All Things Biden: Is It Over Yet?

[Scot Dutchy]

He wont last four years. I thought the plan was for Harris to take over after two years.

[laklak]

Depends on how long Sleepy Joe can stay awake.

[Brian Peacock]

[Sean Hayden]

Michele Flournoy, who is Biden's likely pick for secretary of defense is upsetting people who worry she'll be too hawkish.

A harder US line? Potential Pentagon chief floated idea to sink China fleet in 72 hours

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/militar ... sink-china

Others have pointed to her involvement in Afghanistan as proof that she favors an aggressive military stance, even when it isn't working, and is unlikely to prove helpful to ending the forever wars.

But she has acknowledged the mistakes made in Afghanistan, and it looks like she's mostly interested in keeping defense spending high, and managing where it goes eg she's mentioned communications and AI many times.

[Sean Hayden]

Biden Fills Economic Posts With Experts on Systemic Racism

...

When it comes to economic policy, President-elect Joe Biden is putting racial disparities high on the agenda as he assembles his administration.

The incoming president tapped Mehrsa Baradaran, whose book “The Color of Money” is a key reference on the racial wealth gap, to prepare the Treasury Department for the transition. She’s joined by Lisa Cook, an economist at Michigan State University, on the “landing team” for the Federal Reserve and banking and securities regulators. They are among more than 500 experts who will focus on race as they shape Biden’s policies on issues like housing, health and small-business lending.

...

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/arti ... mic-racism

--new boss, same as the old boss?

[JimC]

Potential Pentagon chief floated idea to sink China fleet in 72 hours

Not the most harmonious combination of terms...

[Sean Hayden]

You Don't Have to Celebrate the First Woman Secretary of Defense

Reports that president-elect Joe Biden will pick Michele Flournoy as his secretary of defense have already spurred celebration of her for being the first woman to hold the position. Biden will “break barriers” with the likely appointment, according to an Associated Press headline; tapping Flournoy is “consistent with Biden’s pledge to have a diverse Cabinet,” the article continues.

On the surface it might seem like an obvious gain for women to have another woman appointed to such a high office for the first time. But to laud Flournoy based on this fact is to endorse an empty version of feminism, which asks us to support women no matter what they do.

https://theslot.jezebel.com/you-dont-ha ... 1845683304

This can't be good, can it?

[JimC]

Our Defence Minister is female, so big fucking deal...

[rainbow]

Depends on how long Sleepy Joe can stay awake.

Just wait until he finds Trump's secret stash of Adderall in the WH.

[Sean Hayden]

Our Defence Minister is female, so big fucking deal...

The whole thing's got a religious feel to it to me. It's not enough to support women now, it has to be the right kind of woman. Obviously, we've all known being a woman isn't enough, you also had to be qualified. But this is different. The qualifications are tied to the ideology too. --right kind of woman, doesn't mean qualified woman... That's what makes it feel off to me I think.

--anyway

so_vhat.png

[Tero]

WP
President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the hiring of nine senior White House officials, including close confidants from his winning campaign, as he forged ahead with his transition, even as Trump continues to hold up a normal process and falsely claim that he won the Nov. 3 election.

Biden is also scheduled to receive a national security briefing from experts outside government, given that Trump has blocked the Democrat’s access to administration officials. Trump has no events on his public schedule, as he largely stays out of public view and tweets grievances about the election.

[Tero]

Biden insists lack of co-operation from

https://www.theonion.com/biden-insists- ... 1845701220

[Sean Hayden]

In their letter, the environmental, food justice, sustainable agriculture, workers’ rights, animal welfare, social justice, public health, and anti-hunger organizations argued

that “Heitkamp is the wrong choice for the USDA because she has aligned herself with corporate agribusiness at the expense of family farmers, supports fossil fuel interests, and holds views that are out of step with the Democratic Party and the majority of Americans.”

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/lefti ... -gov-noem/

She also voted for Scott Pruitt to head the EPA. That bothers me. I see it has giving the finger to the people. Why would we ever want to destroy the EPA? But that's what Trump's picks set out to do. The person who filled in immediately after Pruitt was a coal lobbyist ffs --as . head . of . the . EPA.

[Sean Hayden]

So, Biden is being criticized for picking Cedric Richmond to head his Office of Public Engagement. This is because Richmond has accepted more money from the fossil fuel industry than almost any other representative.

But, he represents Louisiana, which employs nearly half a million oil and gas workers.

Louisiana is one of the top five states in both natural gas production and reserves. The state accounts for about 9% of U.S. marketed gas production and holds about 7% of the nation's natural gas proved reserves

Louisiana ranks among the top 10 states in both crude oil reserves and crude oil production, accounting for about 1% of both U.S. total oil reserves and production. However, the state's annual production of crude oil has fallen to less than half its 2000 level, and in 2019, output was the lowest in more than six decades, due to lower oil prices and less expensive production costs in other parts of the country.

https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=LA

For me, his suitability, as it relates to his fossil fuel ties hinges on the nature of his connections, and the position he is being considered for. The nature of his connections is obvious. I read somewhere that you can't understand Louisiana without oil and gas, and the above facts suggest that's true. If you're going to represent a state, can you really shun the employer of close to half a million of its citizens?

As the head of the Office of Public Engagement it's possible that environmentalists may be given less promotion under him than some would like. If you wanted someone to champion the green energy cause in this position, Richmond may not be the guy. But Biden and Harris have already made a lot of noise about addressing climate change, and nobody is going to let them forget. The White House will be expected to consistently talk to those interests throughout Biden's Presidency.

[rainbow]

In their letter, the environmental, food justice, sustainable agriculture, workers’ rights, animal welfare, social justice, public health, and anti-hunger organizations argued

that “Heitkamp is the wrong choice for the USDA because she has aligned herself with corporate agribusiness at the expense of family farmers, supports fossil fuel interests, and holds views that are out of step with the Democratic Party and the majority of Americans.”

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/lefti ... -gov-noem/

She also voted for Scott Pruitt to head the EPA. That bothers me. I see it has giving the finger to the people. Why would we ever want to destroy the EPA? But that's what Trump's picks set out to do. The person who filled in immediately after Pruitt was a coal lobbyist ffs --as . head . of . the . EPA.

My only experience with the EPA was during the Obama era, looking at taking Uranium out of the rivers in Colorado.

And incredibly incompetent bunch of bureaucratic lickspittles.

...and those were the better ones!