Biden Thread

[ReluctantSamurai]

First, it will be a welcome change to have a president that doesn't conduct government from Twitter. Second, there is no returning to "normal" as many like to put it. While Trump wasn't the cause of many of our problems here, he certainly was an enabler for many of the darker things that have happened in the last four years.

I don't hold out much hope for Biden/Harris to make good on the "coming together" theme they've espoused since the campaign. There's just too much of a gulf between Americans these days to think that 80's and 90's politics will be enough to bridge that divide. Having said that, he has to try. To not make any effort at all would be a dereliction of duty to the American people.

If Biden/Harris can get this pandemic firestorm under some semblance of control, that's a win. If they can get the US economy at least headed in the right direction, that's also a win (which, of neccesity means the pandemic is under control). If massive damage control can be conducted on America's standing in the world, that's a win (although I fear some of the damage wrought in the last four years is permanent).

I think some of those actions are entirely possible within the first two years. There are certainly many other actions that can be undertaken, like addressing economic inequities, police brutality, climate change, [fill in the blank here], and hopefully at least some headway can be made, though it will take more than a single president's term (and more likely many such terms) to make the kinds of lasting changes that need to be made. I don't hold out for FDR-like things to happen under the Biden Administration. The man isn't strong enough, or charismatic enough to accomplish such things. But if Biden and Kamala Harris can at least right the ship, and put out the fires, we might might have a shot at a continuation come the mid-terms in 2022, and the next presidential election in 2024.

[Crandar]

Today is a black day for Internet communities. If the pessimist forecasts about a dramatic decline in twitter and diplomatic gaffes in the coming months are confirmed, then we should expect a respective contraction of the available topics for discussion, which will then affect rather negatively our traffic.

In the less important subject of American politics, I expect an improvement, but nothing radical. I don't think that Biden will manage to reverse his predecessor's policies in the most pressing matters, like the nuclear deal or fiscal reforms. The majority of the Democrats in the Senate is very slim and vulnerable to Manchin's conservative tendencies.

As for Biden, I personally like him more than Obama, but he lacks the charisma of his predecessor. However, charisma plays a role in politics, not administration. My biggest gripe is with Harris, whose alleged skills I find them very overestimated and who I consider as a particularly sleazy opportunist.

[Hooahguy]

As others have said, Biden's legacy will rest on whether or not he can get Covid under control, a daunting task on its own without also having to deal with a large majority of Republicans thinking the election was stolen and trying to repair the damage from the past four years and all the other crises like climate change, economic issues, racial issues, etc. I will say though that I am most relieved that Trump will no longer have nuclear launch authority.

Here are his planned Day 1 executive orders, seems to be a solid start:


Edit: on a side note, Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who was filmed leading rioters away from the Senate chambers, apparently got promoted to Acting Deputy House Sergeant at Arms. Good for him.

[spmetla]

I'm cautiously optimistic, he's got political experience, the Capitol attack two weeks ago has shocked the more moderate Republicans into seeing the danger of extremism. He's certainly got no shortage of problems to overcome, besides the pandemic and the economic problems there's the ever present foreign policy problems of China, NK, Iran, and Russia. What does one do with the Iran situation, I see no way in hell they'd agree to re-entering the same nuclear deal, even if made law by Congress. As I would usually pose the question to my Republican friends "see we've pulled out of the nuclear deal, no what? how do we stop Iran from going nuclear short of war?" How does one confront Chinese assertiveness in their near-abroad and they're increased corruption and meddling in allied nations politics (Australia, NZ, EU, NATO).

I'm with drone on this, I want some boring competence. I don't want to see every day what horrible thing the President or his cronies have tweeted. He's put a lot of technocrats into key positions, hopefully they get confirmed.

It is crazy seeing the 180 shift in the news coverage, all praises of course from CNN and MSNBC while Fox is worried about the incoming immigrant horde of caravans and increased taxes ruining "Trump's stock market boom."

[Hooahguy]

Regardless of what anyone says, I will take the day just to enjoy the transition of power. Certainly a momentous day, as the swearing in of the first female and African American/Indian VP is a pretty big deal for a lot of people. I thought Biden gave a really nice speech and I also thought the poem was really amazing too.



Also did not expect Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks to ever share a stage but here we are.

[rory_20_uk]

Biden and the VP both seem to be above all else pragmatists with a long history of doing deals rather than idealism. And personally I think getting something done is better than screaming at the Other Side.

I hope that Donald's four years - and above all else Capitol Riot will - focus minds. It is easy to overlook rampant racism, a broken healthcare system and so on and so forth when it is all Out There and happening to other people. Poor people. Until the riot it was the usual view that yes, all the noise was worth the Conservative judges and the tax cuts. He's had an affair with a couple of pornstars? who cares? But when there's a mob only a few metres away that might seriously be looking to kill you personally this changes things. Hopefully there will be bilateral support for creation of the "guard rails" that up to now have mainly relied on human decency - laws having to procure all tax returns, all assets into a blind trust would be a small start. Addressing the Pardon power would probably require an amendment to the Constitution; Congress could also reduce the limit the power of the executive branch in codifying more independence of the Justice Department.

