Joe Biden wants to complete his goals on civil rights, taxes, and social services if he's reelected
Joe Biden wants to complete his goals on civil rights, taxes, and social services if he's reelected
His SAVE program for Student Loans is fucking incredible. It dropped a crippling payment down to $32 a month. He may be old, but that has really helped me. I support him completely.
Yeah but why couldn't have Biden done that already!?!?!?! Guess I gotta vote 3rd party now to show how strong my moral character is so I can pat myself on the back as the world burns fake tan orange around me.
The SAVE program is already in effect, you can apply on the StudentAid.gov website. What you're probably thinking of is the Student Loan Forgiveness Plan, which was sued by conservative State Attorneys causing a delay until at least a year later.
Soooo he bought your vote, gotcha.
“This candidate did something that made life so much easier for now that I’m not swimming in borderline crippling debt”
“Hmmmm so he bought your vote then, sheep”
Republicans have been eating up that tax break trickle down bullshit for decades even though they don't see a dime of it. Biden does something that directly benefits the economic reality of the working class and you want to shame people for liking it?
He improved people's lives, so they want to support him. Is that the same thing as a tax cut for businesses and the ultra-wealthy (the only significant thing Trump achieved)?
Doing good things is good, actually.
Cut my taxes, right? Cancel welfare programs, public social and health services so I'm not paying for some deadbeats!
That more your speed??
What exactly is your criterion or are your criteria for supporting a politician if "he does want I want" isn't one of them?
That’s how it should work
That's how literally every politician works
Dangling the carrot of civil rights in front of minorities just so he can get reelected.. it's sad, but it is what it is.
.
It's almost like shit has to go through Congress to become a law.
If people VOTE it very well may happen. Biden has surprised a whole lot of people so far. Look at the student loan forgiveness - it is happening IN SPITE of the Republicans.
Dangling a carrot of civil rights vs. Dangling a carrot of internment camps. Which one gets the horse moving toward progress?
Neither. Progress has never been made by begging powerful people for it. And if you just think about it for a second, you can see that. Hearing "just wait 4 more years then you can vote with your conscience" every single election cycle has to be a clue.
The whole point of discussing your intent is to get people to vote for you so you can do the thing.
People want improvements to civil rights so Biden has to talk about furthering that agenda so they'll vote for him to go do that. It would be kind of odd not to do that.
It's what he said about abortion rights, too.
Pro-tip for more votes: Say "cease fire"
I see this as proof that we don't really live in a democracy. Most people are anti-genocide but a politician asking for a ceasefire is a fringe position. Most people want a higher minimum wage, but it's considered a fringe position in Washington. Most people want universal healthcare, but it's considered a fringe position.
Biden clearly doesn't give a shit about winning the next election.
The problem is we do a single vote winner takes all system with absurd hurdles to even make it onto the ballot. Because of this it's pretty much guaranteed the most moderate choice with the weakest stances will win. Of course there is also the problem with the disproportionate Electoral College votes in each state allowing people to lose the popular vote and still become president, as well as the disproportionate number of representatives from each state and district sent to Congress.
I'd be all for a per-capita representation in congress and a ranked choice vote for President.
American education is much too shitty and people here are too stupid to weild the goodwill and might of the United States by rote popularity contest.
The ceasefire is the genocidal position. There was a ceasefire and one side ended it.
Taking out Hamas is a good thing.
Muslims and Arabs are maybe 1-2% of the voting population, and the already live in primarily blue districts. Everyone else will forget or doesn't give enough of a shit to make it a top voting priority.
The alternative is Trump, in which case the US might nuke Gaza just for fun, and then turn the west bank into a Trump owned water park.
You win some and you lose some no matter what you say.
Obama and Biden chained the Green Party candidate to chair for simply wanting to debate with the other two parties
Biden made cannabis a campaign promise and he walked back right at the start of his presidency
Harris laughed about having consumed cannabis in college while discussing her cannabis arrests
if Trump vs Biden is all we got left we are truly fucked
Newsflash: you're fucked
I know which one of the two is much closer to your priorities than the other...
Dude needs to promise to legalize weed at the federal level to make up for his past bullshit. That would probably get folks out to vote. Imma vote for the old geezer anyway because I don't want to live though Trump being president again. If Trump gets office again, he'll likely never leave.
Maybe he can pull an Obama and pardon a ton of people in the coming weeks.
Given his age, we should really be hearing what Harris wants to do with her presidency if he wins as well.
If she's good enough for a Biden she's good enough for me.
Have you seen the other guy? He's talking about instituting martial law on day one, posting armed guards at election sites, purging the federal government, and eradicating political opponents.
The dude already trying to steal a four-year term as president even though he knew he lost the election. If he's elected, he will 100% make himself a dictator for life.
