What does a BIDEN Presidency look like?

[fromtia]

IIRC, they were supposed to do that after the 2016 defeat and it got them a House win for 2018.I figured they were still doing it, but it's quite possible I am mistaken.

Yeah, it worked pretty well for this one Kenyan guy two times. He went on to ruin the US by wearing a tan suit. More recently it also delivered GA for Biden and horrible leftists Rashida Tlaib spent more time banging on doors for Biden than anyone from Bidens campaign did in MI. This is a proven approach.

That's a problem right there.  Anything the government will do will cost money, and while in the US there is a lot of room to re-tax the super rich, at some point, anything that requires fixing will require more taxes and be a break on your opportunity to make as much money as you can.

You say this with the certainty of someone who just read Atlas Shrugged for the first time, and I am not going to be able to penetrate that forcefield. You may not be correct, possibly.

That's mostly for States/Cities, though.  I can't really see the Fed gov having much to do about it given the vast differences between the various States and cities.

Housing costs are a problem in rural areas as well, so federal programs that help with housing costs in rural areas and also incentivize or subsidize construction of affordable rental options in those areas could be an approach to take. Yes, I agree housing costs are most acute in cities which isn't necessarily what we were talking about, but I think they are an issue in a great many places. Yes, also agree that addressing housing costs are more municipal/state level.

That means increasing the taxes.  Never popular.

AZ just passed 208, increasing taxes on wealthy people to pay for education. Food for thought.

China must be dealt with, but the US can't go at it alone since it's a global problem.NAFTA made the US much richer, it's only been used as a scapegoat for the loss or productivity in the US.  Which ties to education who happens to be a local issue, mostly.  Colleges are one thing, but there are good jobs to be had with non college education too.  But you still need some professional training.

Did NAFTA make working people in the US much richer? In a way it's not the point I was making - Trump talking about NAFTA is part of his popularity whatever you personally believe about it's merits, there is a broad and common perception that NAFTA is responsible for good paying jobs in the US disappearing. Trump was not afraid to talk about that and Democrats need to counter. I agree with you wholeheartedly about the importance of vocational and technical training.

Well, yeah, the ACA was a compromise that got gutted by red States enabling restrictions on it from what I understand.
Medicare for all would likely be a solution, but that is unacceptable to a majority of the people who currently vote Republican and they are in the countryside...  I think it's a dead-end for the Democrats like AOC to insist on this.  Imho, as Berkut pointed out a while ago, it'd be better to extend coverage while keeping private insurances around, at least for a while, because Americans are scared about losing their actual coverage.

And nothing will ever get done on the ACA side of things as long as people in the countryside who want this fixed vote GOP...

All the Democrats who ran on support for Medicare for All won reelection. I don't think that healthcare reform, of some kind is as unpopular with rural Republican voters as you claim. I think a good way forward would be to introduce a public option ( I think this was originally planned ) and lower the age from 65 to 60 for medicare, or 55. All pretty moderate stuff. That's what I would do at least.

If you have already capitulated completely to any idea of addressing some problems that people face because Fox News might have a field day with it, then fair enough.

[Sheilbh]

Trump nominated Judy Shelton to the Fed - she's a goldbug who is not a huge fan of the Fed, used to militate for far tighter monetary policy (she opposes the dual mandate and wants a 0% inflation target) and disagrees with Federal deposit insurance.

During the Trump administration she was an enormous fan of low interst rates and expansive monetary policy (she also moved from supporting free trade for most of her career to supporting trade wars).

Given her eccentric views her nomination has been on hold for about 18 months.

Inevitably and terribly on brand Republicans are now proceeding with hearings to approve her appointment

Edit: And no better sign that Republicans are very aware that Trump's lost.

[The Minsky Moment]

Inevitably and terribly on brand Republicans are now proceeding with hearings to approve her appointment

Not seeing what they get out of this.  Is there really mass popular movement to appoint Shelton to the Fed?  I very much doubt it.  For the monied element of their constituency - i.e. the people that sustain the party and its candidates - this is just more confirmation that the Biden Democrats are the safe pair of hands.

Shelton will have zero clout on the Fed so there is no policy impact either.

[Sheilbh]

Not seeing what they get out of this.  Is there really mass popular movement to appoint Shelton to the Fed?  I very much doubt it.  For the monied element of their constituency - i.e. the people that sustain the party and its candidates - this is just more confirmation that the Biden Democrats are the safe pair of hands.

