The Biden Presidency - 2020

[RainMaker]

This seems like a pretty consequential decision https://t.co/DiyNjlygtt pic.twitter.com/ghlsYyvdl8

— John P. Collins (@prof_jpc) May 18, 2022

[RainMaker]

Worth noting that the 5th circuit shuts down regular plaintiffs all the time if they happen to sue a big company. Just a bunch of judges legislating from the bench to prevent a company from ever having to face consequences for anything they do.

[JPhillips]

This is clearly an attempt to get to SCOTUS and repeal the administrative state. It will basically kill the government to have every single regulation passed by Congress and signed by the President.

We had a good run, but it's hard to see us getting out of the next decade still intact.

[flere-imsaho]

It tells you all you need to know about the GOP, and their right-wing allies on the SCOTUS, that they're hunky-dory with delegating policing action to individual citizens for suspected abortions but not OK with a government agency exercising clearly defined powers delegated to it by a co-equal branch of government.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

This is clearly an attempt to get to SCOTUS and repeal the administrative state. It will basically kill the government to have every single regulation passed by Congress and signed by the President.

We had a good run, but it's hard to see us getting out of the next decade still intact.

Nah, it will inly apply to the rich and big companies. Try not paying a late fee in your taxes and see how it goes.

The SEC is also given the power by Congress. Few judges just don't think it should apply to the wealthy.

[NobodyHere]

A throwback to the good ol' days

George W. Bush mistakenly condemned Putin's 'brutal, unjustified invasion of Iraq' instead of Ukraine, then blamed the slip-up on age

[RainMaker]

No statute of limitations on war crimes.

[thesloppy]

Bush also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "cool little guy."



He's such a goober.

[Thomkal]

House just passed a bill to stop price gouging on gas 217-207. Every single Republican voted against it, so yes lets keep blaming Joe Biden for it...

[flere-imsaho]

In a world where Democrats were competent at elections, this vote would be front-and-center of every campaign in the fall.

[GrantDawg]

Good news mostly out the Georgia primaries. Trump backed candidates are mostly getting beat. Walker did get his win, but Kemp win big over Perdue. It looks like Raffensperger might win without runoff for SOS. Also the AG Carr is winning big.
Sadly, Margie three names won her nomination.

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[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Sadly, Margie three names won her nomination.

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If you are in a safe seat, you can be as crazy as you want, and the Party will let you be.

The difference between MTG and Madison Cawthorn is that he crossed the Party. *That* is the unforgivable sin.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

House just passed a bill to stop price gouging on gas 217-207. Every single Republican voted against it, so yes lets keep blaming Joe Biden for it...

I am forced to watch Fox News while I am at work due to having no control over the TV channel in the rooms I have to go in. The official Fox News stance on this is that high prices are the solution to high prices due to supply and demand. High prices reduces demand which in turn reduces price. This is after months of non stop programs bitching about Biden doing nothing about high gas prices. Classic!

[stevew]

I feel like this SBC thing will make Warnock very easy to beat. Enough people who don’t already hate the Dems will have no interest in figuring out what the difference in Baptists are.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by stevew

I feel like this SBC thing will make Warnock very easy to beat. Enough people who don’t already hate the Dems will have no interest in figuring out what the difference in Baptists are.

I don't think there are very many Georgian's that confuse members of the SBC and Dr. Warnock.

[Lathum]

Warnock is going to lose because we live in a society where voters value celebrity and party loyalty over decency, integrity, and ability to do the job.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Warnock is going to lose because we live in a society where voters value celebrity and party loyalty over decency, integrity, and ability to do the job.

That is closer to likely. I believe it will more a Red wave than anything that will allow him along with all Republicans once again to win every statewide election.

[GrantDawg]

Biden soon to announce $10k of student loan debts are going to be forgiven for anyone making less than $150k a year (though some are saying it might be $125k).

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[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Biden soon to announce $10k of student loan debts are going to be forgiven for anyone making less than $150k a year (though some are saying it might be $125k).

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Another reason why I will not be voting Democrat this fall.

[I. J. Reilly]

Democrats, man. When crime started going up they ran on defunding the police. Now populisms is the name of the game so they’re going to run on giving free money to college graduates.

[QuikSand]

I oppose pretty much every form of government-initiated college debt relief/forgiveness, including what is apparently on the table right now.

And when I place my feelings about that, and other current misgivings about the current majority party, alongside the other major party, that is in the main effectively anti-democracy and anti-truth... this is not a close call.

[thesloppy]

Yeah, if in this very moment, someone else's debt is a deciding factor in your vote I think your priorities are absolutely fucked.

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I oppose pretty much every form of government-initiated college debt relief/forgiveness, including what is apparently on the table right now.

And when I place my feelings about that, and other current misgivings about the current majority party, alongside the other major party, that is in the main effectively anti-democracy and anti-truth... this is not a close call.

Absolutely, I’ll be voting strait ticket D this fall for sure, same as I have for a decade now. It’s just beyond frustrating watching how the party functions. They are busy arguing over what the perfect shade of paint would be for the walls while the entire house is burning down around them.

