The Biden Presidency

[Stavros]

A more general view must first accept that most of what has happened in Biden's first year is about next year and the years ahead. This is because every President inherits the policy commitments and the economic decisions of his predecessor, so much of the problem, with inflation, for example, is Trump's legacy, as is also true of his tax policy.

What stands out for me is the attempt Biden is making to be bold in his agenda for economic success via the Infrastructure Bill which intends to create jobs through the repair and regeneration of the USA's physical infrastructure. Most Americans will agree this is long overdue, yet such is the partisan war in Congress the Republicans seem determined to cripple it before it even gets a chance to get started. Who benefits from that?

Most worrying of all is the apparent problems Biden has in producing a comprehensive agreement on Voting, as this is emerging as one of the defining issues of Trump's legacy and is so saturated in America's problem of Race it is incredible that anyone can deny the existence of Institutional Racism in the USA.

For the key purpose behind the attempts in various States to 'reform' their voting system is simple: STOP BLACK PEOPLE VOTING. It is a matter of fact that the 1890 Act in Mississippi that first denied the vote to anyone convicted and imprisoned of a crime has been amended, but never repealed, and that in its origins, it was explicit in its attempt to STOP BLACK PEOPLE VOTING.

"The Mississippi officials met in the heat of summer with a singular goal in mind: stopping Black people from voting.
“We came here to exclude the Negro,” said the convention’s president. “Nothing short of this will answer.” " (My emphasis in Bold)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ericans-voting

In addition, the Trump-Inspired campaign against Democracy draws into its orbit other Minorities, for the simple reason that the Republican Party has given up trying to appeal to them, even though most immigrants are natural conservatives who don't want the benefit of Federal or State aid to get by, thus begging the question: Is the Republican Party a Conservative Party?

That the US in 2022 has so many States determined to take away the right to vote, while the Biden Presidency appears to be struggling to protect, even to extend it, underlines the Legitimacy Crisis that is threatening to break the Union. That prominent supporters of Trump simply refuse to appear before the House Committee investigating the attack on the US on Jan 6 2021 emphasis the cleavage that has opened up, with elected officials expressing nothing more than contempt for the political system they have sworn oaths to protect and defend.

That said, while Biden's domestic agenda is tame by my standards, I think it has long term benefits for the US, but only if it gets through, and the money is invested with the intention of making that Infrastructure plan actually do something, or it will be a permanent What If? And the bridges fall down.

As for the Debt, Covid, and foreign policy issues, it is too early to tell.

What I don't know as I don't live there, is what ending the Filibuster means -is it just a voting procedure that benefits the largest party in Congress, or does it have a deeper meaning?

[Nick Danger]

Really. Can you give us a list of measures which suddenly deterioriated to their worst levels in 50 years?

According to the latest data annual GDP growth was 4.9% and the unemployment rate was 3.9%, so that can't be it.
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/indicators

Murders have risen, but that started in 2020 and they are still well below levels of 30 years ago, so that can't be it.

Covid deaths are still lower than under Trump, and anyway you don't care about them, so that can't be it.

The only measure that might qualify seems to be the inflation rate, but that was higher in the 1980s.

The truly fucked-up thing is that two-thirds of Republicans refuse to accept the election result and want to purge anyone who disagrees, but that is something we can blame the ex-President for.

Are you going to put up, or just dodge and deflect in your usual chicken-shit way? Here's the rule: no question you put will be answered unless you provide the evidence for your assertion.

[I moved this from the covid thread because it's obviously off-topic.]

Your casual approach to inflation and murder is encouraging, Flighty. I've been thinking those were very serious issues but I guess it's no big deal, just depends on whether you speak about it in a laissez faire tone or put an exclamation point at the end of the sentence I suppose. Biden and Harris have both said that the problems aren't the problems themselves, but Americans' attitude toward the problems - i.e., how dare businesses keep their profit margins the same when they should be biting the bullet with their customers! And the murder rates are the same in places where murder has never been a problem!

We've got major cities that now serve as haven cities for property criminals. We've got supply chain issues that are so widespread, I can't buy strawberries at a store that's less than 10 miles from the self-proclaimed Strawberry Capitol of the World. Hell, I can't even get gravy on my biscuits anymore! IN TENNESSEE! The store I go to for coffee in the morning was closed yesterday because of staffing problems. Most of the restaurants in this town are closed permanently. But as Vice-President Harris so insightfully pointed out, the crux of the supply chain issue is really that spoiled people are angry about delays in their treadmill deliveries.

