Biden / Harris Focused Discussion

[PfeffermintShake]

Now I'm secretly hoping Chelsea gets appointed somewhere. That will trigger the Clinton haters and other assorted misogynists for years.




Well it's not a secret anymore. I'm a co-founder for The People For Chelsea 2028.

[Benggaul]

Biden-Harris cabinet picks so far are highly predictable, highly safe and highly corporate democrat establishment. They'll do the job, but will anger progressives a lot. I would also be inclined to say that nothing dramatic is going to ever happen under this cabinet apart from things involving student debt, climate change. Which is fine. If they can get to work on those two, it's a great start. Apart from that I'm expecting a steady ship, and that is a-okay. Gradual change with systemic reform is way better than bang shoot, let's tear it all down and start again reform.

Meh. I'm a progressive and I'm fine with the picks so far. They are all competent people who are open to progressive ideas and have a chance of being approved by the Senate.

I'm not a "Very Online Progressive", however, so maybe I'm just more reasonable.

[Zan15]

SNIP

The stock market means little to the average person when it comes to keep their head above water and putting food on the table.

SNIP

Seriously, unless you've got a stock portfolio worth millions that you live off of, the performance of the stock market is fundamentally irrelevant to your lifestyle. In fact, it's arguably an inverse relationship, as higher stock prices generally mean the companies therein are becoming more profitable, and that's another word for "exploitative", in a capitalist system; if you're not worth multiple millions, you're part of that exploited population.

From a wealth perspective and a direct investment performance i would agree, but the stock market effects everything related to employment so it has a huge impact to the average person.

If a companies stock goes down the chance of layoffs, hour cuts, salary cuts, benefit reduction/elimination, etc etc happen. That is a huge impact to the average person.

Sure these things "can" happen even if the stock is going up like a rocket but they are less likely.

2008-2009 problems were compounded by companies reacting to the market crash by quickly laying off people which started a snowball of layoffs across the whole world.

[Omega10]

Biden-Harris cabinet picks so far are highly predictable, highly safe and highly corporate democrat establishment. They'll do the job, but will anger progressives a lot. I would also be inclined to say that nothing dramatic is going to ever happen under this cabinet apart from things involving student debt, climate change. Which is fine. If they can get to work on those two, it's a great start. Apart from that I'm expecting a steady ship, and that is a-okay. Gradual change with systemic reform is way better than bang shoot, let's tear it all down and start again reform.

I agree with this. The only word I would change is "anger progressives" to "disappoint progressives". In light of the huge number of people that voted for Trump, and specifically against any form of socialism, it will be very difficult for any aid to the middle class or working class be passed for at least the next 2 years. So corporate democrats that protect Wall Street and the bankers is about the best we'll get.

On a practical note, before we competently administer any NEW programs, we need to get the existing ones back to competent administration. Trump broke a lot of things that are not going to be so easy to fix. The idea that Trump had is 1) break the government, and then 2) rail against government spending because, after all, the government is so broken. He succeeded in number 1. The benefit that republicans will get is this intentional sabotage will prevent Biden from making things too much better over the next 2 years, which is the new campaign that Rubio has already started for the 2022 elections.

Republicans have already started the 2022 election. Their plan is to keep America from recovering from its problems and then blame it all on Biden. What I would hope from Biden is to work on fixing things little by little and make steady progress in improving the way things are in this country. Which also is the maximum amount of goodness that I think is realistically possible anyways for the US in the next 2 years.

[DingDongKing]

Meh. I'm a progressive and I'm fine with the picks so far. They are all competent people who are open to progressive ideas and have a chance of being approved by the Senate.

I'm not a "Very Online Progressive", however, so maybe I'm just more reasonable.

You're me.

[PACOX]

We could talk about his picks. Which is basically "Obama Part III - The Next Generation." Lots of former Deputy Directors under the Obama administration. Basically people that used to work closely with Biden. Not that I am complaining. Not sure the ultra progressive wing of the Democratic party will appreciate that.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/20...biden-nominees

For better or for worse the general population does not confirm the picks.

Lackluster and unfavorable picks foreshadow flipped chambers of Congress.

OMG the leftists are doom mongering again. Why can't they just fall in line

Safe picks are fine but Biden needs to be careful because everyone who isn't center-left (self proclaimed liberals) is going to be placing his picks under a microscope.

[Antiganon]

Do you like Austerity kids? Biden taps Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary. Here are some "thoughts" from Yellen...

I like you you just assume this means austerity, rather than new taxes.

[Theodarzna]

I like you you just assume this means austerity, rather than new taxes.

Given Janet Yellen's history suggests austerity is her inclination and her go to. She backed it in the past. If anything you might want to explain how she becomes a tax raising advocate given her whole history has been austerity.

[Elegiac]

Given Janet Yellen's history suggests austerity is her inclination and her go to. She backed it in the past. If anything you might want to explain how she becomes a tax raising advocate given her whole history has been austerity.

Do you ever get tired of blatantly lying? Because Yellen has been vocally critical of austerity as a policy in the past in both the US and Europe and has consistently been in support of both deficit spending as well as public investment for decades.