[bob]

So this is just a golden group that gets a free $10k knocked off? Nothing for the next batch or any changes to student loans or college costs? Brilliant.

[albionmoonlight]

Leaving the policy merits of the decision aside, this seems like the worst possible political decision for the administration.

They could forgive nothing, which comes with political upsides and downsides.
They could forgive a lot, which comes with political upsides and downsides.

But they are choosing to forgive a little, which seems designed to piss off the "don't forgive" crowd AND piss off the "forgive a lot" crowd.

A lose/lose comprimise.

[albionmoonlight]

dola:

Though the politically fallout may not be that big of a deal in the long run. It gives people who were going to support the GOP (either by voting for them or by not voting for the Democrats) something to point to to explain their vote. But it probably does not change how they were going to vote anyway.

If you sat through COVID and January 6 and are still like "Yeah, this sure is a close one," then student loan relief probably isn't going to be the issue that sways you one way or another.

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Yeah, if in this very moment, someone else's debt is a deciding factor in your vote I think your priorities are absolutely fucked.

Currently it’s someone else’s debt, if this passed it would be our debt.

And shouldn’t your argument be asked of the party? What are their priorities? They are losing working class voters, being the party that’s known as hostile to big corporations and the working class isn’t going to win you much.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

Absolutely, I’ll be voting strait ticket D this fall for sure, same as I have for a decade now. It’s just beyond frustrating watching how the party functions. They are busy arguing over what the perfect shade of paint would be for the walls while the entire house is burning down around them.

basically the same here


I know lefties cry foul when people like Nancy Pelosi make public calls for a "good Republican party" (or words like that) but our two party system really, really depends on both parties putting forth a legitimate set of ideas for the non-committed to assess

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Another reason why I will not be voting Democrat this fall.

Shit, we were totally counting on your vote!

[flere-imsaho]

I will one again vote for Democrats in November but will do so in the spirit of a man throwing a sandbag in front of an oncoming flood.

[stevew]

if the alternative is Doug Mastriano and Dr. Oz, I'm voting D for sure. But realistically here there's no plan at all to address college costs. Expand the service forgiveness programs, and make debt dischargeable in bankruptcy.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by stevew

if the alternative is Doug Mastriano and Dr. Oz, I'm voting D for sure. But realistically here there's no plan at all to address college costs. Expand the service forgiveness programs, and make debt dischargeable in bankruptcy.

I'd also tell Universities that if they want to accept federal money then annual tuition and fee increases cannot exceed [Some measure of inflation] -.05%

That won't solve the immediate problem. But can you imagine if we had put something like that in place in, say, 1980? We wouldn't be where we are today.

[Flasch186]

I have to vote D because I'm afraid the R's will eventually try to undermine the entirety of our democracy.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

Currently it’s someone else’s debt, if this passed it would be our debt.

This seems like a pretty crucial misunderstanding of debt forgiveness. The debt is not passed on to anybody, it's gone. Yes that means less money will be potentially coming into the government, no that doesn't mean we somehow have to make up the difference.

[cuervo72]

So then it's kind of like a tax cut for those who have negative money instead of a tax cut for the rich?

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

This seems like a pretty crucial misunderstanding of debt forgiveness. The debt is not passed on to anybody, it's gone. Yes that means less money will be potentially coming into the government, no that doesn't mean we somehow have to make up the difference.

I don’t know, I guess we’ll have to wait for specifics to be sure. According to this Brookings article, Biden’s plan would cost 373 billion, it’s from a year ago but should still be close I would think.

But to your broader point, that’s kind of ridiculous unless you are arguing that this should be a pay go proposal. If it’s not coupled with actual cuts, then it is indeed spending.

[JPhillips]

I think the sweet spot here is interest, but it's probably harder to do something through EO. Cut the interest owed by X and lower the interest rates and have them only apply for X years. I do think people would be much more sympathetic to the idea that people shouldn't owe multiple times their original balance or have higher interest payments due years after they started than when they began.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I think the sweet spot here is interest, but it's probably harder to do something through EO. Cut the interest owed by X and lower the interest rates and have them only apply for X years. I do think people would be much more sympathetic to the idea that people shouldn't owe multiple times their original balance or have higher interest payments due years after they started than when they began.

Also, politically, cutting/reducing interest in a ongoing way is an ongoing benefit to people who you hope want to keep you in office.

You give everyone a $10,000 one-time payment, then the political benefit of that is gone in 1 news cycle.

I have no idea if that could be done via EO or not.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

But to your broader point, that’s kind of ridiculous unless you are arguing that this should be a pay go proposal. If it’s not coupled with actual cuts, then it is indeed spending.

That's not how the budget works. They/we have less to spend, so the cuts are intrinsic.

[bhlloy]

Maybe it’s time to just admit that the current Dem party sucks at this, and look forward to the next time we might have a competent opposition in 10-15 years?