We have a President spoiling for war with Russia to bring his approval rating up to nominal - a President, BTW, whose new agenda, now that his old agenda has been laughed out of Congress, is to give the vote to mannequins. That's right, Flighty, he wants to let mannequins vote. Just because they aren't citizens, and aren't human, and aren't alive doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to vote! That's hyperbole BTW, Flighty, I wouldn't want you to spend too much of your time debunking that statement. It's close enough to the truth to be unfunny though. This is the big new important thing now - voting rights issues. We NEED voting from our illegal immigrants, who are now being illegally funneled across the border by the thousands to haven cities all around the country by the current administration. What's the point of even doing that if they can't vote? Wonder how they'll vote? Are they program voters you think?

I could go on, Flighty but I'm not going to. I didn't ask you any fucking questions I need an answer to anyway. Talk, don't talk, it's all the same nonsense.

Your people are in power, Flighty. The bright new day they promised didn't arrive with them. You, and they, have no defense. There are ZERO social programs even on Biden's agenda. Not that he could do shit now, anyway, he's conclusively demonstrated to the American public that he only cares about revenge on people who have "wronged" him, getting federal money to people who have funded him, and now trying to federally game the electoral system by acting (very poorly BTW) as if we are experiencing some kind of voting problem. He's the worst President in U.S. history and I really don't give a fuck what you have to say about him, or the problems of the USA, or anything. You're a dupe, Flighty, a self-propelled liberal mouthpiece. Every bit of information you have is from the liberal media, I seriously doubt you've ever even been to the USA.

[tslvr]

Why don't we just look at the Biden presidency for what it is at this point, an abject failure. That's not a left or right perspective, that's a correct perspective. He said he'd be a unifier, he hasn't. He said he would wipe out covid, he hasn't( he should have said he would learn how to treat covid, viruses don't go away if they can survive on an animal host.) Inflation is very real, prices are up everywhere. Borders are not protected, illegals coming by the thousands. Our nation has always been at it's best with a slightly left of center social agenda and leaning center right on the economic front. Dark money from unelected oligarchs and an out of control beauracracy is out of control both left and right.

[Nick Danger]

A more general view must first accept that most of what has happened in Biden's first year is about next year and the years ahead. This is because every President inherits the policy commitments and the economic decisions of his predecessor, so much of the problem, with inflation, for example, is Trump's legacy, as is also true of his tax policy.

Stavros, I'm aware that Presidents of the USA inherit messes from their predecessors, though I recall in this very forum that this is a taboo argument when it's made in favor of a Republican. Still, no President inherited a bigger mess than Barack Obama and look what he was able to accomplish. He came in right behind the biggest market crash in history and not only revitalized the economy, he simultaneously advanced his social agenda to an unprecedented degree as well. So let's not act as if it can't be done. It simply can't be done by Joe Biden and his congressional majority, because he's a dunce.

What stands out for me is the attempt Biden is making to be bold in his agenda for economic success via the Infrastructure Bill which intends to create jobs through the repair and regeneration of the USA's physical infrastructure. Most Americans will agree this is long overdue, yet such is the partisan war in Congress the Republicans seem determined to cripple it before it even gets a chance to get started. Who benefits from that?

I know you took the holidays off from posting and then the trip to Germany, Stavros, but this reads like it was written in October. The Infrastructure Bill passed, no one is trying to cripple it, no one can cripple it, it's the law of the land now. It's the Build Back Better Bill that got smashed when Biden couldn't marshal his razor-thin congressional majority into a cohesive voting bloc. A reflection, BTW, of his razor-thin mandate to bridge partisan gaps and give Americans a little peace from Trump's constant bluster; as opposed to doubling down on partisanship and trying to bridge the gap between capitalism and socialism. Thank God there are still moderate liberals who saw the BBB for what it was - a giant leap in the wrong direction.

Most worrying of all is the apparent problems Biden has in producing a comprehensive agreement on Voting, as this is emerging as one of the defining issues of Trump's legacy and is so saturated in America's problem of Race it is incredible that anyone can deny the existence of Institutional Racism in the USA.

For the key purpose behind the attempts in various States to 'reform' their voting system is simple: STOP BLACK PEOPLE VOTING. It is a matter of fact that the 1890 Act in Mississippi that first denied the vote to anyone convicted and imprisoned of a crime has been amended, but never repealed, and that in its origins, it was explicit in its attempt to STOP BLACK PEOPLE VOTING.

