The Biden Presidency - 2020

[cartman]

Time for the new thread,

Decision Desk HQ projects that @JoeBiden has won Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral college votes for a total of 273.

Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States of America.

Race called at 11-06 08:50 AM EST

All Results: https://t.co/BgcQsEyt3j

— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 6, 2020

[NobodyHere]

Good luck Joe!

With the record high deficit, disease, Mitch McConnel, and the unrest out there, you're going to need it!

[JPhillips]

Can we call it a failed presidency yet?

[albionmoonlight]

GOP very concerned that over 100,000 Americans were diagnosed with COVID-19 on President-Elect Biden's first day. There is talk of impeachment.

[Brian Swartz]

I'm going to wait for it to actually fail before I call it a failed presidency. Crazy talk I know, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Ben E Lou]

Premature thread. The more I think about it, the more I think we're gonna need a "Pence Presidency" thread.

[Lathum]

Too soon.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Too soon.

Probably not, but "C'mon man!"

[Brian Swartz]

I don't think it's premature. Even if Trump resigns, we can put Pence's two months in the Trump thread.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Can we call it a failed presidency yet?

Hasn't gotten rid of COVID. Sad.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Premature thread. The more I think about it, the more I think we're gonna need a "Pence Presidency" thread.

I'm not betting on it on PredictIt, but I think you are right.

My guess:

Ivanka does the deed. He trusts her, and she understands that she has a brand to protect that might be tarnished by starting a literal civil war. She's one of the few people (maybe the only person) that he trusts that does not want him to burn it all down.

She convinces him that it is over. And then I think that quitting in a huff because they "stole it from him" (after he pardons himself and everyone in his circle) and "I'm not going to stay here like a sucker" and pledging to run in 2024 when "there will be no fraud" is the most likely play.

[JPhillips]

I don't think Trump resigns, he'll just behave as if he's resigned. The transition will fall to Pence, who to be fair, will probably handle it pretty well.

[molson]

Objective 1: Move in to the White House and get the old tenant to leave.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I don't think Trump resigns, he'll just behave as if he's resigned.

You mean he'll play a bunch of golf, watch Fox News, and shitpost on Twitter all day?

SI

[cuervo72]

Yeah, he might just fly to M-a-L and send for his stuff.

[Edward64]

Lots of pardons coming. How does he handle his own case?

[Brian Swartz]

We could always just let this thread be about Biden, Trump has his own thread. Or not, it's just an idea.

[Qwikshot]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I'm not betting on it on PredictIt, but I think you are right.

My guess:

Ivanka does the deed. He trusts her, and she understands that she has a brand to protect that might be tarnished by starting a literal civil war. She's one of the few people (maybe the only person) that he trusts that does not want him to burn it all down.

She convinces him that it is over. And then I think that quitting in a huff because they "stole it from him" (after he pardons himself and everyone in his circle) and "I'm not going to stay here like a sucker" and pledging to run in 2024 when "there will be no fraud" is the most likely play.

You think Ivanka pulls a John Snow?

[JediKooter]

Biden and his administration have a lot of work to clean up the mess trump will have left him. Count on the GOP to stymie Biden at every turn, blame him for the deficit that trump created, the inflation that trump created with his tariffs and tax cuts, the corona virus deaths that trump caused, the delay of any stimulus package for Americans out of work or hurting financially from the virus/shutdown and the loss of trust in the international community.

The damage trump has done will take years to clean up and that will only happen if the GOP doesn't take back control. From the environment to jobs, it's not going to be fixed over night.

Like the bullies they are, the GOP will whine and complain that Biden isn't doing anything, demand solutions to problems the GOP created and will continue to try and gaslight this country. Good luck Joe.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

We could always just let this thread be about Biden, Trump has his own thread. Or not, it's just an idea.

I second this motion.

[Ben E Lou]

First issue: the inevitable spike in COVID-19 that occurs shortly before his inauguration, due to Meemaws across the nation insisting that all the kids and grandkids come for Christmas like they always do.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by molson

Objective 1: Move in to the White House and get the old tenant to leave.

Funny Biden feels the same way:

"“The American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

First issue: the inevitable spike in COVID-19 that occurs shortly before his inauguration, due to Meemaws across the nation insisting that all the kids and grandkids come for Christmas like they always do.

Unfortunately, it will be their last christmas for some of them.

[Butter]

Like, how long will it take to undo all the stupid executive orders and rescinding of Obama's orders? Weeks? Months?

[lungs]

I wonder if Hunter and Ashley took the Trans Am keys away yet?

[weegeebored]

Riddle me this: how come current administrations take credit for the good things that happen during their term, but blame the previous administration for all of the bad shit? Anyone who believes that Trump or Harris...I mean Biden...can turn this country around is delusional. The two-party political system is archaic and it's flaws are amplified every four years. I have a feeling that in 2025 we will be thinking that 2020 wasn't so bad. God help us all.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by weegeebored

Riddle me this: how come current administrations take credit for the good things that happen during their term, but blame the previous administration for all of the bad shit? Anyone who believes that Trump or Harris...I mean Biden...can turn this country around is delusional. The two-party political system is archaic and it's flaws are amplified every four years. I have a feeling that in 2025 we will be thinking that 2020 wasn't so bad. God help us all.

