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Now that we have a new thread, in order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a complete and thorough read before posting! NOTE: When providing a source, please provide a very brief summary on what it's about and what purpose it adds to the discussion. The supporting statement should clearly explain why the subject is relevant and needs to be discussed. Please follow this rule especially for tweets.
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United States42490 Posts
On January 29 2024 12:39 JimmiC wrote:
Trump would blame them for stuff he did. He also used to brag about stock market performance as the best indicator but now of course it does not matter.
His policy is much like everything else, depends on the day and the direction the wind is blowing. He needs to both be a protectionist and only care about murica, but at the same time be the strongest toughest ever.
My guess is if 3 soldiers died on his watch it would be very reactionary with a swift and violent response. Likely his chiefs telling him he can’t nuke them and ending up on something else, but big and dramatic.
Biden I’m not so sure. He has been walking a very fine line for months. Will he keep walking that and aim for only the infrastructure or will he decide it is time to take the gloves off and hit some places that will mean lots of casualties, including higher ups. It is not that they do not have the intel.
When the Taliban attacked Americans he immediately surrendered to them and gave them Afghanistan. Trump talks a big game but he's a chickenhawk.
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And Russia was supposedly paying out bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers while Trump was President and he didn't do anything about that either (except force the army to pull out, which he then went on to blame on Biden).
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On January 29 2024 08:18 micronesia wrote:
You seem to think there needs to be an actual basis for both Haley and Trump to blame Biden for the drone attack. The flow chart is actually <drone attack> --> <bad> --> <blame Biden and Dems>.
If we learn tomorrow that a small meteor is heading toward earth and might mess up a city it will be <meteor> --> <bad> --> <blame Biden and Dems>.
If something good happens, it will be <good thing happens> --> <good> --> <take credit> --> <blame Biden and Dems for almost blocking good thing>
This has been the state of Republican politics for quite a while now, and the Democrats are only marginally better in this regard, I think.
I'm pretty sure this logic works the other way round too.
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On January 30 2024 06:14 gobbledydook wrote:Show nested quote +On January 29 2024 08:18 micronesia wrote:
You seem to think there needs to be an actual basis for both Haley and Trump to blame Biden for the drone attack. The flow chart is actually <drone attack> --> <bad> --> <blame Biden and Dems>.
If we learn tomorrow that a small meteor is heading toward earth and might mess up a city it will be <meteor> --> <bad> --> <blame Biden and Dems>.
If something good happens, it will be <good thing happens> --> <good> --> <take credit> --> <blame Biden and Dems for almost blocking good thing>
This has been the state of Republican politics for quite a while now, and the Democrats are only marginally better in this regard, I think. I'm pretty sure this logic works the other way round too.
They did admit they are not passing bills that will help the country, like what they believe is right is not how they vote.
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I just wrote quite a bit about voting *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. Looking for feedback. Agree? Disagree? Thanks!
Reasons To Vote For Biden In 2024 (written in February 2024)
In my opinion, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both too old to be president. They are both cognitively declining, and they both regularly misspeak and make gaffes. I would much rather have younger nominees to choose from, but the 2024 primaries have made it clear that we will – again – have a showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Barring a sudden withdrawal or death, one of these two will be elected president in November, and I think there are several good reasons to vote *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. While the “lesser of two evils” argument should be persuasive in practice, sometimes people need more reasons to feel enthusiastic enough to get up and vote for a candidate. The Biden administration has had many accomplishments, but isn’t doing a great job of communicating them; this list is designed to outline some of those accomplishments, and explain why I’m hoping to see Biden and his administration continue their solid work for another four years.
1. The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act allocated $1.2 trillion towards building and updating major infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, public transit, internet/broadband, ports, airports, power grid reliability, and school transportation. Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 221-201; the Senate vote was 69-30). [1] [2]
2. The CHIPs And Science Act authorized $280 billion in scientific research, education, and high-tech manufacturing, such as semiconductor production, quantum computing, biotechnology, and relevant workforce training. Again, Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 243-187; the Senate vote was 64-33). [3] [4]
3. The Inflation Reduction Act capped the monthly cost of insulin (to $35) and other out-of-pocket medical expenses for millions of Americans, especially those on Medicare, lowered other drug prescription prices, and invested $783 billion in clean energy (the largest climate change investment in American history), which includes renewable energy production and development of agricultural, forest, marine, and rural regions. It is worth stating a third time, because of how unprecedented it is in our usually-gridlocked Congress: Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 220-213; the Senate vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie). [5] [6]
4. Biden has strong economic numbers, both on an absolute scale and relative to Trump, in terms of unemployment, median wage growth, job creation, and the stock market. Unemployment percentages are lower under Biden (adult unemployment reached a 30+ year record low, and youth/15-24 unemployment also reached a 30+ year record low), median wage growth is higher under Biden (the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), the number of jobs created is higher under Biden (again, the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), and the stock market is stronger under Biden (it has reached the highest numbers ever recorded). [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
5a. Let’s talk about inflation, the price of gas, and how Biden has actually been incredibly effective at stabilizing them, after covid created supply chain issues (causing massive inflation everywhere). In our country, inflation due to covid has been consistently decreasing from a high of around 9% to nearly 3%, thanks to the aforementioned three acts (laws) – and others – under the Biden administration. It should be noted that Trump’s economic inflation numbers were very good; they were consistent at around the ideal inflation rate of 2% until covid occurred, although Trump didn’t actually do anything in particular to earn that 2% rate that he inherited from the end of the Obama administration, let alone need to recalibrate the rate after a national and global disaster (the way Biden did). As far as gas prices go, they’re almost completely back to pre-pandemic numbers, just like the inflation rate. Before the pandemic, Trump’s national gas price averages were between $2.30 and $2.90 per gallon; under Biden, the average cost of a gallon of gas has decreased from around $4.90 to $3.10. And keep in mind that the trends for both our inflation rate and our average price of gas are still projecting decreases (they aren’t just leveling off or stopping at 3% inflation or $3 per gallon). [12] [13]
5b. And one other thing about Biden effectively dealing with inflation: The effects of covid and the resulting supply chain issues weren’t just felt in the United States; there was massive global inflation. And guess which country handled it the best? “The United States has had the strongest economic recovery, measured by GDP. The U.S. economy has remained strong in 2023, with continued growth amid economic uncertainties. Most notably, this growth comes in the wake of the United States fully regaining all pre-pandemic GDP losses in 2021, as well as surpassing pre-pandemic levels. … As the world emerged from the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, most advanced economies experienced elevated inflation. U.S. inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target but is down substantially from its 2022 highs, with annual inflation declining in each of the past 12 months. Compared with advanced European economies, the United States has the lowest harmonized headline inflation rate—a comparable measure of inflation. In fact, compared with every other G7 economy, the United States has not just the lowest headline inflation but also the lowest core inflation—inflation that excludes volatile energy and food prices. Core inflation is the preferred measure of central banks.” [14]
