President Biden's first term in office

[Alastor]

Biden is going into serious cognitive decline (duh, he's 81), and he should have never ran for a second term (allowing a primary), but he's not literally senile or suffering full blown dementia like you seem to think.

It's not that he's 81 Roma. Buffett is 93 can you compare them? It's simply that he has lost it. Some people remain sharp till they die. Others lose it much earlier. Biden is clearly in the 2nd category. As for whether he is full-on senile or not, how would I know? How do you know? Because his cronies tell you so? I mean if you believe Kamaliar and her bunch Biden is sharper than the sharpies and smarter than the smarties. Not too long ago they were telling the world he has a photographic memory. So, no I can't trust any of that and based on what I have seen I have every reason to suspect his senility quotient is pretty damn high.

[Laser101]

Biden is going into serious cognitive decline (duh, he's 81), and he should have never ran for a second term (allowing a primary), but he's not literally senile or suffering full blown dementia like you seem to think. Right now Biden just so happens to be giving a public speech about how he arranged the release of four American hostages from Russia with the cooperation of Germany and the German chancellor who was involved heavily in the negotiations with Biden. But by all means, keep using emojis instead of writing actual posts, Mister Self-Proclaimed Leftist.On that note, Trump seems to think Biden isn't too old anymore. LOL.Newsweek: "Trump Says Biden Wasn't 'Too Old' To Be President"

He has had memory and speech issues though. Although it should be noted that Trump isn't much better (and only 3 years younger). Frankly I'd say they're both far too old; the papacy explicitly omits cardinals over 80 from the papal election, and the US could probably use a similar rule.

[Coughdrop addict]

It's not that he's 81 Roma. Buffett is 93 can you compare them? It's simply that he has lost it. Some people remain sharp till they die. Others lose it much earlier. Biden is clearly in the 2nd category. As for whether he is full-on senile or not, how would I know? How do you know? Because his cronies tell you so? I mean if you believe Kamaliar and her bunch Biden is sharper than the sharpies and smarter than the smarties. Not too long ago they were telling the world he has a photographic memory. So, no I can't trust any of that and based on what I have seen I have every reason to suspect his senility quotient is pretty damn high.

And yet somehow the US under his leadership has brought Russia to it's knees so badly that they are releasing hostages in an attempt to curry favor. Putin must either be really stupid or emasculated (or both) in that case to allow this to happen. He didn't even notify his favorite lackey it was happening.

[Alastor]

And yet somehow the US under his leadership has brought Russia to it's knees so badly that they are releasing hostages in an attempt to curry favor. Putin must either be really stupid or emasculated (or both) in that case to allow this to happen. He didn't even notify his favorite lackey it was happening.

Those prisoners were exchanged, not "released". Also, from what I gather, even that exchange was mediated and facilitated by Turkey, so it was more a success of Turkish diplomacy than US diplomacy to begin with.

If all of Biden's successes are as imaginary and/or misrepresented as this one, it does explain a lot.

[Alastor]

Congratulations to ol' Joe for yet again making a mockery of American democracy and the office of the president. I'd say for one last time, but he still has a month and a half left so I guess he's not done. But this one is a doozy, I do wonder if he can top it. Hmm, maybe if he does manage to start WW3? Who knows, it's possible. Whatever the case, Biden's legacy is in tatters and as much as the dem-friendly media may try, if they still care to try that is, he will be remembered as one the worst presidents in US history.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjwl3venz39o

US President Joe Biden has issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases, despite previously ruling it out.
In a statement, the president said his son had been "singled out" and called his cases "a miscarriage of justice".

I guess it is now more clear than ever that the only crime those millions and millions of American languishing in prison have committed is that their daddy wasn't the president, in order to protect them from "miscarriages of justice".

[Legio_Italica]

It makes sense. High office was always a family business for the Bidens, and Hunter is the heir apparent since the Crown Prince died. There’d be no hope for Joe’s legacy if Hunter goes to prison. It was just a matter of time.

[Coughdrop addict]

You all thought you would put Hunter in prison, and then oh, how Joe would rue the day he crossed King Trump!