Definitely a serious question here! I mean, politicians haven't been doing this since it was expedient since the dawn of time and part of our job as citizens is to untangle some of it. But the President Harris thing - that's how I know it's really serious.

SI

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Like the bullies they are, the GOP will whine and complain that Biden isn't doing anything, demand solutions to problems the GOP created and will continue to try and gaslight this country. Good luck Joe.

I'm not so sure about that. If the republicans hold the senate, Biden will appoint moderates to his cabinet (which have to be approved by the senate). If Breyer retires from the Supreme Court, he'll also appoint a moderate judge to take his place. He won't have to appease the leftists in his party, and can basically tell them he's hamstrung and has to appoint people who can get approved so the country's business can go on. I think there's a decent chance that some good will come out of this (like Bill Clinton and the republican congress).

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

First issue: the inevitable spike in COVID-19 that occurs shortly before his inauguration, due to Meemaws across the nation insisting that all the kids and grandkids come for Christmas like they always do.

Don't you know covid disappeared Nov 4th?

[Lathum]

When do we turn into Venezuela?

[lungs]

Originally Posted by Lathum

When do we turn into Venezuela?

I’m going to seize back my farm and turn it into a collective farm.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

I'm not so sure about that. If the republicans hold the senate, Biden will appoint moderates to his cabinet (which have to be approved by the senate). If Breyer retires from the Supreme Court, he'll also appoint a moderate judge to take his place. He won't have to appease the leftists in his party, and can basically tell them he's hamstrung and has to appoint people who can get approved so the country's business can go on. I think there's a decent chance that some good will come out of this (like Bill Clinton and the republican congress).

I tend to agree with you on more moderate judges first.than full out liberal/progressive judges. I will make one exception here:

Merrick Garland is first in line and he gets the hearing and vote he should have got when Obama nominated him.

Then have a debate on whether there should be an actual law that states no judge may be nominated to the Court in the last year of the Presidency instead of the "common decency" agreement Congress is supposed to have on this issue. And then decide if there will be term limits on both judges and Congresspeople just like there is for the President.

[ISiddiqui]

Garland may not want to go through that again though.

Also Garland is now 67. I'd rather have Biden nominate someone younger.

[Jas_lov]

You just know McConnell is going to say "If Joe Biden is serious about getting bipartisan support on a nominee he'll send us Merrick Garland" and Biden will nominate him. He should put up somebody much younger if he gets the chance.

Senate map is more favorable to Dems in 2022 and they have GOP retirements in NC and PA, which probably means Dems will blow it and lose 5 seats.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

I'm not so sure about that. If the republicans hold the senate, Biden will appoint moderates to his cabinet (which have to be approved by the senate). If Breyer retires from the Supreme Court, he'll also appoint a moderate judge to take his place. He won't have to appease the leftists in his party, and can basically tell them he's hamstrung and has to appoint people who can get approved so the country's business can go on. I think there's a decent chance that some good will come out of this (like Bill Clinton and the republican congress).

Abby Phillips just made a great point. It made me think about this and the other thread about our institutions. Despite all the talk of Left Wing Joe, we all know Biden is a moderate. We know he's first instinct is to make deals and be bipartisan. He is going to reach across the aisle no matter the pressure that comes from his left. What will he find on the other side? We shall see.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

I'm not so sure about that. If the republicans hold the senate, Biden will appoint moderates to his cabinet (which have to be approved by the senate). If Breyer retires from the Supreme Court, he'll also appoint a moderate judge to take his place. He won't have to appease the leftists in his party, and can basically tell them he's hamstrung and has to appoint people who can get approved so the country's business can go on. I think there's a decent chance that some good will come out of this (like Bill Clinton and the republican congress).

Wait. The GOP Congress was literally shooting watermelons to try and prove Clinton had Vince Foster murdered. And the Gingrich government shut-downs. And the travel office investigations. And the Whitewater investigations. And the impeachment. And on and on. The 1994 GOP win set the foundation for the McConnell Senate under Obama.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Lathum

When do we turn into Venezuela?

What time zone are you in?

[larrymcg421]

You guys, the deficit is an issue again. Lindsey Graham is already talking about it. Wonder what happened?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

You guys, the deficit is an issue again. Lindsey Graham is already talking about it. Wonder what happened?

I know some tax cuts for people who don't need it that can go

SI

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I know some tax cuts for people who don't need it that can go

SI

But without those cuts, how will they create jobs?

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

But without those cuts, how will they create jobs?

I forget. Is it the government's job to create jobs or is it the private sector's job?

[Brian Swartz]

I apologize for mucking up this thread with a post not overflowing with snark, but I'm seriously curious what Biden does. Specifically, what COVID steps does he take and how? What exactly does he do vis a vis climate change, globalization, international agreements, etc? Energy issues ... I know he will be limited by opposition from the Senate, but with it being nearly equally divided I think some minor bills will pass. What does he go for and what does he decide isn't worth the fight?

