Biden / Harris Focused Discussion

[DarkTZeratul]

If we had a time machine I would have Biden only pitched the bill after he had worked it out...

I'm confused; are you expecting that the President should write the bills and Congress should just rubber stamp them? Because that's not only a vast misunderstanding of how our government functions, but a gross violation of the separation of powers.

[DingDongKing]

I'm slowly starting to realise that America basically just gets what it asks for. The Virginia Gubernatorial race is a perfect microcosm of this.

Youngkin's platform is just a slightly watered down alt-right platform. He might be distancing himself from Trump, but he's got the usual hits. Transphobia, a small helping of homophobia, race-baiting by having issues with critical race theory, opposing abortion, you know the drill.

And he's leading. So ultimately, if the folk voting put such people in office across the country, what the fuck do you expect to happen?

The Manchin issue is just icing on the cake. He's the most powerful man in America. He might as well just move into the White House at this point.

[Draco-Onis]

I'm confused; are you expecting that the President should write the bills and Congress should just rubber stamp them? Because that's not only a vast misunderstanding of how our government functions, but a gross violation of the separation of powers.

The president set the agenda and the tone of how the bill will be pitched, most of what was in the bill came from his campaign promises. Now I am not sure why but Biden has been insisting on comparing himself to FDR and has framed the bill as such. You can't pitch your bill as "the new deal" and deliver better than nothing, it's bad messaging.

[Levelfive]

The president set the agenda and the tone of how the bill will be pitched, most of what was in the bill came from his campaign promises. Now I am not sure why but Biden has been insisting on comparing himself to FDR and has framed the bill as such. You can't pitch your bill as "the new deal" and deliver better than nothing, it's bad messaging.

It's still not assured, of course, but Democrats are poised to deliver close to $3 trillion in investment in the country--that's huge. That's a big fucking deal. Manchin and Sinema are gaping assholes and Dems are pretty terrible at messaging, but this stuff, even scaled back as it is, is going to be huge for the country. And as you well know, we have much much bigger problems in front of us. I think there's a good possibility that Republicans retake the House, name Trump Speaker (yes, for real), and they will then impeach Biden and Harris for whatever Trump made up in his head, but I think there's also a narrower possibility that we pick up a couple seats in the Senate, and, if they get this package done, put it behind us, and actually start to focus on the midterms...maaaaaybe? And then they can get more passed. I mean, that's all we can do at this point anyway.

Here's a quick breakdown of what is, isn't, and still may be in the bill: https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/stat...27380520439810

[Breccia]

Democrats are poised to deliver close to $3 trillion in investment in the country--that's huge.

Just like to point out: while Trump tried to get his Infrastructure Week going in August of his first year, slightly ahead of Biden,
a) I think COVID slowing things down was 100% expected, and
b) I don't think Biden's timeline will be delayed by a Nazi murdering one of his fellow Americans in broad daylight

[DarkTZeratul]

You can't pitch your bill as "the new deal" and deliver better than nothing, it's bad messaging.

You realize that most of FDR's New Deal didn't pass Congress either, right?

[Shadowferal]

The Law That Started the New Deal

n the evening of Mar. 9, 1933 at 8:30 pm Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Emergency Banking Relief Act into law. Passed just five days after his inauguration, the Act was the first piece of legislation in what would come to be called the New Deal, a series of 15 major bills passed into law during the first 100 days of his presidency.

Congress passed the bill swiftly, returning it to Roosevelt that same evening whereupon he signed it into law.

The law, also known as the Emergency Banking Act, allowed banks that were deemed sound to reopen in stages, provided for rehabilitation of unsound banks, expanded the President’s power over all banking functions, and effectively took the U.S. off the gold standard.

Roosevelt praised Congress for “patriotically” passing the new legislation, and assuring listeners that “it is safer to keep your money in a reopened bank than under the mattress.”

[Muzjhath]

You realize that most of FDR's New Deal didn't pass Congress either, right?

Don't forget that FDR was practically the only national voice in politics at the time talking directly to voters. His radio broadcasts were game-changers and did more than anything to get voters to pressure their reps and senators to pass the pieces that actually did pass congress.
He was the first president to utilise the radio in such a way, and I doubt any other federal level politician had any large audience outside of their district in any meaningful way all things considered aside from some very few.

These days it's not unique.

[Draco-Onis]

You realize that most of FDR's New Deal didn't pass Congress either, right?

