UK's Boris Johnson takes Amtrak to Meet President at White House
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Dakota 400
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Thanks for posting this. Amtrak is a safe ride for the British PM, but not POTUS. Hmmm. (I do wish someone would buy PM Johnson a comb.
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jis
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Boris is from the UK and appears to support the British rail system in their unique haphazard way, which is more than we can say of what happens in reality in the US.
You want him to get rid of his identifying characteristics?Thanks for posting this. Amtrak is a safe ride for the British PM, but not POTUS. Hmmm. (I do wish someone would buy PM Johnson a comb.
JontyMort
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I am guessing it was Acela, imagine the security on that train on the ground and from the air.
https://wgnradio.com/news/political-news/glimpses-britains-johnson-rides-rails-to-meet-amtrak-joe/
Johnson hopped aboard an Amtrak train in New York City on Tuesday, after addressing the U.N. General Assembly, to get to a White House meeting with Biden.
“Amtrak Joe” — a nickname the president earned for his regular commutes — took note as the leaders exchanged pleasantries while opening their meeting in the Oval Office.
“You came down on Amtrak, is that right?” Biden said.
Johnson replied that he, in fact, did. “And you are a living deity on Amtrak, I can tell you,” he replied.
Biden joked that he has traveled so many miles on Amtrak — millions, he says an Amtrak conductor once told him — that “if I were a conductor I’d be No. 1 in seniority.”
https://wgnradio.com/news/political-news/glimpses-britains-johnson-rides-rails-to-meet-amtrak-joe/
Johnson hopped aboard an Amtrak train in New York City on Tuesday, after addressing the U.N. General Assembly, to get to a White House meeting with Biden.
“Amtrak Joe” — a nickname the president earned for his regular commutes — took note as the leaders exchanged pleasantries while opening their meeting in the Oval Office.
“You came down on Amtrak, is that right?” Biden said.
Johnson replied that he, in fact, did. “And you are a living deity on Amtrak, I can tell you,” he replied.
Biden joked that he has traveled so many miles on Amtrak — millions, he says an Amtrak conductor once told him — that “if I were a conductor I’d be No. 1 in seniority.”
neroden
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Well, if people were worried about assassinations on the train (the claimed, but ridiculous, excuse for why Biden doesn't take the train as President), Boris could go undercover by combing his hair and no assassin would ever recognize him.Boris is from the UK and appears to support the British rail system in their unique haphazard way, which is more than we can say of what happens in reality in the US.
You want him to get rid of his identifying characteristics?
The fact Biden not taking Amtrak right now s not his choice but Secret Service.
Politicians In Europe are much more main stream , the Dutch Prime Minister rides his bike to work and even children of the King bike to school .
Politicians In Europe are much more main stream , the Dutch Prime Minister rides his bike to work and even children of the King bike to school .
PerRock
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There was a picture posted by the PM's staff of him walking down a platform next to an Acela, so I would presume the same.
As for secutiry, the PM doesn't have/get anywhere close to as much theater as POTUS. I wouldn't be surprised, if they just had a car, or even a partial car set aside for him.
You consider that a ridiculous excuse?
Even in Canada. I once got very close to the Prime Minister once when he was leaving a hotel in downtown Montreal. I was just walking down the street. The PM just had a couple of cops with him as he walked out of the hotel and into a car. In comparison, I used to work along Pennsylvania Ave. in DC. If POTUS had a need to drive down the street, there was an imperial motorcade, with at least 10 cars, and a bunch of motorcycle escorts, and you couldn't even cross the street for 10 minutes before the motorcade passed. If you asked the cops about it, they were usually pretty rude and wouldn't admit anything about what was about to happen, even though it was obvious to anyone. This happened through several administrations, though I think it started sometime in 2001 or 2002. And for all this security theater, there have still been a number of security breaches at the White House itself.
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I was in Ottawa once on Canada Day and we were @ Parliment when the PM came out and walked around talking to people and shaking hands, posing for pictures etc.
He had a Security Guard with him, ( I believe it was a RCMP in Plain Clothes)and a couple of Aides, and he spent a couple of Hours doing this.
Not sure if this still happens what with Security Concerns and COVID Restrictions?
DonNewcomb
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Good for him. Of course, NYC-DC is actually viable by rail.
