What does a BIDEN Presidency look like?

[grumbler]

Let's not let Israel off the hook, though.  Israeli terrorists in the West Bank are not as numerous (by far) as Islamic terrorists in Gaza, but they are equally ignored by what is supposed to be the law.  There are powerful groups (some represented in the government) who believe that the solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict is to just push the Palestinians out of all parts of Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank.

[Jacob]

Came across this article on Louis Dejoy, the postmaster general thought to be put in place to destroy the USPS.

It turns out he's apparently doing a good job: https://time.com/6263424/louis-dejoy-trump-election-postal-reform/

[Solmyr]

You need to stop making shit up.

I don't know if Bibi and Putin are friendly but Bibi is absolutely a right wing wannabe strongman. He is currently attempting to destroy the Israeli judiciary.

He's not killing or jailing his opponents.

He encouraged Yitzhak Rabin's murder and cheered on when it happened.

[Razgovory]

He still didn't order the murder.

[DGuller]

Came across this article on Louis Dejoy, the postmaster general thought to be put in place to destroy the USPS.

It turns out he's apparently doing a good job: https://time.com/6263424/louis-dejoy-trump-election-postal-reform/

Very interesting read.  I remember being a little puzzled that this guy wasn't removed when Biden took over, since it seemed like a no-brainer given all the narratives about him, but then forgot about him like probably everyone else.

[Admiral Yi]

Heard an NPR bit with a reporter from The Hill talking about Biden and the showdown over Ukraine aid.  The reporter said it's difficult for Biden because "moderate and swing voters think the border is a mess."  And that it's only progressives and activists who don't want to close the border or tighten asylum rules.

[Razgovory]

I'd close the border if it meant money for Ukraine.  We can always open it up later on.

[Grey Fox]

I'd close your southern border. It does seem to be a mess.

[Razgovory]

We did it during the pandemic.

[HVC]

Maybe somebody should build a wall 

[Admiral Yi]

Build a wall no one can cross, hand out 500,000 temporary worker permits, figure out a deal for Teh Dreamers that 60 to 70 of the country can live with.  Roughly what Johnny Hero proposed umpteen years ago.  And someone else, maybe Bubba before him.

No idea how to fix asylum.

[OttoVonBismarck]

I think the big issue with asylum and the West in general is the treaty system underpinning it happened with limited public discourse, and a very different narrative back when it was implemented.

It largely stems from post-WWII, when basically everyone agreed we collectively did a horrible job offering safe harbor to people legitimately fleeing war.

The asylum system created in its wake ends up probably being over broad in how it works--and in the 70 years since the citizens of the West have largely had to accept that the system morphed into "a way for people who largely just don't like their quality of life in their home countries to bypass the immigration system." This includes in the United States and Europe, significant numbers of migrants who are purely economic migrants, or fleeing domestic crime. IMO the asylum system should be renegotiated throughout the developed world to meaningfully prevent these as valid attempts at asylum, and allow rapid return to origin for anyone asserting anything other than a credible flight from serious government repression or war.

I would probably favor a system in which some sort of body, which the key western powers would have veto rights in, gets to determine countries or conflicts from which valid refugees can seek asylum--and all other migrants attempting to migrate without cause, from all other points of origin, can be returned to origin without any adjudication. Obviously individual countries could adopt more liberal policies--but they would not be treaty bound to do so.

[Zanza]

and all other migrants attempting to migrate without cause, from all other points of origin, can be returned to origin without any adjudication.

That's already how it is supposed to work even with the existing rules, but it clearly does not work. A lot of the origin states are not willing to take their people back (and we cannot realistically force them) or they arrive without papers which makes it hard to legally determine their origin. I do not see how your proposal would change that.

That leaves us with people drowning in the Mediterranean Sea or building a wall along the US border or Greek border as policy.

[Admiral Yi]

That leaves us with people drowning in the Mediterranean Sea or building a wall along the US border or Greek border as policy.

As a perhaps minor quibble the wall on the Mexican border was not built to solve the asylum issue but rather the straight border jumper issue.

A separate immigration category that came to mind is the refugee category.  People flee the chaos of war, such as in Sudan or the South Sudan, the UN sets up refugee camps, and the people wait there until some kindly Western country decides they will take a couple thousand.

[OttoVonBismarck]

and all other migrants attempting to migrate without cause, from all other points of origin, can be returned to origin without any adjudication.

That's already how it is supposed to work even with the existing rules, but it clearly does not work. A lot of the origin states are not willing to take their people back (and we cannot realistically force them) or they arrive without papers which makes it hard to legally determine their origin. I do not see how your proposal would change that.

That leaves us with people drowning in the Mediterranean Sea or building a wall along the US border or Greek border as policy.

I would have to check the treaties, but in the U.S. at least it doesn't work that way. If someone asserts they feel "in danger", they are entitled to an adjudication. There is no list of countries where we can say "well there are zero valid asylees from that country." So we have to adjudicate people from Honduras / Guatemala, where the primary "risks" are mostly domestic crime, and the reality is most of these are economic migrants.

If someone openly admits they are just coming over for money, then they are not part of that process and they can be deported--but they are only around half of our border crossers (that number fluctuates as a %, but roughly half is a good approximation for the last x years--it should be noted too the economic migrants aren't the main drivers of partisan rancor because they aren't very "visible", they typically have jobs and a place to stay lined up, so if they get past Border Patrol they aren't creating the visible "drama" that refugees are.)