I think my point was pretty obvious that you set the bar pretty high when you start comparing yourself to FDR, Biden is no FDR not even close.

[tehdang]

I'm slowly starting to realise that America basically just gets what it asks for. The Virginia Gubernatorial race is a perfect microcosm of this.

Youngkin's platform is just a slightly watered down alt-right platform. He might be distancing himself from Trump, but he's got the usual hits. Transphobia, a small helping of homophobia, race-baiting by having issues with critical race theory, opposing abortion, you know the drill.

Vanilla Romney-like candidate. He saw parents opposed to what teachers were teaching their kids (parents mad enough to show up to school board meetings and protest) and added the issue onto his platform.

The race represents McAuliffe and VA dem’s inability to tie him to Trump or extreme positions on the issues. Literally, he wouldn’t be coming in as governor if he was at all vulnerable on those fronts.

And he's leading. So ultimately, if the folk voting put such people in office across the country, what the fuck do you expect to happen?

The Manchin issue is just icing on the cake. He's the most powerful man in America. He might as well just move into the White House at this point.

The reason Manchin won’t go Republican is he’d be trading in all this power. He can get West Virginians what they want in bills because Democrats are fully reliant on his vote in a 50-50 Senate.

Biden has to start negotiating in good faith with Sinema and Manchin instead of trying to force them to bend to $3tril spending bills for the good of the party. It sounds like Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer have started to recognize this by cutting tons off of the reconciliation spending plan to make it more palatable to them. But seriously, it took Dem leadership around 4 months and counting to decide not to bully Dems into losing their seats in order to pass the thing.

[uuuhname]

Manchin can sign off on trillionS of dollars lost on tax cuts for the rich but can't stomach 3 trillion over ten years for fixing decrepit bridges and paid paternal leave because we should all care more about him than "the good of the party"... yeah cool we should all take a baseball bat to out knees while we're at it cuz the resident republican thinks that's a good idea.

[Themius]

New jersey is too close to call. High property taxes in one of the wealthiest states in the nation is why they claim it is swinging so Republican… so basically idiots. I mean we got lower sales taxes which affect more than just people who own fucking houses.

[eschatological]

Welp, midterms are going to be a bloodbath.

[Benggaul]

Welp, midterms are going to be a bloodbath.

*shrug* Often the case for the incumbent President. I think most of us already expect the House to go (both because of the scuffed Census and expanded gerrymandering), but I think there's still some hope to retain (and possibly expand upon) the Senate. Dems are going to have to squeeze as much as they can from the next year because it'll be a stalemate after that once again regardless.

[eschatological]

Dems have to pick up 2 seats to make Manchin/Sinema irrelevant. That'll be hard enough. Expanding on that is nigh on ridiculously optimistic.

House is done and dusted.

Jim Crow laws popping up everywhere.

I feel fairly certain The Grand Experiment is pretty much done, I think. It's been on life support for a good 20 years, and now it's literally...ugh. I wonder if it'll lead to an actual expatriate movement, like it did in the 1910s.

[DingDongKing]

It’s pretty evident that Biden’s entire Presidency is lining up to be a lame duck. It’s even worse when you consider that there is no real leadership to even put forward in 2024. The Dems are more and more becoming a centre right party with a left wing minority in the base. Which is why they’ll lose to the more aggressive hard right Reps, who are better at motivating their base to vote.

[Shadowferal]

Welp, midterms are going to be a bloodbath.

Now now..we just got reminded that a lot of states are split.

[DingDongKing]

Now now..we just got reminded that a lot of states are split.

It'll still end up being a bloodbath because the Dems are getting nothing done thanks to the Sinema/Manchin double attack.

[Draco-Onis]

It'll still end up being a bloodbath because the Dems are getting nothing done thanks to the Sinema/Manchin double attack.

I think the race that shows where we are at in politics is the one in Buffalo, both the RNC and DNC combining forces so that a progressive who won her primary wouldn't become mayor.

[DingDongKing]

I think the race that shows where we are at in politics is the one in Buffalo, both the RNC and DNC combining forces so that a progressive who won her primary wouldn't become mayor.

Oh yeah, it's a shitshow. But it's an endemic issue in the US. The entire structure is so pro-corporate, that there is little to no chance a progressive can actually properly take a foothold in the meaningful parts of the country. The 'liberal' areas are not progressive and pro-people.