All Things Biden: Is It Over Yet?

[L'Emmerdeur]

As for Trump here is someone listing 14 accomplishments everyone ought to be able to agree on. The kicker is in the last 30 seconds.

He comes out with some decent videos, and I thought his presentation was entertaining. I'm familiar with the list so knew where he was going, but I appreciated the artistic way in which he approached the subject.

[Brian Peacock]

The US has 2 parties. Most call Republicans 'right' or 'alt-right'. That leaves an obvious trap for anyone accusing the supporters of the other party of being left.

How foolish.

The left in the US made their choice. They slurped up the candidates they were given, and voted for him in historic numbers.

As Shakespeare famously noted: The US only has one party - the property party. It just happens to have two right wings.

[Sean Hayden]

I don't get the energy or transportation secretary picks, or several others really. What's the reasoning behind putting politicians in charge? I can see why it's possible, but would it hurt to go the other way and use talented experts with some political skills, rather than expert politicians with no practical industry skills?

It's weird, almost like the positions don't matter or work in the way you'd expect.

I don't know what you consider "practical industry skills",

President-elect Joe Biden's energy secretary pick, Jennifer Granholm, has disclosed millions of dollars of investments in corporate and private business interests, including millions in companies linked to the energy industry, as lawmakers prepare to consider her nomination.

The former two-term Michigan governor and her husband, Daniel Mulhern, reported owning from $4.4 million up to $16.8 million in corporate interests and private assets like residential real estate properties, according to her new financial disclosure report released by the Office of Government Ethics on Monday.

Among her biggest assets are $1 million to $5 million worth of stock options she can exercise in Proterra Inc., a company that designs and manufactures zero-emission electric buses and trucks and provides battery-electric buses and charging systems to municipalities in several states, including California, Virginia and Washington state. She also owns a large amount of unvested shares of the company's stock options, the value of which is not readily ascertainable, according to the report.

Granholm, who sits on the company's board of directors, wrote in her ethics agreement filed with the disclosure report that she will step down from her position with the company upon her confirmation as energy secretary, and will divest from the vested stock options and forfeit unvested stock options in the company. She also said she'll recuse herself from matters related to Proterra until one year after her resignation from the company's board.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/biden-energy- ... d=75326948

Practical as in working with the technologies, developing and implementing them. What exactly has a mayor and retired Naval intelligence officer to do with transportation?

Granholm has a lot more in her favor, still, she has no formal training or experience that I'm aware of that relates to the technologies she now advocates for. She must know a lot, and I admit to not seeing past her education and early experiences to what she has involved herself with now. But I do still wonder how her background compares to say an engineer in the field, or scientist. Maybe they just make shitty leaders, I know engineers are assholes for example...

[pErvinalia]

I'm understanding your position better post by post.

I wish you would, but it seems you cannot comprehend what I write at all.

Let's go through this again. I'll type slowly.

Start with 'the republicans are the right, the dems are the left, in the US.

Biden is at best centrist, and more likely centre-right.

[Hermit]

As for Trump here is someone listing 14 accomplishments everyone ought to be able to agree on. The kicker is in the last 30 seconds.

He comes out with some decent videos, and I thought his presentation was entertaining. I'm familiar with the list so knew where he was going, but I appreciated the artistic way in which he approached the subject.

I generally ignore vloggers, but this one was linked to at Ratzkep, and the title intrigued me. Within seconds Beau announced he is going to catalogue Trump's accomplishments, so I listened to all of the clip. Although he also clearly signalled right at the start where this was going I never twigged to it until he let the other boot drop half a minute before the end. I am really slow on the uptake. Always have been. But for this reason the video was all the more enjoyable.

[Hermit]

I don't get the energy or transportation secretary picks, or several others really. What's the reasoning behind putting politicians in charge? I can see why it's possible, but would it hurt to go the other way and use talented experts with some political skills, rather than expert politicians with no practical industry skills?

It's weird, almost like the positions don't matter or work in the way you'd expect.

In Australia and some other countries I know of the equivalent of secretary is minister. Ministers are career politicians who get their appointments from the Prime Minister, Chancellor of whatever. They are not there to administer energy, transport or whatever department. They are there to provide political guidance. The chief administrators of those departments are career bureaucrats. They are not supposed to determine policy (Although Sir Humphrey Appleby kept demonstrating how bureaucrats can and do precisely that.) They are not chosen by politicians. They get promoted up the bureaucratic ladder by the bureaucratic system, hopefully because of their administrative competence. Sometimes that works really well. At others it really does not, but in theory it is preferable because it separates administrative efficiency from political goals. Neither get hampered by getting caught up with issues in the other. Supposedly.

