Joe Biden resigns from the Presidential race.

win

Macadia

I loved Barack Obama's letter about this: barackobama.medium.com/my-statement-on-president-bidens-announcement-1eb78b3ba3fc

Just beautiful, what a lovely statement for him to read.

Quote Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama endorsed Kamala Harris’s presidential bid Friday, lending their support in the most notable sign yet of the vice president’s rapid consolidation of the Democratic Party.
The endorsement from the Obamas came at the end of Harris’s first week since becoming the party’s expected nominee in the aftermath of President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race against his GOP rival.

Lovely news!

Well, I hope it's easy and sends you cash back!
🤞

No, it’s EZ, followed by a number, which in American is pronounced EeeZee (a pun, as you said) on easy). We don’t get one of those any more. They’ve changed the forms we have to use, and I don’t know if it’s because we’re both now retired, or if it’s for all overseas taxpayers

The long form, Siope is^long^.
It makes no sense to me that one should give different results to the other. It means that someone who struggles with forms will always choose the EZ (ee) one and may pay more tax.

I hope your long format form turns out to be good for you.
I've never heard of anyone being told not to use the short form before.

Is the short form actually called "ee"?

I had the hang of the EZ(ee) forms, and then when I reached retirement age, they told me to file something else! I was not amused.

We didn't earn a lot when we lived in America as we went over on an awards programme so my husband could undertake postgraduate study.

We were advised by friends to fill in both the EZ ?(easy?) form and the "full" form and see if one was better for us than the other and then submit that one!
I thought that was stupid but it worked!

When we came back we got a payout from the tax office even though we hadn't paid in.

I ought to be shocked, but I’m not. Their income tax system is arcane and incredibly inefficient.

Siope when he moved (back) to America as an adult he had to prove his income from birth!
He moved to the UK at 7 months!

There are various reasons , including that, laziness, the bureaucracy, laziness, not knowing where they can register…

I believe the fact that the US is one of the very few countries to have double taxation (that is, it taxes US citizens on income earned and already taxed elsewhere, above a set annual threshold) is a big part of why folk do and don’t vote. You have to figure ke tax returns every single year.

Some Americans, especially those who are sure they are never going home, stop filing tax returns and think voting will alert HMRC; others, like us, who file patiently every year, whether we reach the threshold (and are double taxed) or not (no US tax hurray) think taxation damn well = representation, so vote for everything from the local school board to the President.

My son has the right to vote here - but no longer lives here. He knows it may affect him longer term but feels he has "no right" to do it having been away more than 10 years. He will vote where his home is.

I would think that many Americans living elsewhere feel as he does.

Thanks Dickens. There are almost 3 million US voters living overseas, and very few vote - although Trump galvanised overseas Democrats last time, so let’s hope that is replicated.

Overseas voting is a tedious process, including having to print and post initial registration forms (sometimes annually, depending on the state), then request and return ballots (which are a lot more comprehensive than here), and different states have different processes and dates. Some States still think sending papers electronically means doing so by fax!

My husband votes a straight Democrat ticket, but for years voted Republican for his Town Clerk. She was extremely helpful in helping him understand the process way back before it was electronic, so as long as she stood, he voted for her.

Rekarie

I had amended that comment last night win. Sky news had claimed he wasn't them 5 minutes later had changed their mind

*WWM2, good old Sky news. Breaking news that he isn't endorsing her then 5 minutes later he is*

Yes thank you I have now read all 7 pages with interest, it is hard to find the time, but how can anyone miss all this, it is absolutely frightening but also so interesting to follow.

Siope

*Dickens*, his base isn’t that big. It’s the ‘swing’ voters, the young, those currently feeling disinclined to vote Democrat because of Gaza, and so on that Democrats need to win (win back, in some cases).

My concern is that there aren’t any Democrats with enough ‘brand recognition’ to mobilise the vote in such a short time. I shall be working as hard as I know how to get every Democrat in the UK to vote.

My concern is that there aren’t any Democrats with enough ‘brand recognition’ to mobilise the vote in such a short time.

That struck me, too - but I couldn't articulate it as well as you have.

It's interesting that you've said his (Trump's) base isn't that big, because the media coverage tends to make one believe the opposite. I suppose if I read more widely, I'd probably be better informed!

The Gaza issue is certainly affecting voter choice though I think - here as well as the USA.

I believe Biden's resignation has certainly changed the dynamics of this 'race'; the attempted murder of Trump - shocking though it is - led some of us to think that it had handed the presidency to him because of his almost instantaneous show of defiance which, I have to say, in the face of what could have been his fate, but for an inch or so, was quite remarkable.

Good luck with your campaigning!

Macadia

I loved Barack Obama's letter about this: barackobama.medium.com/my-statement-on-president-bidens-announcement-1eb78b3ba3fc

Just beautiful, what a lovely statement for him to read.

Rekarie

I've just read that Bill and Hilary are endorsing Kamala.

This might be true or not.

Yes I too read that last night

I had amended that comment last night win. Sky news had claimed he wasn't them 5 minutes later had changed their mind

WWM2, good old Sky news. Breaking news that he isn't endorsing her then 5 minutes later he is

win - endorsements continue, waiting for the Obamas

Rekarie

Biden is refusing to endorse Kamala.

That is not what I read on the BBC news last night, it said Biden WAS endorsing her but others were not.

He should have done it months ago

Whitewavemark2

Anyone thought what might happen if Trump looses and the immediate aftermath😲. I hope the security services are preparing for this eventuality.

I think there might be a few of us wondering about that.

Considering what happened last time - of course it's going to be on people's minds.

One thing is fairly obvious about Trump - he does not take kindly to criticism and his reaction verges on the fanatical - he's quite vicious about his detractors, often making personal remarks about them. He frequently sounds and reads (Truth Social) like a disgruntled child having a tantrum, rather than a mature politician.

(I'm talking about political criticism though, not the very personal remarks about his hair, skin tone, etc, etc.)

Losing the presidency again, would be very very difficult for him to accept. In fact, I don't think he would accept it.

Pammie1

Whitewavemark2

NotSpaghetti

Wyllow3 I think his ear was just cut by a piece of broken plastic?

Has there been a report about it?

Yep. They thought a piece of the autocue had pierced his ear to begin with but the bullet grazed his ear.

Thanks for that.

Trump took a bullet for America apparently😡

The poor devil that died certainly did.

Whitewavemark2

NotSpaghetti

Wyllow3 I think his ear was just cut by a piece of broken plastic?

Has there been a report about it?

Yep. They thought a piece of the autocue had pierced his ear to begin with but the bullet grazed his ear.

winterwhite

Does anyone know whether KH is strong enough to know her own weaknesses and will listen and take advice about a running mate? If she’s able to ignore tTrump’s personal attacks and pounds back about his age she could unnerve him.

I think maybe his age is something she should give a wide berth to, given what’s just happened with her boss !!

The bullet grazed his ear apparently.

NotSpaghetti

Wyllow3 I think his ear was just cut by a piece of broken plastic?

Has there been a report about it?