There are people/organization who would blow up the train station and everyone inside just for the chance to kill the POTUS. Any POTUS, not just Biden. The British PM no longer has that status.Thanks for posting this. Amtrak is a safe ride for the British PM, but not POTUS. Hmmm. (I do wish someone would buy PM Johnson a comb.
No one would recognize BJ if he combed his hair. Sort of like Trump in reverse.
Devil's Advocate
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I don't think concern over violence against American presidents is ridiculous at all. In some ways today's political discourse resembles the period that led up to the assassination of JFK and there is growing evidence we just barely avoided succumbing to a serious coup attempt thanks to Dan Quayle of all people.
Absolutely! The Secret Service overrules the President when it comes to his safety. Look at Bush on 9/11. He wanted to get back to Washington but they said no way! And it was several hours before he got there. Also look at the weeks of prep they had to do when Obama took a rail tour and even Bush Sr.'s funeral train. The Service also moves "The Beast" limousines both of them and about 30 other vehicles wherever the President travels. I think the last President to just take a stroll without a contingent of security through town was Truman.
neroden
Engineer
Seriously, none of the organized groups who might want to assassinate Biden want Kamala Harris to be President, which would be the result. The inauguration, when both of them might have been simultaneous targets, was a real risk.
Boris Johnson may even be more at risk, because there's no succession system and it would lead straight to a Parliamentary fight in a Tory party which is very much disunified. He'd be replaced by Dominic Raab in the short term, maybe, but even that's not certain.
They seemed to have perfectly reasonable security protocols for Johnson on the train, which would work fine for Biden. (Biden and Harris should never be travelling together, obviously.)
The theater surrounding the President -- a lot of it isn't security. And places they need security, they're not doing it.
I mean, they just let Bolsonaro and his health minister commit a bioterrorist attack on Biden; they're in the same hotel, in the same meetings, and hanging around near him with badly-fitting masks (and maskless when they think they can get away with it), and we know the health minister is infected with Covid-19. They openly refused to follow NY health regulations, but were mysteriously allowed in the country anyway.
Biden was vaccinated with Pfizer way back in January, meaning the effect of the second shot has mostly worn off -- he's in the age bracket where he should get the third shot, and maybe he has, but he's still substantially at risk due to his age.
So the Secret Service isn't addressing direct threats, but they are claiming they can't let the President take the train. This is nonsense.
Bill Clinton went jogging regularly, accompanied by the Secret Service, and usually a bunch of reporters. He told them "I'm going jogging, and you have to deal with it". The President decides his safety protocols, NOT the Secret Service; Biden is clearly going along with whatever the Secret Service suggests, but at the moment I'm not impressed with the results.
Boris Johnson may even be more at risk, because there's no succession system and it would lead straight to a Parliamentary fight in a Tory party which is very much disunified. He'd be replaced by Dominic Raab in the short term, maybe, but even that's not certain.
They seemed to have perfectly reasonable security protocols for Johnson on the train, which would work fine for Biden. (Biden and Harris should never be travelling together, obviously.)
The theater surrounding the President -- a lot of it isn't security. And places they need security, they're not doing it.
I mean, they just let Bolsonaro and his health minister commit a bioterrorist attack on Biden; they're in the same hotel, in the same meetings, and hanging around near him with badly-fitting masks (and maskless when they think they can get away with it), and we know the health minister is infected with Covid-19. They openly refused to follow NY health regulations, but were mysteriously allowed in the country anyway.
Biden was vaccinated with Pfizer way back in January, meaning the effect of the second shot has mostly worn off -- he's in the age bracket where he should get the third shot, and maybe he has, but he's still substantially at risk due to his age.
So the Secret Service isn't addressing direct threats, but they are claiming they can't let the President take the train. This is nonsense.
Bill Clinton went jogging regularly, accompanied by the Secret Service, and usually a bunch of reporters. He told them "I'm going jogging, and you have to deal with it". The President decides his safety protocols, NOT the Secret Service; Biden is clearly going along with whatever the Secret Service suggests, but at the moment I'm not impressed with the results.
Dan Quayle? Please elaborate.
Devil's Advocate
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More accurately, *his* haphazard way…
With knobs on
Boris is from the UK and appears to support the British rail system in their unique haphazard way, which is more than we can say of what happens in reality in the US.
You want him to get rid of his identifying characteristics?
No, let him keep his identifying characteristics, just get rid of him.
Don't mind me, just had a bad day
