Master US Political Discussion Thread

[Unleash the Echidnas]

Texas Republicans Targeting Voting Access Find Their Bull’s-Eye: Cities

Quote

The bills would make Texas one of the hardest states in the country to cast a ballot in. And they are a prime example of a Republican-led effort to roll back voting access in Democrat-rich cities and populous regions like Atlanta and Arizona’s Maricopa County, while having far less of an impact on voting in rural areas that tend to lean Republican.

 

Bills in several states are, in effect, creating a two-pronged approach to urban and rural areas that raises questions about the disparate treatment of cities and the large number of voters of color who live in them. That divide is helping to fuel opposition from corporations that are based in or have work forces in those places.

[...]

The effort to further restrict voting in Texas is taking place against the backdrop of an increasingly tense showdown between legislators and Texas-based corporations, with Republicans in the House proposing financial retribution for companies that have spoken out.

 

American Airlines and Dell Technologies both voiced strong opposition to the bill, and AT&T issued a statement supporting “voting laws that make it easier for more Americans to vote,” though it did not specifically mention Texas.

[...]

Among the restrictions in two omnibus bills in the Texas Legislature are a ban on 24-hour voting, a ban on drive-through voting and harsh criminal penalties for local election officials who provide assistance to voters. There are also new limits on voting machine distribution that could lead to a reduction in numbers of precincts and a ban on encouraging absentee voting.

 

The bills also include a measure that would make it much more difficult to remove a poll watcher for improper conduct. Partisan poll watchers, who are trained and authorized to observe the election on behalf of a candidate or party, have occasionally crossed the line into voter intimidation or other types of misbehavior; Harris County elections officials said they had received several complaints about Republican poll watchers last year.

 

[ben8884]

Biden has had an amazing first 100 days!

[Gloomy]

Biden’s ATF pick burned a bunch of people including children to death in Waco. 💩

[Zagadka]

1 hour ago, ben8884 said:

Biden has had an amazing first 100 days!

Our expectations of what is "amazing" are insanely devalued by Trump. Not completely fucking up gets rewarded with unending adulation now.

 

He got *one* COVID relief bill passed, which, yay, but it wasn't as large as he promised and included no long term provisions. It didn't even provide any more relief than Trump's did. He got the vaccine mostly deployed, which, also yay, but that wasn't an extraordinary effort, and he's still refusing to allow other countries to produce the vaccine after a lot of pharma lobbying.

 

He's fallen away from almost every campaign promise he made. He hasn't done anything progressive.

 

He entirely abandoned the minimum wage and Medicare increases, instead entertaining an insulting $11 and more crappy ACA offers. Just scraps to stifle the movements for actual support for years.

 

He's increased military and police funding while doing nothing about police violence.

 

His infrastructure plan is far smaller than experts advise and he proposed, and is largely composed of increase highway and traditional rail funding. Even his plan to replace lead pipes nationwide is tempered by continuing to privatize water utilities and sell water on the market as a commodity.

 

He backed away from lowering prescription drug prices and collective bartering through medicare.

 

He's done *nothing* to lobby for removing the filibuster, support HR1 or the PRO Act.

 

His and the Democrat's tax plans include tax breaks for the rich and corporations even larger than Trump's.

 

He is raising the corporate tax rate "all the way" up to 25% from Trump's 21%, but it was 35% before Trump.

 

His "eye popping" wealth tax goes from 37% to 39%, where it was in 2017.

 

He's continued Trump's refugee, immigration, and border policies.

 

He's continued attacks on Syria and continued support of the blockade of Yemen, attacks against Iran, and supporting the Israeli state.

 

He's pulling 2,500 deployed soldiers in Afghanistan, but leaving the contractors and intelligence agents there, which are several times the size of deployed troops, and the regional forces doing the bombings and strikes are staying.

 

He's continued to back far-right regimes and coups throughout Latin America, especially against leftist candidates winning elections.