"The Mississippi officials met in the heat of summer with a singular goal in mind: stopping Black people from voting.
“We came here to exclude the Negro,” said the convention’s president. “Nothing short of this will answer.” " (My emphasis in Bold)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ericans-voting

In addition, the Trump-Inspired campaign against Democracy draws into its orbit other Minorities, for the simple reason that the Republican Party has given up trying to appeal to them, even though most immigrants are natural conservatives who don't want the benefit of Federal or State aid to get by, thus begging the question: Is the Republican Party a Conservative Party?

That the US in 2022 has so many States determined to take away the right to vote, while the Biden Presidency appears to be struggling to protect, even to extend it, underlines the Legitimacy Crisis that is threatening to break the Union. That prominent supporters of Trump simply refuse to appear before the House Committee investigating the attack on the US on Jan 6 2021 emphasis the cleavage that has opened up, with elected officials expressing nothing more than contempt for the political system they have sworn oaths to protect and defend.

That said, while Biden's domestic agenda is tame by my standards, I think it has long term benefits for the US, but only if it gets through, and the money is invested with the intention of making that Infrastructure plan actually do something, or it will be a permanent What If? And the bridges fall down.

As for the Debt, Covid, and foreign policy issues, it is too early to tell.

What I don't know as I don't live there, is what ending the Filibuster means -is it just a voting procedure that benefits the largest party in Congress, or does it have a deeper meaning?

You're right, Stavros, that in 1890 people were trying to stop blacks from voting. I'm not sure where you're going with that, that was less than 25 years after the abolition of slavery. No one is stopping blacks from voting now. If you're black and you want to vote NOW, the Democratic National Committee will show up at your house in a limousine and serve you caviar and champagne on the way to the polling booth. That's an exaggeration but it's not so far from the truth, Democrats do shuttle blacks to voting sites - mostly unnecessary since voting sites are set up in their own neighborhoods. Which is absolutely fine with everyone. Except the KKK I suppose. But I don't know any of those guys and I've spent a good part of my life in the American South. I don't think America is like you visualize it, Stavros.

There is no voting crisis here. Everyone knows they get to vote. Show me one person in the USA who says they are having problems voting and I'll show you a quadriplegic swamp dweller. It's a totally fabricated issue by the Democrats, their main agenda is getting the illegal immigrant vote passed, which makes about as much sense as a box of rocks. It's an attempt at an electoral crime. It won't succeed. If Krysten Sinema doesn't stop it, Joe Manchin will.

The filibuster thing is simply an effort by the Democrats to bypass legislative procedure. Normally they'd need a 60-40 majority to invoke what's called the Cloture Rule, which ends a filibuster - a long rambling speech which effectively delays a vote until the session is over so it cant be voted on. But by using what is commonly known as "The Nuclear Option," they can bypass a filibuster with a simply majority and force a vote. It's been done twice, once by the Democrats and once by the Republicans. It's not going to happen now, both Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema have already said they won't vote for it. Nonetheless the Democrats are acting as if this isn't a problem, then once it gets shot down they'll act all shocked and saddened that Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema actually meant what they said. It's America's version of political theater at this point. Joe Biden is a lame duck. Politicians follow power. Joe Biden has been emasculated. Democrats are starting to run away from him, he's poison now. Because he's a big fat liar who betrayed his mandate.

[thombergeron]

Democrats do shuttle blacks to voting sites - mostly unnecessary since voting sites are set up in their own neighborhoods.

Imagine having no idea whatsoever what's happening with voting rights in the United States in 2022 but still feeling compelled to shoot your mouth off about it in public.

Hey genius, were there more or less places to vote in 2020 as opposed to, say, 2012?

[filghy2]

Are you going to put up, or just dodge and deflect in your usual chicken-shit way? Here's the rule: no question you put will be answered unless you provide the evidence for your assertion.

Your casual approach to inflation and murder is encouraging, Flighty. I've been thinking those were very serious issues but I guess it's no big deal, just depends on whether you speak about it in a laissez faire tone or put an exclamation point at the end of the sentence I suppose. Biden and Harris have both said that the problems aren't the problems themselves, but Americans' attitude toward the problems - i.e., how dare businesses keep their profit margins the same when they should be biting the bullet with their customers! And the murder rates are the same in places where murder has never been a problem!

