U.S. Politics: That's too bad for Carrots

[Tywin et al.]

3 minutes ago, GrimTuesday said:

Great, now I'm just imagining Trump showing up to white house tours every day to loudly complain about how they were robbed and the tour goers should be here to see him not Sleepy Joe and to try and make everything about him.

Comedy gold if you ask me.

[DMC]

6 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

What would you call the opposite of a Communist?

An individualist?

If you're defining communism as a system where all property and goods are publicly owned, then the polar opposite would be anarchy or the state of nature.

[ants]

Fascist.  

[Fragile Bird]

11 minutes ago, ants said:

Fascist.  

That’s what I should have said! The guy is someone too stupid to lock down his Facebook page and I saw him wishing American family members a Happy Thanksgiving. First I said, no, I’m a Canadian, and then I told him he sounded like an American living in Canada who thinks Universal Health Care is communist. If he responds again I’ll ask him why he’s a fascist.

[Tywin et al.]

17 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

That’s what I should have said! The guy is someone too stupid to lock down his Facebook page and I saw him wishing American family members a Happy Thanksgiving. First I said, no, I’m a Canadian, and then I told him he sounded like an American living in Canada who thinks Universal Health Care is communist. If he responds again I’ll ask him why he’s a fascist.

Be more creative.

[Kalbear]

Don't worry @GrimTuesday, looks like Republicans arent going to vote for Tanden either. 

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/527922-cornyn-spox-neera-tanden-has-no-chance-of-being-confirmed-as-bidens-omb-pick

[DMC]

Biden also announced his communications team today.  As expected, Kate Bedingfield will be comms director.  Jen Psaki will be press secretary instead of Symone Sanders, who will be Harris' senior advisor and top spokesperson.  The rest of the team is all women as well:

Quote

Biden rounded out his White House communications staff with five other women — the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women, Biden's transition noted in its announcement.

Pili Tobar, who worked on Biden’s campaign and previously worked as deputy director of the immigration reform advocacy group America’s Voice, will be the White House deputy communications director. Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as chief of staff to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the campaign, will be the principal deputy press secretary. She previously worked for the advocacy group MoveOn.org.

Symone Sanders, who served as national press secretary on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign before signing on early to work for Biden’s campaign, will be a senior adviser and the chief spokesperson for Harris. Ashley Etienne, a former aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who went on to work for Biden’s campaign, will be Harris’ communications director.

ETA:  Also, in another appointment that will make leftists whine, Brian Deese will be the head of the NEC:

Quote

President-elect Joe Biden has settled on senior Obama administration official and current investment executive Brian Deese as his top economic adviser in the White House, though the announcement may not come until later this week.

People close to Biden’s transition confirmed that Deese, an executive at investment giant BlackRock, is Biden's pick for director of the National Economic Council in the White House, after emerging as the frontrunner in recent days.

 

[Centrist Simon Steele]

7 hours ago, Mindwalker said:

Unless they are not, but are leaked...

@Fragile Bird, @Gaston de Foix, they mentioned a woman but i forgot her name... Sarah something...?

 

ETA: Ugh...

Report: Trump Considering 2024 Campaign Launch, Event To Disrupt Biden Inauguration

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/report-trump-considering-2024-campaign-launch-event-to-disrupt-biden-inauguration

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, I'd believe at this point.

7 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

I can't find anything that suggests Biden will pick anyone other than the obvious choices. Jones or Yates are the likely bets in my book. 

Shit, his campaign has been leaking this rumor since at least October.

6 hours ago, GrimTuesday said:

Great, one of the people most hostile towards the left is is slated to be running OMB. Neera Tanden has spent the last four years punching left constantly and is steeped in the Clintonian third way-ism. But I'm sure We'll be able to push her left

Yeah, it's really like, "No matter what we do, the 'progressives' will vote for us." We've been losing every single election no matter what. I think it's time to make a concerted effort to organize and not vote for the Dems anymore. They hate us, they won't accept movements of the people, so let them be the party of the corporate sector once and for all.

[DMC]

1 hour ago, Kalbear Total Landscaping said:

Don't worry @GrimTuesday, looks like Republicans arent going to vote for Tanden either. 

We'll see.  If their public reasoning really is "she said mean things about us" I have a hard time seeing that convincing Collins and Romney to vote against.

One final thing on Tanden and the CAP.  Under her watch, CAP has articulated a "Medicare Extra for All" plan.  This is basically the public option, but it's about as good as you can get for the public option.  Details include:

Quote

To address these challenges, the Center for American Progress proposes a new system—“Medicare Extra for All.” Medicare Extra would include important enhancements to the current Medicare program: an out-of-pocket limit, coverage of dental care and hearing aids, and integrated drug benefits. Medicare Extra would be available to all Americans, regardless of income, health status, age, or insurance status.

Employers would have the option to sponsor Medicare Extra and employees would have the option to choose Medicare Extra over their employer coverage. Medicare Extra would strengthen, streamline, and integrate Medicaid coverage with guaranteed quality into a national program.

My question to the skeptics - do you really think you were/are ever gonna get a Biden administration to support a healthcare plan more progressive than that, regardless of who's the OMB director (or anything else)?

[ants]

2 hours ago, Simon Steele said:

......

Yeah, it's really like, "No matter what we do, the 'progressives' will vote for us." We've been losing every single election no matter what. I think it's time to make a concerted effort to organize and not vote for the Dems anymore. They hate us, they won't accept movements of the people, so let them be the party of the corporate sector once and for all.