In case anyone has any question that Hunter's prosecution was 100% because Joe hurt Trump's tender little ego, here are some facts. Roger Stone had over $1,000,000 in back taxes and only had to pay fines. Hunter had $200,000 in back taxes, and Republican tried to jail him for it. He also bought a gun, like conservatives claim is a constitutional right that "shall not be infringed," unless a member of your family beat Trump at anything. Fox is working OT on the spin for their nonsense.

[Legio_Italica]

Hunter was convicted on 9 felony tax evasion charges related to 1.4 million in unpaid taxes and falsifying returns. Additional felony gun convictions related to his acquisition of a firearm while on illegal drugs. The DOJ was biased but it was the opposite of any sort of pro-Trump scheme (who wasn’t even in office when Hunter was convicted). IRS whistleblowers and the public recognized prosecutors and federal law enforcement did everything they could to protect the Bidens, especially Joe, and keep Hunter out of jail, including a sweetheart immunity deal under which he would avoid it entirely. When none of that worked out, dad finally stepped in to ensure he would face no consequences.

In any event, the most telling aspect of Joe’s eleventh hour rescue is that his pardon implies knowledge of other crimes Hunter may have committed. The wording indicates dad pardoned him not just for the above but for “any offenses he committed, may have committed or taken part in” for the past decade. This was the key period of time during which it was proven the Bidens raked in millions from foreign oligarchs and government connections, mostly through Hunters “businesses.” Joe lied repeatedly that he had no knowledge of or involvement in these dealings. One has to wonder why Joe would either assume or know that his son may have been involved in federal crimes during this time, and why he would include a preemptive pardon to account for this possibility if he were merely concerned that his son was targeted for unfair prosecution by his own DOJ. Just another one of those things we’ll never know.

[irontaino]

And just like that, conservatives were suddenly concerned about the president pardoning people close to him.

[PointOfViewGun]

And just like that, conservatives were suddenly concerned about the president pardoning people close to him.

Ba dum tss...

[Legio_Italica]

If you’re looking for whataboutism you’ll have to go back further than Trump. When it comes to blanket pardons like the kind Hunter got, think Ford pardoning Nixon or Bush Sr. covering up the Iran Contra scandal. The most recent example would be Clinton pardoning one of his donors who was also one of the FBI’s top ten most wanted fugitives. With that kind of precedent, the story isn’t the crimes Hunter was convicted of, it’s the ones his father is covering up.

[PointOfViewGun]

If you’re looking for whataboutism you’ll have to go back further than Trump. When it comes to blanket pardons like the kind Hunter got, think Ford pardoning Nixon or Bush Sr. covering up the Iran Contra scandal. The most recent example would be Clinton pardoning one of his donors who was also one of the FBI’s top ten most wanted fugitives. With that kind of precedent, the story isn’t the crimes Hunter was convicted of, it’s the ones his father is covering up.

The most recent example is Trump which is interesting that you try to avoid mentioning.

Here are the high-profile pardons and commutations Trump has granted during his presidency

Roger Stone: Trump announced on December 23 that he pardoned his longtime friend Stone, who was convicted of crimes that included lying to Congress in part, prosecutors said, to protect the President. Earlier in the year, the President commuted Stone’s prison sentence days before he was set to report to a federal prison in Georgia.

Charles Kushner: Trump announced on December 23 that he pardoned Charles Kushner, the father of the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The elder Kushner had served time over a decade ago after pleading guilty to 16 counts of tax evasion, one count of retaliating against a federal witness – his brother-in-law – and another count of lying to the Federal Election Commission.

Paul Manafort: Trump pardoned Manafort, his former 2016 campaign manager, on December 23. At the time, Manafort was serving the remainder of his 7.5 year prison sentence from home after being released earlier in the year due to concerns about potentially contracting the coronavirus. Manafort was convicted by a jury of tax and banking crimes in August 2018, then pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Margaret Hunter: Trump pardoned Margaret Hunter, the wife of former GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, on December 23, a day after he pardoned her husband. Margaret Hunter was sentenced in August to eight months of home confinement after pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds.

George Papadopoulos:Trump announced on December 22 that he had granted a pardon to Papadopoulos, a former 2016 campaign aide who pleaded guilty to lying to investigators during the Russia investigation.

Alex van der Zwaan:The Dutch lawyer who was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to lying to Mueller investigators was pardoned by Trump on December 22. Van der Zwaan spent almost a month in prison before being deported to Europe in June 2018.

