US Politics: Electoral College Votes (12/14/2020)

[GrimTuesday]

Just now, DMC said:

Implement - or fail to implement - policy in a way that doesn't align with Biden's preferences.  What is a Biden person going to do to undermine a Sanders administration?

In a theoretical manner, yes, but in a practical way what would a Sanders person be empowered to do that would be anathema to Biden?

A Biden person is more likely to be aligned with big business, so if say you have a Secretary of Defense who is a member of the board of Raytheon (as is the case with Lloyd Austin), it is much more likely that they are going to take actions that benefit the military industrial complex. You're also more likely to find people who are in support of shit like fracking, so if they are in the EPA, they are less likely to pursue policy that put constraints on companies that are involved in that industry. People associated with Comcast at the FCC, People who support charter schools at Education (Don't forget that Democrats also support that shit just not to the degree of Betsey DeVos). Shit, you have people who

Beyond the big business, you have budget hawks (Bruce Reed anybody), You have people who oppose any constraining of Israel, you have free traders and people who want to continue the extraction of wealth from the global south. These are all people who are part of the Biden wing who would be impediments to a Bernie presidency.

Wanting to do more doesn't have as much of an impact as wanting to do less.

[Week]

28 minutes ago, DMC said:

Implement - or fail to implement - policy in a way that doesn't align with Biden's preferences.  What is a Biden person going to do to undermine a Sanders administration?

This looks like another rehash of a purity test. Biden = neolib = centrist = beholden to corporate money = corrupt

Sanders = grassroots = ideology = pure intentions of heart and soul

[GrimTuesday]

3 minutes ago, Week said:

This looks like another rehash of a purity test. Biden = neolib = centrist = beholden to corporate money = corrupt

Sanders = grassroots = ideology = pure intentions of heart and soul

It's not a purity test, the fact is that people to the right tend to constrain people who are to the left of them and perpetuate the status quo.

[DanteGabriel]

2 hours ago, Simon Steele said:

What gain could he possibly have in waiting so long except to be a massive piece of shit? I mean he's safely reelected, he knew Trump's nonsense wouldn't pay off. He likes the anger this causes.

He acknowledged Biden around the same time Putin did.

[DMC]

4 minutes ago, GrimTuesday said:

A Biden person is more likely to be aligned with big business

2 minutes ago, Week said:

This looks like another rehash of a purity test. Biden = neolib = centrist = beholden to corporate money = corrupt

Yup.  So the difference boils down to your side is better or more pure and we can't trust "Biden people" or "centrists" to not be beholden to big money.  Fine, but if you're gonna hold this position - then like I said to Liffguard - don't simultaneously whine that it's unfair Biden isn't appointing more "Sanders people" or "leftists."  Obviously you would not afford the same treatment if the shoe was on the other foot, so it's rather ludicrous and understandably maddening to "Biden people" that you're complaining about unfair treatment while perpetuating a fundamentally uneven perspective on different members/wings of the Democratic party.

5 minutes ago, GrimTuesday said:

It's not a purity test, the fact is that people to the right tend to constrain people who are to the left of them and perpetuate the status quo.

And the fact is "Sanders people" or people to the left of Biden will tend to implement policy, or fail to, in ways that don't align with his preferences and/or strategy.

[Week]

Big Pete for Secretary of Transpo?

https://mobile.twitter.com/tylerpager/status/1338919633416572929

[DMC]

1 minute ago, Week said:

Big Pete for Secretary of Transpo?

https://mobile.twitter.com/tylerpager/status/1338919633416572929

Guess he didn't want to move to Beijing after all.  CNN is also confirming.

[IheartIheartTesla]

Perhaps more important than Mitch, Newsmax will now refer to Biden as the President-elect. Someone needs to have 'the talk' with Trump soon.

[Week]

19 minutes ago, DMC said:

Guess he didn't want to move to Beijing after all.  CNN is also confirming.

It's certainly a win to avoid Rahm here (though expected at this point). Putting Pete in charge of a 58k person department is a pretty significant jump. Seems like a huge area of need -- addressing climate change, FAA issues, and the huge local budget crunch for public transportation as a result of COVID.

Would also expect for Biden to keep pushing for rail. May be intended to be a Biden-ally to the next generation of the Democratic party.

[DMC]

8 minutes ago, Week said:

Putting Pete in charge of a 58k person department is a pretty significant jump.

While the Department of Transportation is important, you could say that about almost all 15 departments - especially during the current situation of trying to recover economically and from the pandemic.  It's still a decidedly lower-level Cabinet appointment which, to put it in asoiaf terms, is well-suited to Buttigieg's name and station at the moment.