We've got major cities that now serve as haven cities for property criminals. We've got supply chain issues that are so widespread, I can't buy strawberries at a store that's less than 10 miles from the self-proclaimed Strawberry Capitol of the World. Hell, I can't even get gravy on my biscuits anymore! IN TENNESSEE! The store I go to for coffee in the morning was closed yesterday because of staffing problems. Most of the restaurants in this town are closed permanently. But as Vice-President Harris so insightfully pointed out, the crux of the supply chain issue is really that spoiled people are angry about delays in their treadmill deliveries.

We have a President spoiling for war with Russia to bring his approval rating up to nominal - a President, BTW, whose new agenda, now that his old agenda has been laughed out of Congress, is to give the vote to mannequins. That's right, Flighty, he wants to let mannequins vote. Just because they aren't citizens, and aren't human, and aren't alive doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to vote! That's hyperbole BTW, Flighty, I wouldn't want you to spend too much of your time debunking that statement. It's close enough to the truth to be unfunny though. This is the big new important thing now - voting rights issues. We NEED voting from our illegal immigrants, who are now being illegally funneled across the border by the thousands to haven cities all around the country by the current administration. What's the point of even doing that if they can't vote? Wonder how they'll vote? Are they program voters you think?

I could go on, Flighty but I'm not going to. I didn't ask you any fucking questions I need an answer to anyway. Talk, don't talk, it's all the same nonsense.

Your people are in power, Flighty. The bright new day they promised didn't arrive with them. You, and they, have no defense. There are ZERO social programs even on Biden's agenda. Not that he could do shit now, anyway, he's conclusively demonstrated to the American public that he only cares about revenge on people who have "wronged" him, getting federal money to people who have funded him, and now trying to federally game the electoral system by acting (very poorly BTW) as if we are experiencing some kind of voting problem. He's the worst President in U.S. history and I really don't give a fuck what you have to say about him, or the problems of the USA, or anything. You're a dupe, Flighty, a self-propelled liberal mouthpiece. Every bit of information you have is from the liberal media, I seriously doubt you've ever even been to the USA.

I don't see a single piece of evidence in that long-winded diatribe. I guess it's time.

[filghy2]

Imagine having no idea whatsoever what's happening with voting rights in the United States in 2022 but still feeling compelled to shoot your mouth off about it in public.

You've obviously never came across this guy before. Knowing nothing but still feeling compelled to shoot his mouth off is his raison d'etre.

[filghy2]

A more general view must first accept that most of what has happened in Biden's first year is about next year and the years ahead. This is because every President inherits the policy commitments and the economic decisions of his predecessor, so much of the problem, with inflation, for example, is Trump's legacy, as is also true of his tax policy.

To be fair, I don't think higher inflation can be blamed on Trump. Supply chain constraints are a world-wide problem at present, not a US problem caused by either Trump or Biden.

The only thing Biden could be blamed for is that the stimulus package might have been too large, contributing to excess demand as some people warned. However, that is a problem caused by the economy recovering too strongly, not a problem caused by a weak economy.

[filghy2]

He said he would wipe out covid, he hasn't( he should have said he would learn how to treat covid, viruses don't go away if they can survive on an animal host.)

That is not true. Lots of viruses have gone away; eg Spanish flu, SARS, MERS. That will happen if the reproduction rate falls below 1. The problem with Covid is that the virus has kept mutating because it has been allowed to spread freely, especially in developing countries where few vaccines have been available. As result, we've ended up with variants that are more contagious and more vaccine-resistant. That is hardly Biden's fault, especially as it has been mainly Republicans who resisted getting vaccinated or taking other precautions to limit the spread.

[filghy2]

What I don't know as I don't live there, is what ending the Filibuster means -is it just a voting procedure that benefits the largest party in Congress, or does it have a deeper meaning?

This might be a more reliable source. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibu..._States_Senate

The 60-vote rule in the Senate is not in the Constitution and really dates from the 1970s as a solution to the problem of too many filibusters. Numerous exemptions have been carved out, including for confirming nominations and budget reconciliation. It's hard to see what principle applies to the exemptions that doesn't apply to other bills.

I guess you could see it a sort of gentleman's agreement within the Senate to ensure that legislation has bipartisan support. Each party has been willing to give up some of their legislation in return for being able to block some of their opponent's legislation when their turn comes. But it could be seen as a relic of former times when there was more bipartisanship and Senators were willing to consider legislation on its merits rather than just blocking it on party lines.