Shelton will have zero clout on the Fed so there is no policy impact either.

They'll start moaning about loose monetary policy want things tightened up and militating for changes on the Fed under a Biden policy. Just like they'll start wanting tighter fiscal policy too.

[Syt]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-coronavirus-outbreak/2020/11/13/610eebcc-2539-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html

More than 130 Secret Service officers are said to be infected with coronavirus or quarantining in wake of Trump's campaign travel

More than 130 Secret Service officers who help protect the White House and the president when he travels have recently been ordered to isolate or quarantine because they tested positive for the coronavirus or had close contact with infected co-workers, according to three people familiar with agency staffing.

The spread of the coronavirus — which has sidelined roughly 10 percent of the agency's core security team — is believed to be partly linked to a series of campaign rallies that President Trump held in the weeks before the Nov. 3 election, according to the people, who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the situation.

The outbreak comes as coronavirus cases have been rapidly rising across the nation, with more than 152,000 new cases reported Thursday.

The virus is having a dramatic impact on the Secret Service's presidential security unit at the same time that growing numbers of prominent Trump campaign allies and White House officials have fallen ill in the wake of campaign events, where many attendees did not wear masks.

Among those who are infected are White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and outside political advisers Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie.

In addition, at least eight staffers at the Republican National Committee, including Chief of Staff Richard Walters, have the virus, according to officials at the organization. Some of those infected are in field offices across the country, including Pennsylvania, where some believe they were exposed in large staff gatherings, an official said.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said the administration takes "every case seriously." He referred questions about the Secret Service outbreak to agency officials. A spokeswoman for the Secret Service declined to comment.

Trump went on a travel blitz in the final stretch of the campaign, making five campaign stops on each of the last two days. On Nov. 2, Trump's campaign schedule required five separate groups of Secret Service officers — each numbering 20 to several dozen — to travel to Fayetteville, N.C.; Scranton, Pa.; Traverse City and Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Kenosha, Wis.; to screen spectators and secure the perimeter around the president's events. President-elect Joe Biden made two campaign stops that day that also required Secret Service protection, but in smaller numbers.

The agency is also examining whether some portion of the current infections are not travel-related, one government official said, but instead trace back to the site where many Secret Service officers report for duty each day: the White House.

White House staff largely eschew wearing masks, despite public health guidelines that they help contain the spread of the virus, and some Secret Service officers on duty at the complex have also been seen without them.

The Secret Service employs roughly 1,300 officers in its Uniformed Division to guard the White House and the vice president's residence. The officers are also the backbone of security for presidential trips out of town and other official events. Officers are distinct from agents, most of whom work in plainclothes and provide close security of the president, his family members and other senior officials.

Earlier this week, agency supervisors told other staff about the large number of officers who have contracted the virus and said there has been expanded testing to help limit the spread, according to the people familiar with the situation.

The number of officers who have been pulled off duty creates a major stress on an already overworked team and will force many officers to forgo days off and work longer hours to compensate for absent co-workers. A 2015 blue-ribbon panel identified overworked Secret Service officers as one key factor that contributed to security breaches at the White House.

"Being down more than 100 officers is very problematic," said one former senior Secret Service supervisor. "That does not bode well for White House security."

It's not the first time the Secret Service has been hit hard by the decisions of Trump and Vice President Pence to travel during the pandemic. This summer, dozens of Secret Service agents fell ill or were sidelined and forced to quarantine in the wake of the president's massive indoor stadium rally in Tulsa in June and the vice president's subsequent trip to Arizona.

At the time, Secret Service spokesman Catherine Milhoan said in a statement to The Washington Post that the agency "continues to methodically assess the unique requirements necessary to operate in the ongoing pandemic environment."

But many of Trump's own choices put his protection team at heightened risk, specifically his choice to travel out of state and hold large public events. Secret Service agents and medical professionals were shocked early last month when Trump — then being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the coronavirus — insisted on taking a ride outside the hospital to wave to supporters from inside a government sport-utility vehicle. He wore a cloth mask, but many feared he was unnecessarily endangering the Secret Service agents inside the vehicle.

Deere defended the outing at the time, telling reporters "appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the president and all those supporting it." He said precautions included personal protective equipment, without elaborating, and said the trip "was cleared by the medical team as safe to do."

While many people in Trump's orbit have contracted the virus this year, the most recent outbreak at the White House has been particularly extensive. Many of those who are now sick attended a campaign party last week in the East Room, or were exposed to someone who did.