6. Biden continues to find effective ways to reduce and forgive student debt, despite Trump’s Republican-leaning Supreme Court blocking some of it. Biden has been helping millions of Americans by forgiving over $130 billion dollars of loans and interest, allowing more and more graduates to save their money or spend it to help themselves and stimulate the economy. This may not be a long-term solution to the problem of the ever-increasing cost of college – and we do need to seriously explore long-term solutions too – but this at least provides some important and immediate relief for many young adults who would otherwise financially drown. [15]
7a. On the topic of labor, Biden is incredibly pro-union and continues to fight for workers’ rights. He updated the Davis-Bacon standards to prevent federal contractors from paying below-market wages; he raised the contractor minimum wage to $15/hour and made it easier for workers to unionize, collectively bargain, and fight for fair and equitable wages; he signed an executive order in January 2021 (as soon as he took office) that empowered federal workers by reversing Trump’s 2018 executive order that had made it easier to fire workers and harder for them to collectively bargain; he appointed officials at both the U.S. Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board who actively expand resources for educating workers on their rights; and he was the first president to ever join workers on a picket line. In addition to all of that, Biden created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment (chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris), which teamed up with the Department of Treasury to study the positive effects of unions on the economy, and released a first-of-its-kind report to promote the long list of benefits associated with unions. [16] [17]
7b. There are many union leaders voicing their appreciation for Biden and disdain for Trump; here are two such examples: Lee Saunders and Shawn Fain. Lee Saunders, the president of AFSCME (the largest trade union of public employees in the United States), said, “President Joe Biden is the most pro-union, pro-worker president of our lifetimes – hands down, no contest. He not only understands the importance of supporting working people, but he is a trade unionist at heart. He believes in the power of collective bargaining. He believes that everyone who wants to exercise their freedom to organize should do so without interference. And he has not been shy about saying so.” Shawn Fain, the president of UAW (United Auto Workers – another large American labor union), said, “Nowhere in history has Donald Trump ever stood for the American worker. He stands against pretty much everything we stand for. … Our contract fight with the Big Three [Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis; Stellantis owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, etc.], our most successful contract in history, President Biden stood there with us on the picket line, unlike President Trump back in '19, when GM was on strike for 40 days and he was completely not existent and silent on the issue. I can go through a list of things, the difference in the candidates. It's very clear to us who stands with working-class people in this country and who stands against them. … In 2008-2009, the economic recession, Donald Trump blamed the workers for what was wrong with these companies. … You know, versus President Biden, who, in 2023, when a plant was going to close in Belvidere, Illinois, for Stellantis, he stood with those workers. He helped us save a community and helped bring not one plant but two plants back to life, and he stood with our members on the picket line in our fight for economic justice.” [18] [19]
8. While Biden’s weakest area is probably foreign policy – there are plenty of criticisms, and some compliments, for certain decisions his administration has made for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Afghanistan exit – he has significantly improved relations with most other countries, and has restored the United States’ image in the eyes of our allies. The rest of the world has viewed the United States extremely positively under Democratic presidents (especially under both Obama and Biden) and extremely negatively under Republican presidents (especially under both George W. Bush and Trump), and re-earning the world’s respect and trust has allowed Biden to be more persuasive and more effective than Trump could ever be. For example, while some people dislike how much assistance Biden has given to Ukraine’s defense, he has managed to avoid sending American troops, he has persuaded other countries to also contribute to Ukraine, and he is successfully helping Ukraine to cripple Russian influence in the region. Trump’s volatility, ego, and love of dictatorships would never permit him to handle any international conflict in a thoughtful, measured, and practical manner, and world leaders relentlessly – and correctly – mock Trump’s ignorance. [20] [21]
9. Biden is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+, and he has specific policies in place to reduce discrimination of sex, gender, and sexual orientation, which has earned him the support of the National Organization for Women (NOW) – the largest feminist organization in the country – as well as GLAAD – the world’s largest pro-LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization – and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – another major pro-LGBTQ+ organization. The policy list for supporting women is dozens of points long and is outlined on the NOW website (see [22]); it focuses on “five main issue areas: economic security, healthcare, care infrastructure, ending violence against women, and protecting and empowering women globally. Combined, this agenda targets some of the most pressing issues facing women, especially women of color, today in the U.S.” The GLAAD website has documented hundreds of pro-LGBTQ+ examples under the Biden administration, including executive orders, legislative support, speeches, and nominations. Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD president and CEO, said, “President Biden included LGBTQ people in his vision for a more equal, more free, and more compassionate country. In re-upping his call for Congress to pass the Equality Act and protect transgender youth, the President is leading by example to expand freedom so no one is left behind. The call is urgent. LGBTQ Americans’ safety and dignity are under attack in state legislatures across the country, and our protections are at risk from the hostile majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Every lawmaker and every voter must speak up for LGBTQ people, and secure protections against discrimination, so we all have a greater chance to belong, be safe, and to succeed.” The HRC website adds, “President Biden and Vice President Harris have been steadfast, fearless, and unyielding in their support of LGBTQ+ Americans. This administration has achieved landmark victories for LGBTQ+ Americans in its first term — from protecting our right to marry who we love and challenging discriminatory laws seeking to deny healthcare to transgender youth, to strengthening policies that prevent discrimination in foster care, and affirming the identities of all Americans. What’s at stake in the 2024 presidential election for LGBTQ+ people is our humanity, our right to exist, and our ability to live and raise our families in environments free from discrimination and fear. We’re ready to mobilize millions of Equality Voters to support pro-equality, pro-choice, and pro-democracy candidates like President Biden and Vice President Harris. Let’s win this.” [22] [23] [24] [25]
10. The current Supreme Court is the most conservative and lopsided it has been in decades, thanks to Trump’s three appointed justices. Electing Democratic presidents is the best way to start recalibrating the Supreme Court towards the center with more left-leaning justices, such as Biden’s appointee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We already saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade; who knows what other progress could be undone with more Republican presidents appointing more conservative Supreme Court justices. This may also appeal to American voters who consider themselves centrist or moderate or preferring a balance of liberal and conservative leaders, given that the Supreme Court is currently heavily skewed towards favoring Republicans. [26]
There is certainly more that President Biden could do – he could find better ways to address systemic racism, voting rights, immigration reform, education, healthcare, and so on – and then I would be even happier with his presidency. Nevertheless, he’s still done an impressive job so far, and Trump’s presidency doesn’t have a list of positives that are even remotely comparable. We don’t even need to consider Trump’s negatives – although we absolutely should: undermining our elections with conspiracy theories, purposely stealing and keeping and sharing classified documents even after he no longer had clearance, handling covid terribly by peddling anti-science and anti-medicine propaganda, perpetuating racism and sexism, being found civilly liable for sexual assault and needing to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages for defaming his victim, facing 91 felonies and soon-to-be found guilty of at least some of those criminal charges, etc. Biden is an easy pick for me, and he should be an easy pick for you too; I just wish he did a better job of explaining why.