Duncan Hunter: The former Republican congressman from California was pardoned by Trump on December 22. Hunter was sentenced earlier in the year to 11 months in prison and three years of supervised release related to his misuse of more than $200,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses.

Chris Collins: Trump pardoned Collins, a former Republican congressman from New York, on December 22. Collins pleaded guilty in October 2019 to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of making a false statement, and had been serving his 26-month prison sentence at the time of his pardon.

The list is too long to post it all here apparently. Sorry about that...

[mishkin]

If you’re looking for whataboutism you’ll have to go back further than Trump. When it comes to blanket pardons like the kind Hunter got, think Ford pardoning Nixon or Bush Sr. covering up the Iran Contra scandal. The most recent example would be Clinton pardoning one of his donors who was also one of the FBI’s top ten most wanted fugitives. With that kind of precedent, the story isn’t the crimes Hunter was convicted of, it’s the ones his father is covering up.

Thank god Trump is going to put an end to this type of behavior/legislation and fight for an American government and democratic system on par with the most advanced European democracies.

[Coughdrop addict]

Joe needs to go even further and proactively pardon anyone on Trump's enemies list, along with their extended families, even the children. Trump would no doubt try to have a preschooler jailed just to hurt their parent or grandparent if he could.

[Legio_Italica]

The most recent example is Trump which is interesting that you try to avoid mentioning.

No it isn’t and no I didn’t. Presidents pardon people close to them all the time - Biden is catching flak for it because he and his Administration repeatedly said he wouldn’t. The Trump pardons were for specific crimes, some based on his personal beliefs and others based on advocacy from third parties. All told, only the Bushes issued fewer pardons during their terms. Biden issued his son a blanket pardon, something that hearkens back to the most notorious cases of corruption in modern American history.

[Alastor]

And just like that, conservatives were suddenly concerned about the president pardoning people close to him.

It's nowhere near as funny as how suddenly the "liberals" don't care.

Biden just gave one the most expansive and downright suspect pardons I have ever seen. Yes it is worse than Clinton pardoning his brother, or Trump pardoning his daughter's father-in-law. At least both of those had served their sentences before being pardoned and they were also pardoned for specific crimes. Hunter was given a blank check, any crime convicted for or not, for 11 years, not 5 years, not 10, specifically 11, I wonder if there is anything significant about that number. Yet we have all those people claiming that Trump is the one abusing pardons now just saying that "turnabout is fair play" and they do that while still pretending they occupy the moral high ground. Honestly, it's that last bit that peeves me. I'm on neither side here and I believe both sides to be wildly corrupt, hell I believe this whole democracy thing to be a sham, but only one side keeps playing the "moral" card day in and day out and does so even after having just been caught with their fingers in the proverbial cookie jar.

Jon Stewart has collected a few nice clips of "moral democrats" and their claims, for those that want to have a chuckle:

[Laser101]

No it isn’t and no I didn’t. Presidents pardon people close to them all the time - Biden is catching flak for it because he and his Administration repeatedly said he wouldn’t. The Trump pardons were for specific crimes, some based on his personal beliefs and others based on advocacy from third parties. All told, only the Bushes issued fewer pardons during their terms. Biden issued his son a blanket pardon, something that hearkens back to the most notorious cases of corruption in modern American history.

Why does the presidential pardon still exist? It's basically just a holdover from European monarchies (IIRC the British monarch had a similar power).

[irontaino]

Trump: I'm going to use the FBI illegally to go after my enemies
Biden: Guess I'll pardon my son then cause F that noise
Conservatives: REEEEEEEEEEE!!1!!!

[Muizer]

And just like that, conservatives were suddenly concerned about the president pardoning people close to him.

More like "and just like that Trump is given carte blanche to pardon whoever he likes without having to contend with Democrats accusing him of cronyism". Stupid, selfish move. Must have thought, something like "I did the 'statesmanlike thing, the last time by withdrawing from the elections and what did it achieve? Not going to fall for that again."

[irontaino]

More like "and just like that Trump is given carte blanche to pardon whoever he likes without having to contend with Democrats accusing him of cronyism". Stupid, selfish move. Must have thought, something like "I did the 'statesmanlike thing, the last time by withdrawing from the elections and what did it achieve? Not going to fall for that again."

He was gonna do that anyway though, so not like it matters.