaha or wherever it was but, instead, I was taken to an article that said Biden 'praised' Pence.

Now, THAT's fake news.

We've talked about this before. Actually, Grassley is right, but I'd re-phrase it to more like "You've got only yourself to blame if your tax refund is EITHER bigger OR smaller than you'd like.

Rational people would NEVER benefit financially from being 'overwithheld', it's stupid to make the gov't an interest-free loan for a year, while you pay high interest on borrowed money (credit card debt, mortgage debt, or whatever).

However, if you're trying to save up some cash for any reason (car downpmt, major item purchase, etc), and you're too dumb to sock a little into bank or the credit union each payday, maybe overwithholding makes some slight degree of sense.

If that's the case, you just need to adjust your W-4 with your employer to have more/less held out each payday. It's entirely your choice, and if you don't like the size of your refund either direction, it's all YOUR FAULT, not the IRS, not congress, not Trump, it's YOU!

The point that wasn't mentioned here is sadder still - at a prominent security conference in Munich, a large group of allies and other world leaders sat stone cold silent when Vice President Pence opened his remarks by saying that he is here on behalf of President Trump.

Let that sink in for a while and wonder what it means.

That Biden responded within 24 minutes to a valid criticism of his "casual" description of Pence - a criticism, mind you, that failed to account for Biden's long history of support for the LBGT community - should have been enough to nullify a casual dishonourable mention.

Hmmph!