Sources:
[1] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684
[2] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: 162 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act
[3] CHIPs And Science Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346
[4] CHIPs And Science Act: 87 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act
[5] Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376
[6] Inflation Reduction Act: 227 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_Reduction_Act
[7] Unemployment Data: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/unemployment-rate
[8] Median Wage Growth Data: https://www.atlantafed.org/chcs/wage-growth-tracker
[9] Job Creation Data: https://seidmaninstitute.com/job-growth/year/
[10] Stock Market Data (Dow Jones): https://www.macrotrends.net/1319/dow-jones-100-year-historical-chart
[11] Stock Market Data (S&P 500): https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/^GSPC/
[12] U.S. Inflation Data: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/
[13] Average U.S. Gas Prices: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg&f=m
[14] Global Inflation Comparison: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/7-reasons-the-u-s-economy-is-among-the-strongest-in-the-g7/
[15] Student Loan Forgiveness: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-debt-2024/
[16] Pro-Labor Examples: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/8-ways-the-biden-administration-has-fought-for-working-people-by-strengthening-unions/
[17] Biden-Harris-Treasury Pro-Union Research: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1706
[18] AFSCME Union Supporting Biden: https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2023/saunders-president-joe-biden-is-the-most-pro-union-president-of-our-lifetimes
[19] UAW Union Supporting Biden: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2024/01/27/uaw-president-shawn-fain-fox-news-neil-cavuto-david-pakman/72379756007/
[20] Global Confidence For Biden And Trump: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/
[21] World Leaders Mocking Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/trump-describes-trudeau-as-two-faced-over-nato-hot-mic-video
[22] NOW Policy List Supporting Women: https://now.org/the-biden-agenda-for-women/
[23] GLAAD Pro-LGBTQ+ Examples: https://glaad.org/biden-harris/
[24] GLAAD Pro-Biden Statement: https://glaad.org/releases/2023-biden-sotu/
[25] HRC Pro-Biden Statement: https://www.hrc.org/resources/biden-harris-2024-campaign
[26] Supreme Court Skewed Conservative: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109444617/the-supreme-court-conservative
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Nice list. Cold hard policies is your best ammunition when it comes to making the case for Biden, and he has quite a list for those *willing* to really dig into them, even if it's boring and mundane (think of it as "homework" for the average voter). Not all might agree the good is good, or if he's doing enough, but it sure outnumbers whatever bad list he's got going on that the media loves to focus on since that's what brings in the views. (Which you can easily find from conservative outlets, even if it's mostly bunk and debunked. Hell, they'll target this list by mostly talking out of their ass anyway, or just outright ignore it.)
I think there's a policy expert out there with a list of 30+ good things that Biden's done, outnumbering his bad list, all sourced, and this is coming from a guy who sat out the 2020 election and is overly critical of Biden.
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On February 06 2024 03:44 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I just wrote quite a bit about voting *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. Looking for feedback. Agree? Disagree? Thanks! + Show Spoiler +Reasons To Vote For Biden In 2024 (written in February 2024) In my opinion, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both too old to be president. They are both cognitively declining, and they both regularly misspeak and make gaffes. I would much rather have younger nominees to choose from, but the 2024 primaries have made it clear that we will – again – have a showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Barring a sudden withdrawal or death, one of these two will be elected president in November, and I think there are several good reasons to vote *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. While the “lesser of two evils” argument should be persuasive in practice, sometimes people need more reasons to feel enthusiastic enough to get up and vote for a candidate. The Biden administration has had many accomplishments, but isn’t doing a great job of communicating them; this list is designed to outline some of those accomplishments, and explain why I’m hoping to see Biden and his administration continue their solid work for another four years. 1. The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act allocated $1.2 trillion towards building and updating major infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, public transit, internet/broadband, ports, airports, power grid reliability, and school transportation. Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 221-201; the Senate vote was 69-30). [1] [2] 2. The CHIPs And Science Act authorized $280 billion in scientific research, education, and high-tech manufacturing, such as semiconductor production, quantum computing, biotechnology, and relevant workforce training. Again, Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 243-187; the Senate vote was 64-33). [3] [4] 3. The Inflation Reduction Act capped the monthly cost of insulin (to $35) and other out-of-pocket medical expenses for millions of Americans, especially those on Medicare, lowered other drug prescription prices, and invested $783 billion in clean energy (the largest climate change investment in American history), which includes renewable energy production and development of agricultural, forest, marine, and rural regions. It is worth stating a third time, because of how unprecedented it is in our usually-gridlocked Congress: Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 220-213; the Senate vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie). [5] [6] 4. Biden has strong economic numbers, both on an absolute scale and relative to Trump, in terms of unemployment, median wage growth, job creation, and the stock market. Unemployment percentages are lower under Biden (adult unemployment reached a 30+ year record low, and youth/15-24 unemployment also reached a 30+ year record low), median wage growth is higher under Biden (the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), the number of jobs created is higher under Biden (again, the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), and the stock market is stronger under Biden (it has reached the highest numbers ever recorded). [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 5a. Let’s talk about inflation, the price of gas, and how Biden has actually been incredibly effective at stabilizing them, after covid created supply chain issues (causing massive inflation everywhere). In our country, inflation due to covid has been consistently decreasing from a high of around 9% to nearly 3%, thanks to the aforementioned three acts (laws) – and others – under the Biden administration. It should be noted that Trump’s economic inflation numbers were very good; they were consistent at around the ideal inflation rate of 2% until covid occurred, although Trump didn’t actually do anything in particular to earn that 2% rate that he inherited from the end of the Obama administration, let alone need to recalibrate the rate after a national and global disaster (the way Biden did). As far as gas prices go, they’re almost completely back to pre-pandemic numbers, just like the inflation rate. Before the pandemic, Trump’s national gas price averages