The Complete History of the Biden Adminstration has Now Been Written. When Will it be Published?

[Sunstone]

Now would be the time for him to act, because it will probably never be easier to build and harness bipartisan American support and demand to get rid of the massive influence of money in politics.

Sanders has repeatedly demonstrated he has bi-partisan support from the people. I even met a number of 'bi-partisan' Sanders supporters the night they voted right alongside me in the 2016 Colorado Caucus. They told me they would vote for Trump in the General if Sanders was not running.

Sanders can get bi-partisan support from the people easy enough, but he cannot afford to give the Republicans in the Senate more than a single chance to cross the aisle. And he certainly cannot be as accommodating as Schumer is.

Schumer has been in the Senate for how many years now? He still thinks the best negotiating tactic is to surrender at once without even being asked in the hope that by doing so, he'll make himself so attractive to the Republicans they'll want to do something for him.

Notice how those $2000 stimulus checks folks have been calling for somehow never made it the table? They were reduced to $1400 by the time they reached the starting gate. What's your bet at what amount they'll end up as if and when they reach the finish line?

2022 mid-terms are going to be happy times all over again for the Republicans at this rate.

To be honest, Schumer knows his negotiating tactic is bound to fail. That's why he sticks with it. Check out who donates to his campaign.

 

[Friend of Mara]

Strictly by numbers, yes. But Obama had a firm hold on Congress and yet many Dems were opposed him. It can, and seems likely, to be something that Biden will face.

which is why I added the caveat that if it was a united front.

 

[Sunstone]

They have 51 votes which is a majority. Removing filibuster rules as is would end most of the republican options of blocking legislation.

Maybe. But how are you going to get removing the filibuster past the Senate's two most 'conservative' Democrats, both of whom have gone on record stating they are fully committed to voting against it?

Any more roadblocks you see?

 

[Friend of Mara]

Maybe. But how are you going to get removing the filibuster past the Senate's two most 'conservative' Democrats, both of whom have gone on record stating they are fully committed to voting against it?

Any more roadblocks you see?

Didn't say it was likely. Said it was possible.

 

[sun rise]

he hasn't mentioned upping minimum wage for the least off.

You missed new stories about that - which requires Congress to act:

https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/careers/salaries/602086/biden-proposes-15-minimum-wage

 

[sun rise]

As far as healthcare goes, Biden can and has reopened the ACA to people to sign up which he could do quickly. What he wants to do again requires Congress.

Personally he's been in office only a few days - way WAY WAY too soon to start attacking him because he's not done this or that.

 

[The Hammer]

Maybe. But how are you going to get removing the filibuster past the Senate's two most 'conservative' Democrats, both of whom have gone on record stating they are fully committed to voting against it?

Any more roadblocks you see?

 

[Father Heathen]

Asides from the pandemic efforts, Biden has really done nothing more than bestow the spoils of war upon core Left/likely to vote Dem anyways groups. I really like some of the stuff he's done, but he hasn't mentioned upping minimum wage for the least off. Nothing on healthcare. And though he's renomalizing relations with other countries, he hasn't and probably won't seek repatriation of US dollars just sitting in offshore accounts (and if, certainly not without generous tax breaks for it), amd he probably won't renormalize Democrat relations to working, blue collar and pro-union America. It's mostly flyover country, but it wasn't always Trumpland. (Such as Indiana, which hasn't actually been a solid Red state for that long).

Once upon a time, a lot of rural, blue collar working class folk (my family included) voted Dem due to belonging to labor unions.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Once upon a time, a lot of rural, blue collar working class folk (my family included) voted Dem due to belonging to labor unions.

That was basically what it was where I grew up. But now it's solid red and a sea of Trump flags.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

As far as healthcare goes, Biden can and has reopened the ACA to people to sign up which he could do quickly. What he wants to do again requires Congress.

Personally he's been in office only a few days - way WAY WAY too soon to start attacking him because he's not done this or that.

This is the time to push for universal medicaid, as well as pushing to end the strong tethers attaching insurance to where you work. COBRA benefits that aren't a joke is something else people need, and need it now.

 

[ChristineM]

I'm confident most of us will think what I'm getting at is premature, doubtful, and at any rate, stated too theatrically. I most certainly would myself in normal circumstances.

I have never paid so much attention to Washington as I have in recent weeks, and so I have never been in a position to think things have already been decided even close to this early in an administration.

To be clear, barring something important changes on the order of Trump becoming a Buddha, I'm guessing the complete history of Biden's positive accomplishments in the next four years can already be summarized as "Nothing got done that for most people that changed their lives for the better." That's the spirit of it.

Obviously, some of us are going to be clueless I'm not trying to state the letter of it. This is RF, after all. The Staff long ago put in place a workable contingency plan to survive the first 15 minutes of the Apocalypse in order to dutifully see to it that God agrees to the Forum rules before logging on.