Biden talked about restoring American Leadership to the world. Barring military aggression (which is of course not leadership) I am unsure what leadership this is exactly. Human rights? Climate change? Weapon proliferation? Upholding the rule of law or democracy? Only an American could believe that they are ideals of any of these things, barring Cold War propaganda. Yes, historically America has aggressively enacted its interests but only in a "might is right" way. There is no underlying moral worldview and I don't see this changing. the American military needs things to do and enemies to face to justify the massive amount of money spent. Allies will be happy to have a return of the Pax Americana since they can all continue to underfund their military - which was one point that Donald was not wrong.

The other big issues are well known and well ignored:

• Rampant personal and institutional racism
• Worsening Wealth inequality
• Broken Justice system (racist and for-profit)
• Military-industrial complex
• Health system / Pharma-industrial complex
• Unequal tax burden
• Abysmal / absent worker's rights

To many in power in America, all of the above aren't broken - they're working fine. Money is sucked up and mainly given to the extremely rich with those in prison able to be treated as slaves and those outside able to be treated as indentured workers. Politicians are there to be bought. If Biden wanted to address them I doubt he could. There's no political will / votes in doing so and at 78 he is not going to have the stamina required to take on practically everyone.

If Donald was an F, Biden will probably be a solid C+

[ReluctantSamurai]

The other big issues are well known and well ignored

All of those issues do, indeed, need to be addressed. None of them can be solved in a single presidential term, or even several. Maybe never...

Biden and the VP both seem to be above all else pragmatists with a long history of doing deals rather than idealism. And personally I think getting something done is better than screaming at the Other Side.

I think one of the toughest tasks ahead for this administration is to govern in the face of very high expectations, some of which they've placed on themselves. Having a plan for moving the country forward is in stark contrast to the rudderless path we've had here the last four years, which is a symptom of not only Trumpism, but the GOP as a whole. Because no administration ever gets everything they want, how much of their plan they can enact, will be the basis for how they are graded....

Biden talked about restoring American Leadership to the world. Barring military aggression (which is of course not leadership) I am unsure what leadership this is exactly

Reversing some of the economic damage done by the Trump Administration with the EU, is a start, though I'm not sure how that can be done. The China Investment Agreement the EU just signed is a bad omen for the US. While no details have been released yet, it's a clear sign that the EU is trying to secure some form of economic stability going forward. America's economy has grown significantly in ten years, while Europe's has flatlined. China's economy has grown by leaps and bounds, and will surpass the US in the not-so-distant future. Military might is not the only weapon being wielded here.

So is the EU's willingness to deal more closely with China done from a position of strength or weakness?

[Pannonian]

Biden and the VP both seem to be above all else pragmatists with a long history of doing deals rather than idealism. And personally I think getting something done is better than screaming at the Other Side.

I hope that Donald's four years - and above all else Capitol Riot will - focus minds. It is easy to overlook rampant racism, a broken healthcare system and so on and so forth when it is all Out There and happening to other people. Poor people. Until the riot it was the usual view that yes, all the noise was worth the Conservative judges and the tax cuts. He's had an affair with a couple of pornstars? who cares? But when there's a mob only a few metres away that might seriously be looking to kill you personally this changes things. Hopefully there will be bilateral support for creation of the "guard rails" that up to now have mainly relied on human decency - laws having to procure all tax returns, all assets into a blind trust would be a small start. Addressing the Pardon power would probably require an amendment to the Constitution; Congress could also reduce the limit the power of the executive branch in codifying more independence of the Justice Department.

Biden talked about restoring American Leadership to the world. Barring military aggression (which is of course not leadership) I am unsure what leadership this is exactly. Human rights? Climate change? Weapon proliferation? Upholding the rule of law or democracy? Only an American could believe that they are ideals of any of these things, barring Cold War propaganda. Yes, historically America has aggressively enacted its interests but only in a "might is right" way. There is no underlying moral worldview and I don't see this changing. the American military needs things to do and enemies to face to justify the massive amount of money spent. Allies will be happy to have a return of the Pax Americana since they can all continue to underfund their military - which was one point that Donald was not wrong.

The other big issues are well known and well ignored:

• Rampant personal and institutional racism
• Worsening Wealth inequality
• Broken Justice system (racist and for-profit)
• Military-industrial complex
• Health system / Pharma-industrial complex
• Unequal tax burden
• Abysmal / absent worker's rights

To many in power in America, all of the above aren't broken - they're working fine. Money is sucked up and mainly given to the extremely rich with those in prison able to be treated as slaves and those outside able to be treated as indentured workers. Politicians are there to be bought. If Biden wanted to address them I doubt he could. There's no political will / votes in doing so and at 78 he is not going to have the stamina required to take on practically everyone.

If Donald was an F, Biden will probably be a solid C+

If not the US, then who? Who else in the world combines reach and living with these standards that you lambast the Americans for failing? The only alternative I can of would be western Europe, but you don't agree with that either. Japan and their institutional racism? China and their even more rampant racism, along with their very distant relationship with liberal values? India and their homicidally nationalist identity?