Going to be watching how all that plays out a lot more closely than I did anything that happened under our current President.

[Brian Swartz]

I'll reserve my sarcasm for Pelosi; somebody needs to remind her what the word mandate means.

[Kodos]

Maybe we can get some infrastructure stuff done. Probably not.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I apologize for mucking up this thread with a post not overflowing with snark, but I'm seriously curious what Biden does. Specifically, what COVID steps does he take and how? What exactly does he do vis a vis climate change, globalization, international agreements, etc? Energy issues ... I know he will be limited by opposition from the Senate, but with it being nearly equally divided I think some minor bills will pass. What does he go for and what does he decide isn't worth the fight?

Going to be watching how all that plays out a lot more closely than I did anything that happened under our current President.

Don't worry - looks like you got it covered

SI

[GrantDawg]

Can I just say I felt a little verklempt reading the title of this thread?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

I'm not so sure about that. If the republicans hold the senate, Biden will appoint moderates to his cabinet (which have to be approved by the senate). If Breyer retires from the Supreme Court, he'll also appoint a moderate judge to take his place. He won't have to appease the leftists in his party, and can basically tell them he's hamstrung and has to appoint people who can get approved so the country's business can go on. I think there's a decent chance that some good will come out of this (like Bill Clinton and the republican congress).

He is definitely a moderate, no doubt. But I think you give the GOP too much credit. They have not and will not change their stripes and will be just as obstructionist as they were with Obama. If he does get to appoint any justices, I do think they will lean on the moderate side, but, hopefully he will be pressured by the more progressive dems to go with someone that is more left. Time will tell, but, I think one thing can be guaranteed is, the GOP will be a pain in the ass.

[Mike Lowe]

It's great to see this thread!

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I apologize for mucking up this thread with a post not overflowing with snark, but I'm seriously curious what Biden does. Specifically, what COVID steps does he take and how?

Since cases are ramping up I think he can renew faith in our acquisition and distribution of equipment for front-line workers, making sure that the proper orgs are in place and ready to help as needed if we reach the unfortunate case of hospital overflow/overcrowding, just basic logistics where we were left with the impression back in March that Trump was creating a situation where "friendly" states got help, and where states were bidding against each other and the feds for equipment. That I assume can all be set straight immediately if the rise in cases is creating any shortage concerns.

Past that - the most important thing that a proper president could have done was brought unity around the idea that we're all in this together when the pandemic first started, that we don't have all the answers and we may not get everything right but that we are all Americans and we all need to work together and make some personal sacrifices in the best interest of all of us, that none of us are immune to this. I assume that we're far past the point that this unity could ever be created now, but he'll try, and hopefully it'll help some.

Hmmm - reasonable stimulus packages that actually help Americans? Can Biden help guide congress towards that?

What exactly does he do vis a vis climate change

There's so much dysfunction around climate change that I've pretty much lost hope and I don't think this change will do anything to fix it. The longer we go the more urgent it is that we implement something like the Green New Deal as of yesterday, and I think a lot of moderates don't actually have it in them to make hard decisions even if they are backed by the entirity of the scientific community. I think we lose here, and I fear that Biden won't even make a push for what is necessary, but even a more moderate push will probably fail.

But - at least get back into the Paris Climate Agreement and undo a lot of the executive orders that we've heard about over time that Trump put into place that weakened the EPA, things like that.

globalization, international agreements

My areas of interest politically don't really fall here, but I assume there will be some active efforts to try to restore relationships with allies that have been harmed,to re-establish deals that had been set up, to try to work with China to re-establish trade agreements that are closer to neutral and less antagonistic. I'm well aware that my language here is oversimplified, that's the best answer I've got.

Energy issues

Similar to Climate Change, I believe the science says that we need a massive worldwide effort to throw all of our resources behind renewable energy to even have a prayer of saving the planet (as far as it being comfortably habitable by humans). I'm not entirely sure Biden is even for that, and I don't think there's any hope of success. So I expect that Biden can undo some of Trump's harmful de-regulation that was mostly aimed at creating profit for his friends, but I sadly am extremely pessimistic here.

What does he go for and what does he decide isn't worth the fight?

I expect some police reform. A Biden victory is no reason to stop protesting for the issues that BLM cares about. I think by now everyone who pays attention here knows that I think Biden is an enemy of black lives matter, not a friend. I do not think he wants changes that will have any real impact on systemic racism. But I expect that he will take the tone necessary to calm some of the inflamed edges of these situations. And I think there is some reasonable police reform that will probably happen.

I expect to be disappointed, but I do think he will at least be capable of acknowledging the legitimate issues and doing what he honestly feels is the right thing to help address them, and he will make a real and honest effort to ease tensions. And that is very important to get us back to some kind of reasonable place that we were before Trump. I think many will consider this wonderful progress. That's the best I can say here given my own much further left leaning views on oppression and systemic/institutional racism in America.

[JediKooter]

One thing is for sure, I'm curious to see how much bigger of crowd will be there for Biden's inauguration than trumps.