IMO, he has inspired more terrorism in the United States than Osama Bin Laden ever did.
Yes, I have seen the other guy.
Which is why I'm quite concerned that an octogenarian with an unpopular VP who floundered during the primary race and has barely been seen since may not be making it to election day 2024 and passing the torch prematurely at the 11th hour during the most important election cycle in US history.
Biden is acting like a teenager that thinks they are immortal and risking the entire country on that presumption.
We should really be having a primary to run the most capable Dem candidates against Trump. But short of that, they should at very least be adequately preparing for a possible Harris v Trump ticket and not keep pretending she doesn't exist until she's unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight again.
While I agree with your "Have you seen the other guy?", I can also disagree with Harris.
Sure, but the problem is that presidential elections are determined by who inspires more of their supporters to actually show up.
No one is inspired by "not literally the worst person to run for president".
This is what happens when your political role models are all authoritarians.
But blaming others for this is not really accurate. Trump was raised to be a POS from birth.
At least this saves them from having to print new campaign materials.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Kevin Munoz, a spokesman, described the election as “a choice between fighting for the middle class or shilling for rich special interests” and he said ”it’s a contrast we are more than happy to make.”
It was pared down because of resistance from Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who is a key vote in the narrowly divided Senate and announced this past week that he will not seek reelection.
That includes making two years of community college tuition free, offering universal preschool and limiting the cost of child care to 7% of income for most families.
George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, was murdered by a white police officer, and Trump tried to overturn Biden’s election victory, leading to the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
But Democratic legislation intended to solidify access to the ballot box failed to advance when some members of the party refused to sidestep Senate filibuster rules to pass it.
The White House argues that it’s too hard to build infrastructure such as transmission lines, but legislation to address the issue would likely require compromises with Republicans, who see an opportunity to grease the skids for additional fossil fuel development.
The original article contains 1,481 words, the summary contains 201 words. Saved 86%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
"Centrists in the two major U.S. political parties are often found in the New Democrat Coalition, the Blue Dog Coalition of the Democratic Party, the Republican Main Street Partnership of the Republican Party, and the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. Barack Obama has been widely identified as a centrist Democrat president, as has Joe Biden. Outside the two major parties, some centrists inhabit the Libertarian Party, independent candidacy movements, such as Unite America, co-founded by Charles Wheelan, and the Forward Party, established by Andrew Yang in 2021."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrism
Biden
27% promises kept
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/biden-promise-tracker/?ruling=true
https://www.politifact.com/personalities/joe-biden/
Trump
Oh, you mean he'll do all the stuff he promised to do during this term but jee shucks forgot to do?
Kinda tough when the controlling party of half of Congress sticks their fingers in their ears whenever a Democrat talks.
Would you prefer he used his EE magic wand to complete his agenda? You could say a lot of things about him but being able to work across the aisle is a one of his strong suits no matter who you ask, and tbh it’s kind of impressive he’s accomplished as much as he has given the climate in DC.
How about do it anyway, you fucking template cookie cutter politician.
Congress is in the way on most of it.
The absolute ignorance of how the US government works on this site continues to astound me day in and day out. Though I'm pretty it's mostly children and people wanting to virtue signal at this point.
Senate parliamentarian said no, so there’s nothing we could do.
The republicans will yell at us if we do something to help normal people, so we can’t.
Joe Manchin isn’t really a democrat so we had to give republicans everything they wanted and then some, sorry!
Here we have a know-nothing it it's natural habitat.
How about unfucking the economy? Can we do that?
If there was a panacea for it? Sure.
Unfortunately actually unfucking it is politically impossible without a unified and directioned house and senate.
And impossible with short sighted voters.
It takes time, decades, of diligent and thoughtful change to achieve. Voters can barely maintain the same ideas and expectations for 6 months.
Essentially it's a problem of America's making and America has no interest in actually solving it, just complaining about it and pointing fingers.
It really needs to be contextualized that, compared to essentially all other countries, the economic recovery the United States has experienced is far far better. That doesn't mean that people's pain right now isn't real, but a lot of these issues are global in scale, and leaders across the entire planet have been having much harder times. There isn't a "economy gooder" button on Biden's desk that he can press.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...
You're talking about Trump, right?
Well, yes, him too.
Zero chance I'll vote for Biden. This administration has been a disaster.
Trump 2024 Baby!
But who would you vote for if it was him vs Trump (which it likely will be)? Republicans will vote for Trump as a cohesive unit. We don't have the luxury of voting for who we want in the general if we want to keep enjoying democracy.
But who would you vote for if it was him vs Trump (which it likely will be)? Republicans will vote for Trump as a cohesive unit.
Sounds like Biden has work to do.