 

His big accomplishment for LGBTQ+ rights was to let trans people back into the military, then he called it a day. Oh trans day of visibility, yay, let's do that and do nothing for mental and physical healthcare, youth being kicked out of their homes, etc.

 

His climate change plan is more than Trump did, but he hasn't reversed many of Trump's unilateral actions, has awarded more contracts for fracking, oil pipelines on Native land, tax incentives for more oil exploring, and the plan itself does not go far enough to reduce emissions.

 

His recent "accomplishments" at the climate conference somewhat address domestic US emissions, but do nothing for the literal hell we're unleashing and not helping the rest of the world deal with the share our businesses largely cause them.

 

Edit (late add in): He has let the USPS continue to be dismantled.

 

This is just stuff off the top of my head.

 

Biden literally said "nothing will change" to his rich donors while campaigning... well, he kept that promise, and done a lot of performative BS.

 

So when it comes to expectations, he's about meeting mine. I expected absolutely nothing from the man except slightly more than Trump's complete incompetence and at best a return to Obama-era bad policies.

[daveb]

Biden is going to take away your red meat, and make you drink plant-based beer.  

(according to some people on the right)

[ben8884]

Isn't all beer plant-based? 😛 It's funny because the right accuse Biden of being a socialist Trojan horse and I am like, I wish!

[Homer]

16 hours ago, ben8884 said:

Biden has had an amazing first 100 days!

citation needed

[Unleash the Echidnas]

1 hour ago, Homer said:

citation needed

• Biden's 1st 100 Days: A Look By The Numbers
• 100 Days: How Biden Has Fared So Far On His Promises
• Joe Biden's First 100 Days

I would summarize it as

• the Biden administration has done the obvious COVID stuff the Trump administration refused to
• the rest is fairly meh but I can't think of a reason why something else would be expected

[daveb]

5 hours ago, ben8884 said:

Isn't all beer plant-based? 😛

As far as I know, but calling it plant-based is a good way to rile up some people.  

Especially when you're promoting a false narrative about red meat consumption.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, daveb said:

As far as I know, but calling it plant-based is a good way to rile up some people.  

Especially when you're promoting a false narrative about red meat consumption.

Yeast is a living creature that deserves recognition too! Beer is murder 😋

[Zagadka]

2 hours ago, Unleash the Echidnas said:

• Biden's 1st 100 Days: A Look By The Numbers
• 100 Days: How Biden Has Fared So Far On His Promises
• Joe Biden's First 100 Days

I would summarize it as

• the Biden administration has done the obvious COVID stuff the Trump administration refused to
• the rest is fairly meh but I can't think of a reason why something else would be expected

As I extensively listed above, "he did the bare minimum for COVID than Trump" is not "amazing."

[Homer]

42 minutes ago, Zagadka said:

As I extensively listed above, "he did the bare minimum for COVID than Trump" is not "amazing."

I got up and put on underwear this morning! Where's my Nobel

[Zagadka]

Biden did a partial step for Federal employees, which is good.

 

https://apnews.com/article/minimum-wage-coronavirus-government-and-politics-politics-health-d89b279c821af20607a02fbcfd9d8ff4?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP_Politics&utm_campaign=SocialFlow

[ben8884]

Biden has kept many of his promises and is working on the rest. I will reserve judgement until the end of his term but we so far he's doing OK. Something else to consider, Biden does not exactly have a friendly Senate.

[Zagadka]

7 minutes ago, ben8884 said:

Biden has kept many of his promises and is working on the rest.

Like?

 

 

7 minutes ago, ben8884 said:

I will reserve judgement until the end of his term but we so far he's doing OK.

Based on the fact that we've had Trump, Obama, W, Clinton, Bush, and Reagan to judge him by... "OK" means not committing too many war crimes.

 

 

7 minutes ago, ben8884 said:

Something else to consider, Biden does not exactly have a friendly Senate.

Democrats have a majority in Congress and the House. More than Trump had. Biden can pass many things with EO or reconciliation alone, or present a more progressive budget.