So your response to an election where outside of the presidency, in a huge turn-out election it transpired that a majority of America outside of a few big states support the Republicans, is to split the party which is the minority in most places.

And that will lead to change and the policies you want.  Ok......

[Centrist Simon Steele]

5 minutes ago, ants said:

So your response to an election where outside of the presidency, in a huge turn-out election it transpired that a majority of America outside of a few big states support the Republicans, is to split the party which is the minority in most places.

And that will lead to change and the policies you want.  Ok......

Right the Dems are so good at changes and policies the progressives what. Like.....uh.....when Pelosi ripped up Trump's speech or called his followers henchmen or whatever. Organizing against the Dems shouldn't matter since they don't need progressives anyway. They got those Lincoln Project votes.

 

[Ser Reptitious]

On 11/29/2020 at 12:49 AM, Tywin et al. said:

It's possible AOC could have a productive townhall in a red district in the deep South, but even if that happened, what would change?

It's about planting some seeds in people's minds. And I'm not just talking about town halls, but just talking to people in general. Yes, it's long, hard work, and the payoff will possibly take a long time to come, but hey, when it comes to policy you certainly haven't been shy of pushing the notion that (very) slow and steady incrementalism is the only road to success, so why wouldn't the same apply regarding winning people over to your side?

In short, it's high time to go back to a 50 state strategy. Let's not be lazy about this.

[DMC]

9 minutes ago, Ser Reptitious said:

In short, it's high time to go back to a 50 state strategy. Let's not be lazy about this.

Bring back Howard Dean!  Redeem The Scream!!!

[GrimTuesday]

10 minutes ago, DMC said:

Bring back Howard Dean!  Redeem The Scream!!!

You like screaming, I like screaming, that sounds like a compromise I think we can all get behind. Dean '04 and '24!!!

[DMC]

11 minutes ago, GrimTuesday said:

You like screaming, I like screaming, that sounds like a compromise I think we can all get behind. Dean '04 and '24!!!

Heh.  While I don't think a 2024 run is in the cards - albeit he's still six years younger than Biden! - and I may have been making fun there, I definitely do agree with the principle.  The party was at its best when they had Emanuel as DCCC chair recruiting candidates that could win in their district while Dean was running the DNC focusing on party building even in places a Democrat hasn't won since they were fighting to sustain Jim Crow - even if the two of them were constantly at each other's throats.

The race for DCCC chair will be decided this week, and it's down to Sean Maloney and Tony Cardenas.  I don't have anything particularly against Cardenas, but I like what Maloney's been saying - including ending the ban on consultants who worked for primary challengers, a move that's rankled AOC and the like (and does indeed seem unnecessarily punitive and close-minded).  If Maloney wins out and Biden can find someone to run the DNC with a like-minded approach to Dean's strategy, I'd say that'd be very encouraging developments for the party.  Not sure who that DNC candidate is though, but hopefully one can be found.

[Week]

5 hours ago, Simon Steele said:

They hate us, they won't accept movements of the people, so let them be the party of the corporate sector once and for all.

This is such immature histrionics. "Hate" is demonstrably incorrect. I assume, per usual, there was some talking head that didn't cater to "Leftist" and not anyone of actual consequence or any policy of such. 

Many people agree with your policy outcomes and find these pity parties to be self-defeating. Consider how to make friends and influence people - you aren't effecting anything resembling positive change or any support for what you believe is the path forward. 

[Tywin et al.]

6 hours ago, Simon Steele said:

Shit, his campaign has been leaking this rumor since at least October.

Um, no. 

Quote

Yeah, it's really like, "No matter what we do, the 'progressives' will vote for us." We've been losing every single election no matter what. I think it's time to make a concerted effort to organize and not vote for the Dems anymore. They hate us, they won't accept movements of the people, so let them be the party of the corporate sector once and for all.

Wow, you literally want to lose just so you can say woe is me. 

[Tywin et al.]

3 hours ago, Ser Reptitious said:

It's about planting some seeds in people's minds. And I'm not just talking about town halls, but just talking to people in general. Yes, it's long, hard work, and the payoff will possibly take a long time to come, but hey, when it comes to policy you certainly haven't been shy of pushing the notion that (very) slow and steady incrementalism is the only road to success, so why wouldn't the same apply regarding winning people over to your side?

In short, it's high time to go back to a 50 state strategy. Let's not be lazy about this.

You can have a 50 state strategy, but you also have to be realistic. There are large geographical areas of the U.S. that have been convinced anything Democrats do is evil and that they are agents of Satin. This is what happens in a two party system when one of the parties has just gone full batshit insane. 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

11 hours ago, GrimTuesday said:

Well, considering Sanders supporters make up the bulk of the left, I'm going to go with yes, this is a problem. People talk all the time about how we can't put in progressives because it will alienate "moderates" but no such courtesy is extended to the left which is also part of this coalition.

So, outside Bernie in the White House what specific policies would assuage your anger at Biden winning and picking people he trusts for his staff and cabinet?

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

7 hours ago, Simon Steele said:

Yeah, it's really like, "No matter what we do, the 'progressives' will vote for us." We've been losing every single election no matter what. I think it's time to make a concerted effort to organize and not vote for the Dems anymore. They hate us, they won't accept movements of the people, so let them be the party of the corporate sector once and for all.

Let me ask you the same thing I asked Grim.  Disregarding individuals what policies do you want to see the Biden Administration advocate for that would assuage your desire for “progressive” political movement?