Meadows was among those in the East Room of the White House when Trump gave remarks around 3 a.m. Wednesday to a crowd of about 150 of his top aides, donors and allies, as well as family members. During that event, Meadows worked the room extensively, without a mask, speaking to dozens.

More than a dozen White House aides have tested positive for the virus in the past week, including a range of low-level assistants and secretaries, officials said. Offices that have been affected include political affairs, legislative affairs and communications.

Meadows's positive diagnosis was revealed last week, along with the fact that he had urged staffers not to disclose it. The chief of staff is not expected to return to the office until next week, a person close to him said.

People present at Wednesday night's campaign party in the East Room who were around Meadows, Lewandowski and other now-sick staffers say they have not been contacted by the White House.

Several staffers said they were nervous about going to work because there has been such an outbreak. "I'm trying to work from home," one senior administration official said Wednesday afternoon. "It's not really safe to be in there right now."

Several aides said they were frustrated by a lack of transparency from their superiors, particularly Meadows, and that they did not notify more people of diagnoses.

[viper37]

AZ just passed 208, increasing taxes on wealthy people to pay for education. Food for thought.

Seems to be the exception, though.

Did NAFTA make working people in the US much richer? In a way it's not the point I was making - Trump talking about NAFTA is part of his popularity whatever you personally believe about it's merits, there is a broad and common perception that NAFTA is responsible for good paying jobs in the US disappearing. Trump was not afraid to talk about that and Democrats need to counter. I agree with you wholeheartedly about the importance of vocational and technical training.

Since these jobs went to China and Vietnam, I'd say it's a sure bet NAFTA isn't the problem.
The wage gap between auto plants in the Southern States and those in Michigan is huge.  Yet, GM, Ford and Chrysler produce most of their cars in Ontario and Northern US States.  Some of them are made in Mexico.  But the reality is, globally, since NAFTA, US manufacturing output has increased.  Real wage has not, but it does not depend on NAFTA, or any single culprit.

All the Democrats who ran on support for Medicare for All won reelection.

Most of them ran in safe places.  If I tell you Liberal MPs gets elected in Western Montreal ridings with a 95% margins election after election since the 1960s, could you deduce the candidates won their last election because the party did an incredible job at managing the economy?

I don't think that healthcare reform, of some kind is as unpopular with rural Republican voters as you claim. I think a good way forward would be to introduce a public option ( I think this was originally planned ) and lower the age from 65 to 60 for medicare, or 55. All pretty moderate stuff. That's what I would do at least.

But that's far from medicare for all as envisionned by the AOC wing of the party, afaik.
It's what Berkut said should e done earlier in the Trump thread, if I'm not mistaken.

If you have already capitulated completely to any idea of addressing some problems that people face because Fox News might have a field day with it, then fair enough.

After Trump, I'd prefer not to have another Republican US President during my lifetime, but I have no control over it, sadly.

I'm just brainstorming to find the best way to reach all Americans and bring them back to the Dem fold, until such time as the GOP has renounced its populist&racist ways.

[PDH]

You say this with the certainty of someone who just read Atlas Shrugged for the first time, and I am not going to be able to penetrate that forcefield. You may not be correct, possibly.

I haven't said this yet, but I missed you, fromtia

[The Brain]

You say this with the certainty of someone who just read Atlas Shrugged for the first time, and I am not going to be able to penetrate that forcefield. You may not be correct, possibly.

I haven't said this yet, but I missed you, fromtia

Well if you hadn't he wouldn't be posting, would he?

[Eddie Teach]

PDH is as accurate as a Wyoming QB.

[11B4V]

Well lets see if the democrats don't dick this all up.

[Valmy]

Well lets see if the democrats don't dick this all up.

Which part?

[11B4V]

Well lets see if the democrats don't dick this all up.

Which part?

The next four years.

[grumbler]

Well lets see if the democrats don't dick this all up.

Which part?

The next four years.

What administration in US history has gone four years without dicking it all up at some point?  You standards are too high. 

[FunkMonk]

https://www.rollcall.com/2020/11/20/hoyer-earmarks-are-likely-coming-back-next-year/

House Democratic leaders are proceeding with plans to bring back earmarks for the 117th Congress, according to Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer.

Hoyer, D-Md., said in an interview that sometime after the Appropriations Committee's new chairwoman is elected the week of Nov. 30, she will begin soliciting House lawmakers to "ask for congressional initiatives for their districts and their states."

[Razgovory]

Good.