[ben8884]

As you can see here, he has kept many of his promises and is working on more. Like I said I will reserve judgement when his term is up but he's making progress. Biden has 50 Senators which means he needs total support and Harris.

[Zagadka]

14 minutes ago, ben8884 said:

As you can see here, he has kept many of his promises and is working on more.

I'll go through them. COVID... COVID... reopening schools for COVID (before vaccinating teachers)... mask mandate for COVID that wasn't mandatory and most states ignored... promises for international organizations and nothing about international actions... stop construction of the border wall, lie, he is continuing to fund development of parts of it and confiscate land for it... revise immigration policy, "in progress" meaning he hasn't done anything and continued all of Trump's policies... extend student loan extensions, good, so did Trump, he can cancel it with a signature... end transgender military ban, super, that wasn't exactly the primary thing bothering the trans community...

 

So, a lot of "in progress, hasn't done anything". Not on that list are his promises to waive vaccine patents, lower prescription costs, raise the minimum wage, $2000 checks, recurring pandemic relief checks, etc.

 

Amazing leadership.

 

 

Quote

Like I said I will reserve judgement when his term is up but he's making progress.

He's president *now*, though. Did everyone sit back and say "eh, we'll just see how Trump does 4 year from now"?

 

The political cycle works like this... he has the first 100 days. Then a break. Then the midterm cycle. If he hasn't done anything yet, he's not going to magically get around to it in year 3.

 

 

Quote

Biden has 50 Senators which means he needs total support and Harris.

... Harris is his VICE PRESIDENT. She is a horrible person, but I'd hope to hell he could convince her to follow his leadership.

[ben8884]

Right but it's not like he has a huge majority in the Senate is my point. Biden has done more than just Covid too. It's all there.

[Zagadka]

On 4/27/2021 at 11:19 AM, ben8884 said:

Right but it's not like he has a huge majority in the Senate is my point. Biden has done more than just Covid too. It's all there.

You keep saying that without listing anything.

 

I'll grant, he has done *some* things, like he raised the min wage for federal workers to $15 an hour... great, but insufficient. He's addressed concerns for a few hundred thousand workers and refuses to do anything for the rest.

 

As speaking of campaign promises he didn't keep, those 100 Day lists never include things like

 

https://truthout.org/articles/biden-breaks-campaign-promise-approves-arms-sale-to-saudi-arabia/

 

just the few things he has done, and call it a day without asking any questions.

[ben8884]

I left a link l because I didn't want to leave huge walls of texts but...

 

Spoiler

Removed due to copyright

These are just 

[Zagadka]

30 minutes ago, ben8884 said:

I left a link l because I didn't want to leave huge walls of texts but...

 

These are just some, it turns out there is only so much you cab text in the spoiler box. Basically of all of his promises he has not kept around 3 with 1 he officially dropped. Biden is by no means perfect and would not have been my first choice but to say hes only acted on Covid is unfair.

I already replied to that link. I'll do it again.

 

"I'll go through them. COVID... COVID... reopening schools for COVID (before vaccinating teachers)... mask mandate for COVID that wasn't mandatory and most states ignored... promises for international organizations and nothing about international actions... stop construction of the border wall, lie, he is continuing to fund development of parts of it and confiscate land for it... revise immigration policy, "in progress" meaning he hasn't done anything and continued all of Trump's policies... extend student loan extensions, good, so did Trump, he can cancel it with a signature... end transgender military ban, super, that wasn't exactly the primary thing bothering the trans community...

 

So, a lot of "in progress, hasn't done anything". Not on that list are his promises to waive vaccine patents, lower prescription costs, raise the minimum wage, $2000 checks, recurring pandemic relief checks, etc."

 

He's done "some things"... that aren't really super great, and he's done tons of shitty things they never report on, mostly on foreign policy. He's done a few good things.