[Jaxom 1974]

8 minutes ago, DMC said:

While the Department of Transportation is important, you could say that about almost all 15 departments - especially during the current situation of trying to recover economically and from the pandemic.  It's still a decidedly lower-level Cabinet appointment which, to put it in asoiaf terms, is well-suited to Buttigieg's name and station at the moment.

Seen it suggested that there might be a little more potency to the Transportation Secretary job that usual in the post Covid, clawing out of the economic hole it put the country in.

Needless to say, I expect that if Pete, for Biden, announces an Infrastructure Week, we're gonna actually get an Infrastructure Week...

[DMC]

2 minutes ago, Jaxom 1974 said:

Seen it suggested that there might be a little more potency to the Transportation Secretary job that usual in the post Covid, clawing out of the economic hole it put the country in.

Yeah, like I said, you could say the same thing about HHS, and Labor, and Agriculture, and HUD.  And when it comes to addressing climate change, you could say that about Energy and Interior.  Pretty soon you're saying that about the whole cabinet is my point.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

48 minutes ago, Week said:

Would also expect for Biden to keep pushing for rail. 

Biden will so fire his ass if he doesn't get to ride a Choo Choo from DC to LA before his first term is over.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

1 hour ago, GrimTuesday said:

It's not a purity test, the fact is that people to the right tend to constrain people who are to the left of them and perpetuate the status quo.

So, by that logic, shouldn’t the most exteme leftist ideology always be adopted to prevent such constraint or is there a position that is “too far” left in your view?

[Jaxom 1974]

31 minutes ago, DMC said:

Yeah, like I said, you could say the same thing about HHS, and Labor, and Agriculture, and HUD.  And when it comes to addressing climate change, you could say that about Energy and Interior.  Pretty soon you're saying that about the whole cabinet is my point.

Hmmmm...fair. 

So maybe it begins more interesting how, if at all, some of those Cabinet positions push on climate and other agendas going forward, possibly vying to enhance the prestige of traditionally less sexy Cabinet positions...

Ooh. The Roads Scholar puns are going on Twitter now... 

[Fez]

13 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Biden will so fire his ass if he doesn't get to ride a Choo Choo from DC to LA before his first term is over.

If you don't mind a stop in New Orleans (and who does?) and it taking about 3 days, you can do that now.

[DMC]

1 minute ago, Jaxom 1974 said:

possibly vying to enhance the prestige of traditionally less sexy Cabinet positions...

Well, I've always thought Interior was pretty hot when no one else seemed to notice.

In all seriousness, I think the combination of simply a Democratic president - being of the party that emphasizes the positive role of government - and the current environment of economic hardship/pandemic recovery/climate crisis - that requires an active government in virtually all facets - inherently boosts the prestige of almost all cabinet-level positions. 

Then again, that may just be due to my own bias/bubble/political junky perspective.  HHS, IMHO, is clearly much more "prestigious" than generally thought of because of its oversight and responsibility regarding a huge chunk of the federal government.  DHS as well for similar reasons. 

It's a good point that with an emphasis on climate change one could argue Energy, Interior and EPA should elevate in prestige, but that's somewhat undermined by Biden creating Kerry's post (as well as the expectation he's going to similarly appoint a high profile "domestic" climate change advisor).

[IheartIheartTesla]

32 minutes ago, Fez said:

If you don't mind a stop in New Orleans (and who does?) and it taking about 3 days, you can do that now.

Not to mention that going from coast to coast has been available since 1870. No, what we need from Pete is something drastic, like nationalization of the rail system in the US. I'm only half-joking, since it is almost impossible to maintain profitable rail operations over the entire continental US. We require an entity with deep pockets that can print its own money or operate at a loss, like the federal government.

[GrimTuesday]

Just now, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

So, by that logic, shouldn’t the most exteme leftist ideology always be adopted to prevent such constraint or is there a position that is “too far” left in your view?

No, because you do still have to consider the context you are working within. We're not going from where we are at right now, to some kind of collectivized utopia in any of our life times (probably never). That said, I do think we should push for the most feasibly left wing position, which is where AOC and Bernie are at, because if we hold that course, eventually that sort of thing is going become progressively more mainstream and attainable.

As for what I think is too far left, not really sure there is anything that is being seriously proposed right now is far left. If we were talking about abolishing all capitalism and seizing all private property with the intent of collectivizing it, I'd say that is too far left, but that also isn't being proposed by anyone serious or relevant.

Just watched Warknock speak at a rally with Biden, and god damn that man is charismatic. I'm not normally a fan of religious leaders as politicians, but black liberation theology is something that I admire even as a godless person.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, Fez said:

If you don't mind a stop in New Orleans (and who does?) and it taking about 3 days, you can do that now.

Interesting to know. I've never actually looked into a cross-country train ride.