I guess we'll just sit around and hope that if we just keep voting for garbage candidates, a good one will just come along. What a good system.
Just like in H. W. Bush v Dukakis, liberals will refuse to vote for someone who does not align with their ideals (and there isn't a much bigger thing that liberals do not tolerate than genocide).
This will lead to a HORRIBLE period of time. The Republicans will do what the Republicans do, and it will be because the Democrats just cant help themselves and NEED to fuck it up.
Then, after America has gone through another hellish term or 3 of Republicans, the Democrats will finally feel forced to gasp represent their constituents again, they will produce an actual decent candidate, and we will have a repeat of the Clinton/Gore years.
This has all happened before. Not even that long ago. Nearly play by play.
You think voting for Trump or not voting will help any of that? Think again. It will make it way worse.
You're gonna catch a lot of shit from people who don't like the idea that this is the political calculus of many people whose votes Democrats consider themselves entitled to receive, regardless of what positions Democrats hold and what policies they implement.
These people have never considered for a fraction of an instant that votes are something politicians earn, not demand, and are insulted by the vile blasphemy that "not Trump, I guess" isn't some people's exclusive criterion for evaluating a candidate.
This is a blatant straw man. You're labelling me "these people" and saying I "never considered for a fraction of an instant that votes are something politicians earn," etc., which is an utter falsehood. I'm entirely aware of Biden's record, the legislation he has supported, the legislation he's been able to get passed, and his foreign policy. No, I do not agree with him 100% of the time, but yes, I agree with him probably 80% of the time, and hell yes he's earned my vote. If anything, he's overperformed from my expectations when he took office.
Fuck your "holier than thou" attitude like you have access to some special information. You're a fucking fool on the internet like the rest of us. Have some goddamn humility
As someone who was centrist: you can't be centrist when one person is motivated by spite to tear it down. You aren't a centrist anymore. You're an accessory.
Liberals are always the first to fall in line with fascists - the first regional governments of the Nazis in Germany was supported by libertarians and pro-economy-parties, a couple of years ago. 3 years ago the Neo-Liberal party in Thuringia accepted to govern as a minority-government when the only party supporting them was the far-right AfD with a leader that you can legally call a fascist and that is under surveillance by the Verfassungsschutz for being a danger to democracy.
The CDU (moderate-conservative party) in Germany also won't work with either the left party nor the AfD but their local politicians are already getting very close with the AfD.
If someone's claiming "both sides" in a political issue that's usually a sign that they won't oppose the fascists when they try to grab the power
Not in the US but I kind of apply this to the Democratic party itself. Obviously they aren't outright fash-branded like this GOP faction and strategically voting for them is like a forced thing at this point, but they are objectively a center-right party, and I believe the economic policies they promote are in effect an accessory to the GOP's. What's more is Democrat PACs actually give money to run ads on behalf of the most fash GOP primary candidates as part of a strategy to get them easier opponents, and it's worked before, but it also directly enables that faction to gain more ground over multiple election cycles. Like Hillary wanted to run against Trump, they helped him get the nomination, how funny would that be if the GOP had Trump as a candidate, they'd be a laughingstock!
I feel like this whole thing is a downward spiral with two factions that aren't really even offering economic alternatives at this point because the neoliberal market based "freedom" is basically consented too. It's like do you want the happy Democrat branding of this or the fashy GOP branding while it all spirals out of control.
“Literally can’t tell them apart.”
also everyone on Hexbear.net
I generally give Republicans more benefit of the doubt than most. I consider myself a liberal libertarian with an open mind to all things. I think there were plenty of valid reasons to vote for Trump the first time around, reasons that much of the country chose to ignore because it was easier than addressing them.
If the GOP nominates Trump again, they deserve to lose as hardcore as possible. I didn't scream and cry when he was elected because I was willing to give him a chance and an open mind. But I think his first term said everything that needed to be said about his suitability as a leader. He talked a big talk of draining the swamp, but then filled his cabinet with alligators and no swamps were drained. If anything, swamps were created as he filled key positions with corrupt people who were loyal to him but had little experience or skill for the job at hand.
Love his policies or hate them, that's just corrupt bad government. And while I don't always agree with Biden's policies, much like Obama, he at least executes the duties of his office in a relatively competent manner.
Same thing if DeSantis gets the nomination. You can't run a platform of jobs creation when you pick a hissy fit with your state's largest employer because they dare voice some mild opposition to a policy of yours (especially when said opposition is essential for said company to maintain credibility on the national level). That speaks volumes about the kind of person, and the kind of leader, that you are. I would rather have someone who's policies I sometimes disagree with, then a childishly vindictive psychophant sitting in the big chair.