 

That is NOT cause for celebrating an "amazing first 100 days". That bar is *really* freaking low. I'm not about to let another widespread media adulation wave for doing bare minimum like they gave Obama after all 8 years, because they absolutely will continue this for 4 years and then some. I'm not going to sit back and watch Biden coast for 4 years while they lose the midterms and next national because they didn't do anything to improve life for anyone. That is how Trump won in the first place.

 

 

EDIT

 

Look, after this first 100 days, the administration and media are comparing Biden to FDR. Biden is not fucking FDR, other than the bits of FDR being a racist prick. If they are going to take license from what Biden has done to declare him a savior, I'm going to take that same license to call him out.

[Zagadka]

Quote

There will be no plan to allow the government to negotiate prescription drug prices, which is kryptonite to drugmakers. And there will be no reduction in Medicare’s eligibility age or an expansion of Medicare benefits, two changes that would move the country closer to a single-payer system — and the demise of private health insurance.

Instead of including those twin progressive priorities, the White House settled on an extension of expanded Obamacare subsidies included in Biden’s Covid-19 relief bill.

Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.), who seemed to know he had lost the fight with the White House, told reporters Tuesday that the provisions would still be included in the bill, even over Biden’s objections, “if I have anything to say about it.”

What IS in the Biden plan? Here are the highlights:

• $400 billion to extend the child tax credit (That’s an estimate because a White House fact sheet conspicuously did not provide the cost)
• $225 billion to subsidize and improve childcare and boost pay for childcare workers
• $225 billion for a national paid family and medical leave program
• $200 billion for free universal preschool
• $200 billion to reduce Obamacare premiums
• $109 billion for free community college
• $85 billion to boost Pell Grants
• $45 billion for childhood and school nutrition programs

The package would be paid for by increasing the top tax rate, hiking the capital gains tax and dramatically stepping up IRS enforcement of tax evasion.

Most of these new spending proposals are popular. Taxing the rich to pay for them is also popular. It’s a formula that has worked well for Biden so far. What isn’t always popular — as BILL CLINTON and BARACK OBAMA learned — is making big changes to health care. Fighting the drug lobby and the insurance industry isn’t easy. Which might explain why Biden nixed the Medicare reforms for now.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/04/28/biden-shies-from-a-fight-with-big-business-492630?cid=su_tw_pb

 

Good stuff in that for children and families, and community college.

 

I'm disappointed but not surprised that Biden is not confronting the pharma and insurance industries and reneging on his promise to reduce drug prices, but I didn't expect him to actually fight his donors. So more hundreds of billions to insurance companies.

[ben8884]

H

[ben8884]

I dunno if the media is heaping undue praise as I dont watch a lot of US media. My point is Biden has done more than just deal with Covid? Is he perfect? Far from it. Would I like him to do more? Yup. That being said I think hes been fairly good and I won't let perfect be the enemy of that.

 

[Zagadka]

It isn't a matter of perfect. Biden is talking about how no one should work and be poor, and doing nothing for the minimum wage. He's talking about how we have to be peaceful leaders in the world, and propping up dictatorships, selling arms to warring nations starving out other countries, withholding medical aid in a pandemic. He's talking about providing healthcare, and just extending the existing contracts to insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies fleecing the entire population. He's talking about civil rights, and increasing police funding and militarization.

 

I'm not asking him to be perfect, I'm asking him to not be an asshole.

[Sally]

On 4/27/2021 at 10:50 AM, Zagadka said:

 

Democrats have a majority in Congress and the House. More than Trump had. Biden can pass many things with EO or reconciliation alone, or present a more progressive budget.

Congress = the House and the Senate.  The Dems have barely a majority in the House, and no majority in the Senate -- it's 50-50 and the VP has to give the deciding vote.  Not every Dem will vote with other Dems.  He can't pass "many things" with reconciliation; there are restrictions.  

[Zagadka]

39 minutes ago, Sally said:

Congress = the House and the Senate.  The Dems have barely a majority in the House, and no majority in the Senate -- it's 50-50 and the VP has to give the deciding vote.  Not every Dem will vote with other Dems.  He can't pass "many things" with reconciliation; there are restrictions.  