were between $2.30 and $2.90 per gallon; under Biden, the average cost of a gallon of gas has decreased from around $4.90 to $3.10. And keep in mind that the trends for both our inflation rate and our average price of gas are still projecting decreases (they aren’t just leveling off or stopping at 3% inflation or $3 per gallon). [12] [13] 5b. And one other thing about Biden effectively dealing with inflation: The effects of covid and the resulting supply chain issues weren’t just felt in the United States; there was massive global inflation. And guess which country handled it the best? “The United States has had the strongest economic recovery, measured by GDP. The U.S. economy has remained strong in 2023, with continued growth amid economic uncertainties. Most notably, this growth comes in the wake of the United States fully regaining all pre-pandemic GDP losses in 2021, as well as surpassing pre-pandemic levels. … As the world emerged from the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, most advanced economies experienced elevated inflation. U.S. inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target but is down substantially from its 2022 highs, with annual inflation declining in each of the past 12 months. Compared with advanced European economies, the United States has the lowest harmonized headline inflation rate—a comparable measure of inflation. In fact, compared with every other G7 economy, the United States has not just the lowest headline inflation but also the lowest core inflation—inflation that excludes volatile energy and food prices. Core inflation is the preferred measure of central banks.” [14] 6. Biden continues to find effective ways to reduce and forgive student debt, despite Trump’s Republican-leaning Supreme Court blocking some of it. Biden has been helping millions of Americans by forgiving over $130 billion dollars of loans and interest, allowing more and more graduates to save their money or spend it to help themselves and stimulate the economy. This may not be a long-term solution to the problem of the ever-increasing cost of college – and we do need to seriously explore long-term solutions too – but this at least provides some important and immediate relief for many young adults who would otherwise financially drown. [15] 7a. On the topic of labor, Biden is incredibly pro-union and continues to fight for workers’ rights. He updated the Davis-Bacon standards to prevent federal contractors from paying below-market wages; he raised the contractor minimum wage to $15/hour and made it easier for workers to unionize, collectively bargain, and fight for fair and equitable wages; he signed an executive order in January 2021 (as soon as he took office) that empowered federal workers by reversing Trump’s 2018 executive order that had made it easier to fire workers and harder for them to collectively bargain; he appointed officials at both the U.S. Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board who actively expand resources for educating workers on their rights; and he was the first president to ever join workers on a picket line. In addition to all of that, Biden created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment (chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris), which teamed up with the Department of Treasury to study the positive effects of unions on the economy, and released a first-of-its-kind report to promote the long list of benefits associated with unions. [16] [17] 7b. There are many union leaders voicing their appreciation for Biden and disdain for Trump; here are two such examples: Lee Saunders and Shawn Fain. Lee Saunders, the president of AFSCME (the largest trade union of public employees in the United States), said, “President Joe Biden is the most pro-union, pro-worker president of our lifetimes – hands down, no contest. He not only understands the importance of supporting working people, but he is a trade unionist at heart. He believes in the power of collective bargaining. He believes that everyone who wants to exercise their freedom to organize should do so without interference. And he has not been shy about saying so.” Shawn Fain, the president of UAW (United Auto Workers – another large American labor union), said, “Nowhere in history has Donald Trump ever stood for the American worker. He stands against pretty much everything we stand for. … Our contract fight with the Big Three [Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis; Stellantis owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, etc.], our most successful contract in history, President Biden stood there with us on the picket line, unlike President Trump back in '19, when GM was on strike for 40 days and he was completely not existent and silent on the issue. I can go through a list of things, the difference in the candidates. It's very clear to us who stands with working-class people in this country and who stands against them. … In 2008-2009, the economic recession, Donald Trump blamed the workers for what was wrong with these companies. … You know, versus President Biden, who, in 2023, when a plant was going to close in Belvidere, Illinois, for Stellantis, he stood with those workers. He helped us save a community and helped bring not one plant but two plants back to life, and he stood with our members on the picket line in our fight for economic justice.” [18] [19] 8. While Biden’s weakest area is probably foreign policy – there are plenty of criticisms, and some compliments, for certain decisions his administration has made for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Afghanistan exit – he has significantly improved relations with most other countries, and has restored the United States’ image in the eyes of our allies. The rest of the world has viewed the United States extremely positively under Democratic presidents (especially under both Obama and Biden) and extremely negatively under Republican presidents (especially under both George W. Bush and Trump), and re-earning the world’s respect and trust has allowed Biden to be more persuasive and more effective than Trump could ever be. For example, while some people dislike how much assistance Biden has given to Ukraine’s defense, he has managed to avoid sending American troops, he has persuaded other countries to also contribute to Ukraine, and he is successfully helping Ukraine to cripple Russian influence in the region. Trump’s volatility, ego, and love of dictatorships would never permit him to handle any international conflict in a thoughtful, measured, and practical manner, and world leaders relentlessly – and correctly – mock Trump’s ignorance. [20] [21] 9. Biden is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+, and he has specific policies in place to reduce discrimination of sex, gender, and sexual orientation, which has earned him the support of the National Organization for Women (NOW) – the largest feminist organization in the country – as well as GLAAD – the world’s largest pro-LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization – and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – another major pro-LGBTQ+ organization. The policy list for supporting women is dozens of points long and is outlined on the NOW website (see [22]); it focuses on “five main issue areas: economic security, healthcare, care infrastructure, ending violence against women, and protecting and empowering women globally. Combined, this agenda targets some of the most pressing issues facing women, especially women of color, today in the U.S.” The GLAAD website has documented hundreds of pro-LGBTQ+ examples under the Biden administration, including executive orders, legislative support, speeches, and nominations. Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD president and CEO, said, “President Biden included LGBTQ people in his vision for a more equal, more free, and more compassionate country. In re-upping his call for Congress to pass the Equality Act and protect transgender youth, the President is leading by example to expand freedom so no one is left behind. The call is urgent. LGBTQ Americans’ safety and dignity are under attack in state legislatures across the country, and our protections are at risk from the hostile majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Every lawmaker and every voter must speak up for LGBTQ people, and secure protections against discrimination, so we all have a greater chance to belong, be safe, and to succeed.” The HRC website adds, “President Biden and Vice President Harris have been steadfast, fearless, and unyielding in their support of LGBTQ+ Americans. This administration has achieved landmark victories for LGBTQ+ Americans in its first term — from protecting our right to marry who we love and challenging discriminatory laws seeking to deny healthcare to transgender youth, to strengthening policies that prevent discrimination in foster care, and affirming the identities of all Americans. What’s at stake in the 2024 presidential election for LGBTQ+ people is our humanity, our right to exist, and our ability to live and raise our families in environments free from discrimination and fear. We’re ready to mobilize millions of Equality Voters to support pro-equality, pro-choice, and pro-democracy candidates like President Biden and Vice President Harris. Let’s win this.” [22] [23] [24] [25] 10. The current Supreme Court is the most conservative and lopsided it has been in decades, thanks to Trump’s three appointed justices. Electing Democratic presidents is the best way to start recalibrating the Supreme Court towards the center with more left-leaning justices, such as Biden’s appointee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We already saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade; who knows what other progress could be undone with more Republican presidents appointing more conservative Supreme Court justices. This may also appeal to American voters who consider themselves centrist or moderate or preferring a balance of liberal and conservative leaders, given that the Supreme Court is currently heavily skewed towards favoring Republicans. [26] There is certainly more that President Biden could do – he could find better ways to address systemic racism, voting rights, immigration reform, education, healthcare, and so on – and then I would be even happier with his presidency. Nevertheless, he’s still done an impressive job so far, and Trump’s presidency doesn’t have a list of positives that are even remotely comparable. We don’t even need to consider Trump’s negatives – although we absolutely should: undermining our elections with conspiracy theories, purposely stealing and keeping and sharing classified documents even after he no longer had clearance, handling covid terribly by peddling anti-science and anti-medicine propaganda, perpetuating racism and sexism, being found civilly liable for sexual assault and needing to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages for defaming his victim, facing 91 felonies and soon-to-be found guilty of at least some of those criminal charges, etc. Biden is an easy pick for me, and he should be an easy pick for you too; I just wish he did a better job of explaining why. Sources: [1] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684[2] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: 162 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act [3] CHIPs And Science Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346[4] CHIPs And Science Act: 87 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act [5] Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376[6] Inflation Reduction Act: 227 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_Reduction_Act [7] Unemployment Data: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/unemployment-rate [8] Median Wage Growth Data: https://www.atlantafed.org/chcs/wage-growth-tracker [9] Job Creation Data: https://seidmaninstitute.com/job-growth/year/ [10] Stock Market Data (Dow Jones): https://www.macrotrends.net/1319/dow-jones-100-year-historical-chart [11] Stock Market Data (S&P 500): https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/^GSPC/ [12] U.S. Inflation Data: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ [13] Average U.S. Gas Prices: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg&f=m [14] Global Inflation Comparison: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/7-reasons-the-u-s-economy-is-among-the-strongest-in-the-g7/ [15] Student Loan Forgiveness: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-debt-2024/ [16] Pro-Labor Examples: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/8-ways-the-biden-administration-has-fought-for-working-people-by-strengthening-unions/ [17] Biden-Harris-Treasury Pro-Union Research: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1706 [18] AFSCME Union Supporting Biden: https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2023/saunders-president-joe-biden-is-the-most-pro-union-president-of-our-lifetimes [19] UAW Union Supporting Biden: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2024/01/27/uaw-president-shawn-fain-fox-news-neil-cavuto-david-pakman/72379756007/ [20] Global Confidence For Biden And Trump: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/ [21] World Leaders Mocking Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/trump-describes-trudeau-as-two-faced-over-nato-hot-mic-video [22] NOW Policy List Supporting Women: https://now.org/the-biden-agenda-for-women/ [23] GLAAD Pro-LGBTQ+ Examples: https://glaad.org/biden-harris/ [24] GLAAD Pro-Biden Statement: https://glaad.org/releases/2023-biden-sotu/ [25] HRC Pro-Biden Statement: https://www.hrc.org/resources/biden-harris-2024-campaign [26] Supreme Court Skewed Conservative: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109444617/the-supreme-court-conservative
My first thought is: "I won't vote for someone aiding and abetting Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians and find it irreconcilably problematic that Democrat voters rationalize/insist on/celebrate doing so."
Bernie is far from perfect (should have said this and more/better months ago), but this is the least I could expect from someone I would consider voting for.
Speaking to your points generally, none of that even approaches non-reformist reform, so I view it as oppositional to desirable strategies and outcomes (while typically less immediately devastating than Republican preferences).
I think this whole "communication" talking point resonates a lot among media, politicians, party loyalists, professional-managerial class types, and the like, but I don't think it's really capturing the various angles his clear and record breaking unpopularity is coming from.
Electorally it's likely all about Michigan (though Democrats could lose through Wisconsin too) so to the degree there is value in the "communication" line, it's in tailoring those "communication" talking points to that audience. One problem being that unenthusiastic voters to Biden's left and fencesitting "independents" have very different ideas on what that would sound like. Trying to spin them for both would probably fail to sway either.
Without a real primary to pressure Biden to make commitments to his left flank (not talking about socialists, just social dems between Bernie and Biden), it's probably going to be all-in on bending over backwards to appease "independents/never Trump Republicans" at the expense of Democrats most disproportionate and consistent supporters as well as other oppressed/marginalized groups. This is represented by things like Biden's insistence on aiding and abetting Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians, Democrats agreeing to Republican's cracking down on the border (apparently for naught), and Cop City (being shepherded in part by Black Democrat politicians).