For all the people who thought Trump was a plant and could be the death of the Republican Party, it’s kinda morbidly funny to see the same was actually true of Biden eight years later.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I'd also tell Universities that if they want to accept federal money then annual tuition and fee increases cannot exceed [Some measure of inflation] -.05%

That won't solve the immediate problem. But can you imagine if we had put something like that in place in, say, 1980? We wouldn't be where we are today.

Then they couldn't afford to operate. Most of the problem is that we used to fund schools and then once boomers got their degrees, they said "fuck y'all".

The school thing is weird to me. We just sent $40 billion to Ukraine no questions asked. A tax cut for the rich from a few years back sets us nearly $300 billion in debt each year. If some banks have a rough quarter, we can't hand them money fast enough. Just a weird set of priorities.

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

That's not how the budget works. They/we have less to spend, so the cuts are intrinsic.

Maybe I’m just getting stuck on semantics, but that is how the budget works. The vast majority of federal spending is already committed, the discretionary piece is tiny; so unless we increase taxes to cover the income shortfall, highly unlikely, then we will have to borrow to cover it. And that’s still preferable to the only other scenario, which I fear would ultimately boil down to giving benefits to college graduates by taking them away from the poor. Good luck being the Democrat who has to run on that.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

Maybe I’m just getting stuck on semantics, but that is how the budget works. The vast majority of federal spending is already committed, the discretionary piece is tiny; so unless we increase taxes to cover the income shortfall, highly unlikely, then we will have to borrow to cover it. And that’s still preferable to the only other scenario, which I fear would ultimately boil down to giving benefits to college graduates by taking them away from the poor. Good luck being the Democrat who has to run on that.

Just say it'll trickle down to other people or something. That seems to work.

[RainMaker]

I will say it is more complex than "we just lose $200 billion of revenue". Especially when that amount would be spread over 10+ years. There is a cascading effect.

Debt like that produces nothing of value in this country. It's wasted money and a drain on economic growth. Now if people don't have that debt anymore, maybe they do something productive. It could be the catalyst to start your own business, buy a car, or have a child. Even a little excess money that can be put back into the economy toward goods and services.

It's really not much different than a targeted stimulus.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I will say it is more complex than "we just lose $200 billion of revenue". Especially when that amount would be spread over 10+ years. There is a cascading effect.

Debt like that produces nothing of value in this country. It's wasted money and a drain on economic growth. Now if people don't have that debt anymore, maybe they do something productive. It could be the catalyst to start your own business, buy a car, or have a child. Even a little excess money that can be put back into the economy toward goods and services.

It's really not much different than a targeted stimulus.

I have been saying this about student loan forgiveness for a while now. It would be the greatest stimulus we could have. Millions of 20-30 somethings suddenly having disposable income would do wonders for our economy. It would be a boom for virtually every sector. Sure, some would save it or invest it, but majority would put it right back in to the economy unlike people in their 40-60s who would save it.

I say this as someone who worked his butt off to pay 2 student loans off.

[thesloppy]

It also seems worth mentioning that the whole reason we're considering forgiving student loans is because a significant amount of people aren't paying them. That particular revenue is not coming in, whether you forgive it or not, yet still gets counted as lost by critics.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

I will one again vote for Democrats in November but will do so in the spirit of a man throwing a sandbag in front of an oncoming flood.

Probably for entirely different reaons, but this is me also. Depending on the race in question, there will likely be third-party candidates involved where available as well.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I'd also tell Universities that if they want to accept federal money then annual tuition and fee increases cannot exceed [Some measure of inflation] -.05%

That won't solve the immediate problem. But can you imagine if we had put something like that in place in, say, 1980? We wouldn't be where we are today.

I like this. And colleges should be contributing to reducing debt load also.

I'm okay with some sort of debt forgiveness if there was something in exchange like volunteering for habitat for humanity, soup kitchens, more pro-bono work from lawyers, doctors/nurses helping out in rural areas, free plumbing repairs for the needy, cleaning up the parks etc. on weekends or whatever.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I think the sweet spot here is interest, but it's probably harder to do something through EO. Cut the interest owed by X and lower the interest rates and have them only apply for X years. I do think people would be much more sympathetic to the idea that people shouldn't owe multiple times their original balance or have higher interest payments due years after they started than when they began.

I like this idea also.

[BYU 14]

For the first time in my life as an independent (since 1994) I am actually going to register in a party for the primaries, just so I can vote against the loon Kari Lake in the governors race here. She is clueless, a Trump sycophant and will likely ruin this state if she is elected. I think Katie Hobbs is a viable democrat candidate and has the Dem nomination on lock, as well as my November vote.

It is sad that we have two Dem senators here, yet the state level GOP is full of so much Batshit crazy with Gosar, Ward, Rogers and Biggs. Lake would be the coup de grace if she gets elected, and I wish Ducey would grow some balls and endorse Taylor-Robson for governor on the GOP side, It's not like he is a Trump nation favorite, so go all in on sanity.