Sadly, this all is the very predictable result of the Karl Rove strategy- whip up social conservatives and evangelicals to drum up votes. The result is those groups now have significant power within the GOP, even though their platform of intolerant policies is unappealing to the broader nation to the point of making them unelectable in the eyes of many.
If you knew anything about Trump you would not have thought this.
Well, he says he does.
Better than the other guy who wants to "root out the leftist vermin."
How about we give Biden credit for things he actually does, instead of more campaign promises he certainly won’t follow through on?
Day 1 agenda voting rights act, never happened. Locked in Trump corporate tax reductions. Has always wanted to plunder social security and abandon the program. Literally drools at the opportunity to “compromise with republicans” to achieve this feat. He’s a moron, the world’s worst negotiator, or the perfect lapdog of the ruling elite - take your pick, but he’s sure as shit not FDR 2.0.
This is who Biden is, so when you proudly vote against the bad orange man (a fascist wannabe tyrant to be sure), know who you’re voting for
You make a great point.
Follow-up question, after 2020 what steps did you take to ensure or at least influence the available choices you would have in the coming 2024 election? Did you write your local comparative left-leaning parties, presumably including the Democrats, directly to voice your dissatisfaction and interest in more genuinely progressive or leftist party platform policies or policy makers? Or did you work with a better suited third party to increase their viability through community canvasing and outreach programs? Did you start talking with others in your community in the beginning stages of starting a bid for candidacy yourself to be the change you want to see directly? Not to be rude, I mean that genuinely, but did you do anything other than complain online, maybe in a few conversations in real life as well?
Because here's the thing, your criticism is absolutely both correct and valid. But we are now a year before the election, well into the primary season. If you haven't actually done anything to make the situation better, then you're kind of armchair quarterbacking critiques about the playbook of a game that is already in half-time. I'm sorry to be this blunt, but you missed the window. I truly hope you do get involved and care enough to make sure a terrible candidate like Biden isn't the only viable option in the future, but the time to start putting in the work to ensure a decent candidate appears on the 2028 ballot is today.
Make no mistake, it is absolutely terrible and miserable that campaign cycles are so long and that the political system is so practically impenetrable that we have to waste so much time on this shit and think long-game like this. Fucking miserable situation. But that's how it is. No amount of standing on principle or taking the easy way out by abstaining and blaming the consequences on others will change that. It sucks. I hate it too. But that's how it is. The reality is that Joe Biden is a shitty candidate but if you are even halfway decent you understand the alternative is objectively worse in almost every measurable way. Yes, voting for the lesser of two evils is terrible bullshit. But when you can't solve a problem outright, wisdom is prioritizing harm reduction. The choice is obvious.
But seriously, start fucking work today making sure we aren't right back here again in 2028.
edit: to be clear, I don't know you, and I understand that you may genuinely be involved already. I'll admit I am speaking in generalities to a broader audience than to you personally, and do apologize for any presumptions I have made about you in doing so.
Biden can sell it all he wants but the Legislature has to pass it
Responsibility of the legislature
We do need to deal with that election hasn’t in the room. We can’t control the deficit without controlling the biggest parts of the budget. More importantly, it’s sort of like climate change where the earlier you address it the easier it will be but at some point becomes too late to prevent serious repercussions
He did campaign on trying to bring things back together, work together for the good of the country. I give the guy credit for trying more than I would have
You forgot people who are clutching their pearls over Biden's support of Israel and calling him a fascist because of it.
Some people aren't as happy with genocide as you think they should be.
Both want to enthusiastically support and fund genocides.
Also the "centrists" of American politics are who mostly support Biden.
No...no we don't. The centrists are looking at the US and know we are fucked. We stopped pretending politics matter after Bush stole his first election and Obama couldn't come through with universal healthcare.
Ya. Ignore the genocide. And the strong history if being against gay marriage and abortion. And the doing nothing to address the codification of Roe v Wade. And the standing against cannabis legalization so we can keep jails full of peaceful poor people.
Why would anyone have reservations against voting for that guy.
What exactly do you think the president can do about that?
And following this "strong history", I'm sure he appointed a pro-life Justice to the Supreme Court and vetoed the Respect for Marriage Act.
Oh wait, no he didn't.
Please identify the pro-choice majority in Congress that you're apparently confident existed at some point since January 2021. I'll wait.
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/presidential-proclamation-marijuana-possession
Biden actually pardoned all federal convicts of marijuana possession. You can apply online at this link if you know anyone. He also began the process for re-classifying marijuana as Schedule III, though there's a lot of bureaucracy to get through so that's slow.
Because Trump will definitely not support Israel and be very supporting of LGBT+ people, abortion and drug legalization.
All of that definitely sounds like Trump. Who is also not a Nazi.
You think voting for Trump or not voting will help those issues?
Because the alternative is Fascism.