Once again we get that the goal here is pushing a both sides narrative which is why the minute Biden's electoral win became apparent y'all suddenly find the energy to be critical of the executive branch despite radio silence for the past four years on anything except complaining about Congressional Democrats or the DNC. /yawn

[Antiganon]

Given Janet Yellen's history suggests austerity is her inclination and her go to. She backed it in the past. If anything you might want to explain how she becomes a tax raising advocate given her whole history has been austerity.

Because Janet Yellen holds no elected office and doesn't get a say in what is passed by congress?

[Theodarzna]

Because Janet Yellen holds no elected office and doesn't get a say in what is passed by congress?

So we go from "Why do you assume she is an austerity freak?" to "Well she has no power".

[Antiganon]

So we go from "Why do you assume she is an austerity freak?" to "Well she has no power".

No, I went from "why do you assume her statement means there will be austerity" to "she has no power to implement austerity".

[Theodarzna]

No, I went from "why do you assume her statement means there will be austerity" to "she has no power to implement austerity".

Distinctions without differences. So, Janet, who has a history of austerity, working for a guy whose political career has featured austerity politics since its beginning, in an admin filled with Silicon Valley lobbyists, among other industry advocates, I'm supposed to believe both ISN'T for austerity, but also even if she is its not a big deal because she has no power.

Coolio.

[Elegiac]

So, Janet, who has a history of austerity

Citation needed.

working for a guy whose political career has featured austerity politics since its beginning, in an admin filled with Silicon Valley lobbyists, among other industry advocates, I'm supposed to believe both ISN'T for austerity, but also even if she is its not a big deal because she has no power.

Coolio.

Janet Yellen is neither Angela Merkel nor Hillary Clinton, despite your best efforts to conflate every major female political figure into the same neoliberal caricature. Also, where was this concern about austerity back in 2016 when you were busy making up nonsense about Schumer giving McConnell concessions for spying on Americans with your "citation" being an unrelated act about gene management?

[Antiganon]

Distinctions without differences. So, Janet, who has a history of austerity, working for a guy whose political career has featured austerity politics since its beginning, in an admin filled with Silicon Valley lobbyists, among other industry advocates, I'm supposed to believe both ISN'T for austerity, but also even if she is its not a big deal because she has no power.

Coolio.

How is it a distinction without difference?

You really think a Democratic House is going to back austerity measures?

What would they even cut? It's not like we have a particularly robust social safety net in the first place.

[Theodarzna]

How is it a distinction without difference?

You really think a Democratic House is going to back austerity measures?

What would they even cut? It's not like we have a particularly robust social safety net in the first place.

Yup, they've been for it since Clinton at least. Have you paid attention to the last thirty years at least?

[Antiganon]

Yup, they've been for it since Clinton at least. Have you paid attention to the last thirty years at least?

I mean one party is continually trying to expand social services while the other tries to cut them. The party pushing for spending cuts to pay for their tax cuts are not the Democrats.

[ati87]

Citation needed.



Janet Yellen is neither Angela Merkel nor Hillary Clinton, despite your best efforts to conflate every major female political figure into the same neoliberal caricature. Also, where was this concern about austerity back in 2016 when you were busy making up nonsense about Schumer giving McConnell concessions for spying on Americans with your "citation" being an unrelated act about gene management?

Not sure if comparing a women to Angela Merkel is such a insult, Angela Merkel made Germany the powerhouse it is today and she conquered Europe at the same time.

I wish my countries leader even owned a fraction of competence that Angele Merkel posses which isn't really asking to much. Angela Merkel is just a pragmatic person and knows to avoid BS frankly every leader should go to "The Merkel School of Governing".

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Yup, they've been for it since Clinton at least. Have you paid attention to the last thirty years at least?

Than I'm sure you will vote for "D" next time because there has only been one party in the US that believe tax cuts on top of spending cuts are the way to balance the budget because it will somehow magically grow the economy.

[JohnBrown1917]

Not sure if comparing a women to Angela Merkel is such a insult, Angela Merkel made Germany the powerhouse it is today and she conquered Europe at the same time.

I wish my countries leader even owned a fraction of competence that Angele Merkel posses which isn't really asking to much. Angela Merkel is just a pragmatic person and knows to avoid BS frankly every leader should go to "The Merkel School of Governing".

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Than I'm sure you will vote for "D" next time because there has only been one party in the US that believe tax cuts on top of spending cuts are the way to balance the budget because it will somehow magically grow the economy.

Because Merkel's austerity also caused a lot of problems with the lower classes in Both Germany and the countries Germany has put a lot of pressure on, like Greece.
I agree she is good at doing whats best for her idealogy, but its terrible if you care more about economic equality over the rich in your country gaining a ton more power.

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I mean one party is continually trying to expand social services while the other tries to cut them. The party pushing for spending cuts to pay for their tax cuts are not the Democrats.

Then how do you explain what Bill Clinton did?

[Felya]

Then how do you explain what Bill Clinton did?

What did Clinton do? Balanced the budget? Didn’t go to war over a World Trade Center bombing? Had a VP talking about climate change in the 90s? What are you talking about? Do you think HillaryCare was better than ACA?