I misspoke. Senate. Sorry.

 

He can do "many things," He can cancel student debt, min wage, present a budget, not approve arms deals, diplomatic missions, military strikes, reassign department heads, even if he won't do anything to confront people like Manchin and Sinema. He won't consider removing the filibuster.

 

Just calling it hopeless to do anything because a couple of conservative Democrats refuse to do anything after spending 4 years of Trump unilaterally passing and rearranging everything...

 

 

EDIT

 

I mean, Biden is the standard "we have to commit to save the environment" in speeches, then immediately expanding fracking and oil exploration.

 

Do you remember how Trump won? He appealed to people sick of politicians, the system, etc. His only message was changing the system, draining the swamp, not being a typical insider. And ending wars. Biden is just more of the status quo.

[Sally]

4 hours ago, Zagadka said:

I misspoke. Senate. Sorry.

 

He can do "many things," He can cancel student debt, min wage, present a budget, not approve arms deals, diplomatic missions, military strikes, reassign department heads, even if he won't do anything to confront people like Manchin and Sinema. He won't consider removing the filibuster.

 

Just calling it hopeless to do anything because a couple of conservative Democrats refuse to do anything after spending 4 years of Trump unilaterally passing and rearranging everything...

 

 

EDIT

 

I mean, Biden is the standard "we have to commit to save the environment" in speeches, then immediately expanding fracking and oil exploration.

 

Do you remember how Trump won? He appealed to people sick of politicians, the system, etc. His only message was changing the system, draining the swamp, not being a typical insider. And ending wars. Biden is just more of the status quo.

If you're paying attention, you'll see that he has done many of those things.  Some of them he can't do, because they are the job of Congress.  Even people who Europeans would consider to be progressive (which is the US is EXTREMELY progressive) have admitted that he's doing very well.  He is definitely not  more of the status quo.   Perhaps you need to read a bit more about what's going on.

 

Trump did not do anything except increase people's misery by installing incompetent department heads, allow police to become a military force, break relationships with our allies, and let the virus take over our country.  

[Unleash the Echidnas]

 

[Zagadka]

On 4/30/2021 at 12:46 AM, Sally said:

If you're paying attention, you'll see that he has done many of those things.  Some of them he can't do, because they are the job of Congress.  Even people who Europeans would consider to be progressive (which is the US is EXTREMELY progressive) have admitted that he's doing very well.  He is definitely not  more of the status quo.   Perhaps you need to read a bit more about what's going on.

 

Trump did not do anything except increase people's misery by installing incompetent department heads, allow police to become a military force, break relationships with our allies, and let the virus take over our country.  

No, he can't do *everything*. He still has the power over a lot of spending, appointments, foreign policy. He is, or is supposed to be, the leader, but repeatedly folds because Manchin says no. He's not pushing for expanding the Supreme Court or removing the filibuster. What he says *matters.* In his joint address, he finally called for the PRO Act and $15 min wage. Good. I'll keep pressuring him until he does more good things.

 

Biden is the embodiment of tweeting "Healthcare is a right," while consciously choosing not to do anything about pharma prices or medicare expansion and giving $200 billion to insurance companies. His "radical healthcare agenda" is... extending the ACA. His approach to police violence is to tell protesters not to be violent and approving larger contracts for the police and continuing militarization programs while insisting that America isn't racist. He is either continuing or not going back quite to the levels of Obama, another leader who promised a lot of great sounding things and never delivered.

 

I'm taking severe issue with the media that you say I should be reading more of already declaring him "FDR" and calling his tax raises all the way back to 2017 levels the most progressive thing they've ever seen.

 

His foreign policy... tweeting about defending human rights, then selling more arms to Saudi Arabia while they blockade Yemen, propping up dictatorships throughout Latin America, going back to the coup in Venezuela...