So here's my question. Can you give me any good reason why Biden can now realistically expect to get his measures through Congress in any shape to change things for the better for most people?

Now this might be worth noting. Don't expect any argument from me over anything. Even if you want to go on record saying you don't think I know what I'm talking about, I'm very unlikely to argue for or against your conclusion. I might ask some questions to help me get a better understanding of what you said, but even then, not unless you said something that struck me as a relevant point I had not already thought of.

I'd really appreciate your help here if you're wiling to take a moment to think through what you want to say and thus give yourself a chance to say something reasonably to the point.

As for what evidence I used to form my conclusions, that's too much to go into here. But not more than a few details came from private sources. Almost everything I'm going on is open, easily found, and available to anyone. I'm afraid that posting any of it here would merely distract attention from my question.

I am optimistic in a way. I hope I still suck at making predictions. I sure have now and then in the past. Even now I'm not sure why I have never seen the return on investment that nice man guaranteed would be mine for having the foresight to invest heavily in his glueless ball bearing factory. What can possible make more sense than to be the first to come out with ball bearings that outperform any bearings the world has ever seen because THEY don't have any glue on them?

I am reliably informed that the Biden administration have recently placed a large order with Digi-key electronics inc. for a bulk delivery of the very latest, all singing, all dancing electronic magic wand

 

[Sunstone]

I am reliably informed that the Biden administration have recently placed a large order with Digi-key electronics inc. for a bulk delivery of the very latest, all singing, all dancing electronic magic wand

So there is a realistic measure of hope left to us after all!

My faith in alternative reality has been abundantly restored. I'm off to play the lottery! No need to wish me luck, Christine. I just now learned I already have all I'll ever need.

 

[Sunstone]

I suspect that it will take four years (or more) to fix all that Trump broke.

Will fixing all that Trump broke put us on a sustainable path to improving most people's lives?

 

[Sunstone]

There will be no real progress as long as the conditions that made a Trump presidency a possibility still hold influence.

To clarify, do you think there will need to be any far-ranging changes in our traditions, culture, social contract, or other fundamental things in order to make 'progress', and does 'progress' mean to you that most people's lives will improve?

 

[joe1776]

I think that...

the American government is like an 18th Century stagecoach up to its hubs in a swamp. Trump drove it right; Biden will turn it around and drive it left. But it's still a stagecoach up to its hubs in a swamp.

Draining the swamp would help, but it's still a stagecoach. Minor repairs would help, but we really should be getting on with the designing and testing of a new vehicle to replace it.

 

[VoidCat]

The Staff long ago put in place a workable contingency plan to survive the first 15 minutes of the Apocalypse in order to dutifully see to it that God agrees to the Forum rules before logging on.

I am so glad that if the apocalypse happens I'd be able to long in the first 15 minutes to say oh crap! Its the apocalypes! Then I could message God and say its all his fault.

 

[ecco]

I'd really appreciate your help here if you're wiling to take a moment to think through what you want to say and thus give yourself a chance to say something reasonably to the point.

Why ask us to "think through" our comments when you state without much apparent thought...

I'm guessing the complete history of Biden's positive accomplishments in the next four years can already be summarized as "Nothing got done that for most people that changed their lives for the better."

 

[Brickjectivity]

Immediate $2000 stimulus checks poll at 80% support from Americans on both sides of the aisle. They were also promises made by both Democrats who won the Georgia Senate elections, and were almost the only promises those Senators ran on. Safe to say, they'd be popular.

What do you think introducing a clean bill for $2000 checks might do, both in terms of increasing Democrat's chances of reelection in 2022, and in politically damaging anyone, right or left, who voted against them?

Second, and more important, would passage in any way help Biden get the rest of his agenda through Congress?

Clean bill means the checks would be the sole issue voted on.

There is more to it than a deal. The republic has fears that only a president can mitigate. When he makes people feel like we understand what is going on, then we feel that we know what to do. That is Joe Biden's advantage. He can take the confusion and decrease it, direct it, settle it using his popularity, his state of the union address. He is the only Democrat in the country that a Republican might be tempted to listen to. He can do what no senator or congressman can. Can he get any Republicans to listen? In particular can he get poor and uneducated Republicans to listen?

I don't understand how the government can issue 2000$ checks. It sounds suspicious. Where is the 2000$ coming from? Why won't this bankrupt the country? You know if the Democrats are coming up with it, it can't be good!

Why should I be interested in Joe Biden's speeches? Isn't it just more talk? If he can get me to listen, then he has a chance to impact reelection. Then if he can anticipate my confusion and fears he can be devastating. His problem is that I don't trust him (hence not listening), but his advantage is that I am looking for answers. $2000 I may desire, but it doesn't sway me. I need to know what the hell is going on.