[Scot Dutchy]

Biden has a monumental task ahead as all Democratic presidents have in order to clean up the Repug garbage.
I wish him good luck but I not expecting much. He hardly has control of the Senate and has been already pointed out the Dems have little control in the states. World wide I think most leaders were glad to see the back of Trump but Trump has to be prosecuted otherwise he will remain a festering sore.
Biden left wing? He would be even to right for Ruttë's party the VVD. The claim that this is democracy in action is very empty. So long as EC and the Senate remain in their present state I do not hope for much. Biden is not at present in any position to change them.
As for unity another old time pipe dream. It is a legacy that will always be stuck the name of Trump; division of US society.
We will have to see what a religious maniac can do. He is an improvement on the lunatic but that is about all. Ik heb een hard hoofd in dit geval.

[Hermit]

Meh. Unity has almost always been the first thing an incoming government has called for, regardless of which part of the political spectrum it occupies. What does it really mean? Here's a hint: One antonym of unity is opposition. Others are "disagreement", "discord", "fighting"...

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unity
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-o ... unity.html

[Scot Dutchy]

An article from Sanders that makes sad reading especially when you know how the Repugs will react.

Joe Biden must put an end to business as usual. Here's where to start

In this time of unprecedented crises, Congress and the Biden administration must respond through unprecedented action

A record-breaking 4,000 Americans are now dying each day from Covid-19, while the federal government fumbles vaccine production and distribution, testing and tracing. In the midst of the worst pandemic in 100 years, more than 90 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured and can’t afford to go to a doctor when they get sick. The isolation and anxiety caused by the pandemic has resulted in a huge increase in mental illness.

[Scot Dutchy]

Meh. Unity has almost always been the first thing an incoming government has called for, regardless of which part of the political spectrum it occupies. What does it really mean? Here's a hint: One antonym of unity is opposition. Others are "disagreement", "discord", "fighting"...

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unity
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-o ... unity.html

Which is exactly what the Repugs will be doing in making sure the chaos will continue. I dont think Joe will be having a long Honeymoon. He simply has not got the power.

[Cunt]

Meh. Unity has almost always been the first thing an incoming government has called for, regardless of which part of the political spectrum it occupies. What does it really mean? Here's a hint: One antonym of unity is opposition. Others are "disagreement", "discord", "fighting"...

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unity
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-o ... unity.html

The Unity Party, which was created by scientists in 2020, was quickly banned by social media. The big tech platform operators didn't give a reason.

The choices there remain right (republican) or left (democrat) with a small smattering of confused people trying to pretend there is only right and wrong, instead of right and left.

[JimC]

Meh. Unity has almost always been the first thing an incoming government has called for, regardless of which part of the political spectrum it occupies. What does it really mean? Here's a hint: One antonym of unity is opposition. Others are "disagreement", "discord", "fighting"...

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unity
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-o ... unity.html

Which is exactly what the Repugs will be doing in making sure the chaos will continue. I dont think Joe will be having a long Honeymoon. He simply has not got the power.

They can ram through anything they want in the Senate with Harris having the deciding vote in the inevitable case of a 50-50 tie...

[Hermit]

The Unity Party, which was created by scientists in 2020, was quickly banned by social media. The big tech platform operators didn't give a reason.

I can't find a reason the big tech platform operators gave for banning the Unity Party of America either. It might have something to do with the fact that they did not ban it.

The Unity Party of America on
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

The choices there remain right (republican) or left (democrat)...

The Democrat Party is not left.

I guess you're just trolling me now because you chose not to comment on this graphic when I posted it upthread four hours ago.

[Seabass]

Meh. Unity has almost always been the first thing an incoming government has called for, regardless of which part of the political spectrum it occupies. What does it really mean? Here's a hint: One antonym of unity is opposition. Others are "disagreement", "discord", "fighting"...

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unity
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-o ... unity.html

Which is exactly what the Repugs will be doing in making sure the chaos will continue. I dont think Joe will be having a long Honeymoon. He simply has not got the power.

They can ram through anything they want in the Senate with Harris having the deciding vote in the inevitable case of a 50-50 tie...

Not quite. They need 60 to get past a filibuster. Or they could get rid of the filibuster, but I don't think a Biden administration will have the balls to do that.

Alternatively, they can get around the filibuster by way of the reconciliation process, but they only get one or two of those a year.

[Scot Dutchy]

Meh. Unity has almost always been the first thing an incoming government has called for, regardless of which part of the political spectrum it occupies. What does it really mean? Here's a hint: One antonym of unity is opposition. Others are "disagreement", "discord", "fighting"...

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unity
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-o ... unity.html

Which is exactly what the Repugs will be doing in making sure the chaos will continue. I dont think Joe will be having a long Honeymoon. He simply has not got the power.

They can ram through anything they want in the Senate with Harris having the deciding vote in the inevitable case of a 50-50 tie...

That is only the situation for the first two years plus the Repugs know as best as any man how to delay votes in the Senate.
Exactly Seabass. It will not be easy.