Considering Biden barely won with much more favorable polling, it may be another Clinton situation where we could attribute a potential Biden loss to a long list of factors where people will emphasize the ones that fit their worldview. For Democrats this typically manifests as petulantly blaming those to their left.
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On February 06 2024 06:15 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 03:44 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I just wrote quite a bit about voting *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. Looking for feedback. Agree? Disagree? Thanks! + Show Spoiler +Reasons To Vote For Biden In 2024 (written in February 2024) In my opinion, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both too old to be president. They are both cognitively declining, and they both regularly misspeak and make gaffes. I would much rather have younger nominees to choose from, but the 2024 primaries have made it clear that we will – again – have a showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Barring a sudden withdrawal or death, one of these two will be elected president in November, and I think there are several good reasons to vote *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. While the “lesser of two evils” argument should be persuasive in practice, sometimes people need more reasons to feel enthusiastic enough to get up and vote for a candidate. The Biden administration has had many accomplishments, but isn’t doing a great job of communicating them; this list is designed to outline some of those accomplishments, and explain why I’m hoping to see Biden and his administration continue their solid work for another four years. 1. The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act allocated $1.2 trillion towards building and updating major infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, public transit, internet/broadband, ports, airports, power grid reliability, and school transportation. Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 221-201; the Senate vote was 69-30). [1] [2] 2. The CHIPs And Science Act authorized $280 billion in scientific research, education, and high-tech manufacturing, such as semiconductor production, quantum computing, biotechnology, and relevant workforce training. Again, Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 243-187; the Senate vote was 64-33). [3] [4] 3. The Inflation Reduction Act capped the monthly cost of insulin (to $35) and other out-of-pocket medical expenses for millions of Americans, especially those on Medicare, lowered other drug prescription prices, and invested $783 billion in clean energy (the largest climate change investment in American history), which includes renewable energy production and development of agricultural, forest, marine, and rural regions. It is worth stating a third time, because of how unprecedented it is in our usually-gridlocked Congress: Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 220-213; the Senate vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie). [5] [6] 4. Biden has strong economic numbers, both on an absolute scale and relative to Trump, in terms of unemployment, median wage growth, job creation, and the stock market. Unemployment percentages are lower under Biden (adult unemployment reached a 30+ year record low, and youth/15-24 unemployment also reached a 30+ year record low), median wage growth is higher under Biden (the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), the number of jobs created is higher under Biden (again, the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), and the stock market is stronger under Biden (it has reached the highest numbers ever recorded). [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 5a. Let’s talk about inflation, the price of gas, and how Biden has actually been incredibly effective at stabilizing them, after covid created supply chain issues (causing massive inflation everywhere). In our country, inflation due to covid has been consistently decreasing from a high of around 9% to nearly 3%, thanks to the aforementioned three acts (laws) – and others – under the Biden administration. It should be noted that Trump’s economic inflation numbers were very good; they were consistent at around the ideal inflation rate of 2% until covid occurred, although Trump didn’t actually do anything in particular to earn that 2% rate that he inherited from the end of the Obama administration, let alone need to recalibrate the rate after a national and global disaster (the way Biden did). As far as gas prices go, they’re almost completely back to pre-pandemic numbers, just like the inflation rate. Before the pandemic, Trump’s national gas price averages were between $2.30 and $2.90 per gallon; under Biden, the average cost of a gallon of gas has decreased from around $4.90 to $3.10. And keep in mind that the trends for both our inflation rate and our average price of gas are still projecting decreases (they aren’t just leveling off or stopping at 3% inflation or $3 per gallon). [12] [13] 5b. And one other thing about Biden effectively dealing with inflation: The effects of covid and the resulting supply chain issues weren’t just felt in the United States; there was massive global inflation. And guess which country handled it the best? “The United States has had the strongest economic recovery, measured by GDP. The U.S. economy has remained strong in 2023, with continued growth amid economic uncertainties. Most notably, this growth comes in the wake of the United States fully regaining all pre-pandemic GDP losses in 2021, as well as surpassing pre-pandemic levels. … As the world emerged from the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, most advanced economies experienced elevated inflation. U.S. inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target but is down substantially from its 2022 highs, with annual inflation declining in each of the past 12 months. Compared with advanced European economies, the United States has the lowest harmonized headline inflation rate—a comparable measure of inflation. In fact, compared with every other G7 economy, the United States has not just the lowest headline inflation but also the lowest core inflation—inflation that excludes volatile energy and food prices. Core inflation is the preferred measure of central banks.” [14] 6. Biden continues to find effective ways to reduce and forgive student debt, despite Trump’s Republican-leaning Supreme Court blocking some of it. Biden has been helping millions of Americans by forgiving over $130 billion dollars of loans and interest, allowing more and more graduates to save their money or spend it to help themselves and stimulate the economy. This may not be a long-term solution to the problem of the ever-increasing cost of college – and we do need to seriously explore long-term solutions too – but this at least provides some important and immediate relief for many young adults who would otherwise financially drown. [15] 7a. On the topic of labor, Biden is incredibly pro-union and continues to fight for workers’ rights. He updated the Davis-Bacon standards to prevent federal contractors from paying below-market wages; he raised the contractor minimum wage to $15/hour and made it easier for workers to unionize, collectively bargain, and fight for fair and equitable wages; he signed an executive order in January 2021 (as soon as he took office) that empowered federal workers by reversing Trump’s 2018 executive order that had made it easier to fire workers and harder for them to collectively bargain; he appointed officials at both the U.S. Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board who actively expand resources for educating workers on their rights; and he was the first president to ever join workers on a picket line. In addition to all of that, Biden created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment (chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris), which teamed up with the Department of Treasury to study the positive effects of unions on the economy, and released a first-of-its-kind report to promote the long list of benefits associated with unions. [16] [17] 7b. There are many union leaders voicing their appreciation for Biden and disdain for Trump; here are two such examples: Lee Saunders and Shawn Fain. Lee Saunders, the president of AFSCME (the largest trade union of public employees in the United States), said, “President Joe Biden is the most pro-union, pro-worker president of our lifetimes – hands down, no contest. He not only understands the importance of supporting working people, but he is a trade unionist at heart. He believes in the power of collective bargaining. He believes that everyone who wants to exercise their freedom to organize should do so without interference. And he has not been shy about saying so.” Shawn Fain, the president of UAW (United Auto Workers – another large American labor union), said, “Nowhere in history has Donald Trump ever stood for the American worker. He stands against pretty much everything we stand for. … Our contract fight with the Big Three [Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis; Stellantis owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, etc.], our most successful contract in history, President Biden stood there with us on the picket line, unlike President Trump back in '19, when GM was on strike for 40 days and he was completely not existent and silent on the issue. I can go through a list of things, the difference in the candidates. It's very clear to us who stands with working-class people in this country and who stands against them. … In 2008-2009, the economic recession, Donald Trump blamed the workers for what was wrong with these companies. … You know, versus President Biden, who, in 2023, when a plant was going to close in Belvidere, Illinois, for Stellantis, he stood with those workers. He helped us save a community and helped bring not one plant but two plants back to life, and he stood with our members on the picket line in our fight for economic justice.” [18] [19] 8. While Biden’s weakest area is probably foreign policy – there are plenty of criticisms, and some compliments, for certain decisions his administration has made for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Afghanistan exit – he has significantly improved relations with most other countries, and has restored the United States’ image in the eyes of our allies. The rest of the world has viewed the United States extremely positively under Democratic presidents (especially under both Obama and Biden) and extremely negatively under Republican presidents (especially under both George W. Bush and Trump), and re-earning the world’s respect and trust has allowed Biden to be more persuasive and more effective than Trump could ever be. For example, while some people dislike how much assistance Biden has given to Ukraine’s defense, he has managed to avoid sending American troops, he has persuaded other countries to also contribute to Ukraine, and he is successfully helping Ukraine to cripple Russian influence in the region. Trump’s volatility, ego, and love of dictatorships would never permit him to handle any international conflict in a thoughtful, measured, and practical manner, and world leaders relentlessly – and correctly – mock Trump’s ignorance. [20] [21] 9. Biden is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+, and he has specific policies in place to reduce discrimination of sex, gender, and sexual orientation, which has earned him the support of the National Organization for Women (NOW) – the largest feminist organization in the country – as well as GLAAD – the world’s largest pro-LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization – and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – another major pro-LGBTQ+ organization. The policy list for supporting women is dozens of points long and is outlined on the NOW website (see [22]); it focuses on “five main issue areas: economic security, healthcare, care infrastructure, ending violence against women, and protecting and empowering women globally. Combined, this agenda targets some of the most pressing issues facing women, especially women of color, today in the U.S.” The GLAAD website has documented hundreds of pro-LGBTQ+ examples under the Biden administration, including executive orders, legislative support, speeches, and nominations. Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD president and CEO, said, “President Biden included LGBTQ people in his vision for a more equal, more free, and more compassionate country. In re-upping his call for Congress to pass the Equality Act and protect transgender youth, the President is leading by example to expand freedom so no one is left behind. The call is urgent. LGBTQ Americans’ safety and dignity are under attack in state legislatures across the country, and our protections are at risk from the hostile majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Every lawmaker and every voter must speak up for LGBTQ people, and secure protections against discrimination, so we all have a greater chance to belong, be safe, and to succeed.” The HRC website adds, “President Biden and Vice President Harris have been steadfast, fearless, and unyielding in their support of LGBTQ+ Americans. This administration has achieved landmark victories for LGBTQ+ Americans in its first term — from protecting our right to marry who we love and challenging discriminatory laws seeking to deny healthcare to transgender youth, to strengthening policies that prevent discrimination in foster care, and affirming the identities of all Americans. What’s at stake in the 2024 presidential election for LGBTQ+ people is our humanity, our right to exist, and our ability to live and raise our families in environments free from discrimination and fear. We’re ready to mobilize millions of Equality Voters to support pro-equality, pro-choice, and pro-democracy candidates like President Biden and Vice President Harris. Let’s win this.” [22] [23] [24] [25] 10. The current Supreme Court is the most conservative and lopsided it has been in decades, thanks to Trump’s three appointed justices. Electing Democratic presidents is the best way to start recalibrating the Supreme Court towards the center with more left-leaning justices, such as Biden’s appointee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We already saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade; who knows what other progress could be undone with more Republican presidents appointing more conservative Supreme Court justices. This may also appeal to American voters who consider themselves centrist or moderate or preferring a balance of liberal and conservative leaders, given that the Supreme Court is currently heavily skewed towards favoring Republicans. [26] There is certainly more that President Biden could do – he could find better ways to address systemic racism, voting rights, immigration reform, education, healthcare, and so on – and then I would be even happier with his presidency. Nevertheless, he’s still done an impressive job so far, and Trump’s presidency doesn’t have a list of positives that are even remotely comparable. We don’t even need to consider Trump’s negatives – although we absolutely should: undermining our elections with conspiracy theories, purposely stealing and keeping and sharing classified documents even after he no longer had clearance, handling covid terribly by peddling anti-science and anti-medicine propaganda, perpetuating racism and sexism, being found civilly liable for sexual assault and needing to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages for defaming his victim, facing 91 felonies and soon-to-be found guilty of at least some of those criminal charges, etc. Biden is an easy pick for me, and he should be an easy pick for you too; I just wish he did a better job of explaining why. Sources: [1] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684[2] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: 162 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act [3] CHIPs And Science Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346[4] CHIPs And Science Act: 87 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act [5] Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376[6] Inflation Reduction Act: 227 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_Reduction_Act [7] Unemployment Data: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/unemployment-rate [8] Median Wage Growth Data: https://www.atlantafed.org/chcs/wage-growth-tracker [9] Job Creation Data: https://seidmaninstitute.com/job-growth/year/ [10] Stock Market Data (Dow Jones): https://www.macrotrends.net/1319/dow-jones-100-year-historical-chart [11] Stock Market Data (S&P 500): https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/^GSPC/ [12] U.S. Inflation Data: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ [13] Average U.S. Gas Prices: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg&f=m [14] Global Inflation Comparison: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/7-reasons-the-u-s-economy-is-among-the-strongest-in-the-g7/ [15] Student Loan Forgiveness: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-debt-2024/ [16] Pro-Labor Examples: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/8-ways-the-biden-administration-has-fought-for-working-people-by-strengthening-unions/ [17] Biden-Harris-Treasury Pro-Union Research: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1706 [18] AFSCME Union Supporting Biden: https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2023/saunders-president-joe-biden-is-the-most-pro-union-president-of-our-lifetimes [19] UAW Union Supporting Biden: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2024/01/27/uaw-president-shawn-fain-fox-news-neil-cavuto-david-pakman/72379756007/ [20] Global Confidence For Biden And Trump: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/ [21] World Leaders Mocking Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/trump-describes-trudeau-as-two-faced-over-nato-hot-mic-video [22] NOW Policy List Supporting Women: https://now.org/the-biden-agenda-for-women/ [23] GLAAD Pro-LGBTQ+ Examples: https://glaad.org/biden-harris/ [24] GLAAD Pro-Biden Statement: https://glaad.org/releases/2023-biden-sotu/ [25] HRC Pro-Biden Statement: https://www.hrc.org/resources/biden-harris-2024-campaign [26] Supreme Court Skewed Conservative: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109444617/the-supreme-court-conservative My first thought is: "I won't vote for someone aiding and abetting Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians and find it irreconcilably problematic that Democrat voters rationalize/insist on/celebrate doing so." Bernie is far from perfect (should have said this and more/better months ago), but this is the least I could expect from someone I would consider voting for. https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1754232724322156767Speaking to your points generally, none of that even approaches non-reformist reform, so I view it as oppositional to desirable strategies and outcomes (while typically less immediately devastating than Republican preferences). I think this whole "communication" talking point resonates a lot among media, politicians, party loyalists, professional-managerial class types, and the like, but I don't think it's really capturing the various angles his clear and record breaking unpopularity is coming from. Electorally it's likely all about Michigan (though Democrats could lose through Wisconsin too) so to the degree there is value in the "communication" line, it's in tailoring those "communication" talking points to that audience. One problem being that unenthusiastic voters to Biden's left and fencesitting "independents" have very different ideas on what that would sound like. Trying to spin them for both would probably fail to sway either. Without a real primary to pressure Biden to make commitments to his left flank (not talking about socialists, just social dems between Bernie and Biden), it's probably going to be all-in on bending over backwards to appease "independents/never Trump Republicans" at the expense of Democrats most disproportionate and consistent supporters as well as other oppressed/marginalized groups. This is represented by things like Biden's insistence on aiding and abetting Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians, Democrats agreeing to Republican's cracking down on the border (apparently for naught), and Cop City (being shepherded in part by Black Democrat politicians). Considering Biden barely won with much more favorable polling, it may be another Clinton situation where we could attribute a potential Biden loss to a long list of factors where people will emphasize the ones that fit their worldview. For Democrats this typically manifests as petulantly blaming those to their left. The only world in which the US isn't going to send another dollar to Israel is one in which the US nukes itself. And lets be honest, even then they would send funds to Israel so long as there are 3 random Americans left on the planet.
Your choice is going to be Trump or Biden. And both will send money to Israel and one is objectively worse in basically every aspect.
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Northern Ireland24946 Posts
That’s a solid writeup Plasma, I’m assuming you’re keeping it on file for some other purpose than posting here? Just curious!
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On February 06 2024 07:48 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 06:15 GreenHorizons wrote:On February 06 2024 03:44 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I just wrote quite a bit about voting *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. Looking for feedback. Agree? Disagree? Thanks! + Show Spoiler +Reasons To Vote For Biden In 2024 (written in February 2024) In my opinion, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both too old to be president. They are both cognitively declining, and they both regularly misspeak and make gaffes. I would much rather have younger nominees to choose from, but the 2024 primaries have made it clear that we will – again – have a showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Barring a sudden withdrawal or death, one of these two will be elected president in November, and I think there are several good reasons to vote *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. While the “lesser of two evils” argument should be persuasive in practice, sometimes people need more reasons to feel enthusiastic enough to get up and vote for a candidate. The Biden administration has had many accomplishments, but isn’t doing a great job of communicating them; this list is designed to outline some of those accomplishments, and explain why I’m hoping to see Biden and his administration continue their solid work for another four years. 1. The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act allocated $1.2 trillion towards building and updating major infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, public transit, internet/broadband, ports, airports, power grid reliability, and school transportation. Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 221-201; the Senate vote was 69-30). [1] [2] 2. The CHIPs And Science Act authorized $280 billion in scientific research, education, and high-tech manufacturing, such as semiconductor production, quantum computing, biotechnology, and relevant workforce training. Again, Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 243-187; the Senate vote was 64-33). [3] [4] 3. The Inflation Reduction Act capped the monthly cost of insulin (to $35) and other out-of-pocket medical expenses for millions of Americans, especially those on Medicare, lowered other drug prescription prices, and invested $783 billion in clean energy (the largest climate change investment in American history), which includes renewable energy production and development of agricultural, forest, marine, and rural regions. It is worth stating a third time, because of how unprecedented it is in our usually-gridlocked Congress: Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 220-213; the Senate vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie). [5] [6] 4. Biden has strong economic numbers, both on an absolute scale and relative to Trump, in terms of unemployment, median wage growth, job creation, and the stock market. Unemployment percentages are lower under Biden (adult unemployment reached a 30+ year record low, and youth/15-24 unemployment also reached a 30+ year record low), median wage growth is higher under Biden (the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), the number of jobs created is higher under Biden (again, the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), and the stock market is stronger under Biden (it has reached the highest numbers ever recorded). [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 5a. Let’s talk about inflation, the price of gas, and how Biden has actually been incredibly effective at stabilizing them, after covid created supply chain issues (causing massive inflation everywhere). In our country, inflation due to covid has been consistently decreasing from a high of around 9% to nearly 3%, thanks to the aforementioned three acts (laws) – and others – under the Biden administration. It should be noted that Trump’s economic inflation numbers were very good; they were consistent at around the ideal inflation rate of 2% until covid occurred, although Trump didn’t actually do anything in particular to earn that 2% rate that he inherited from the end of the Obama administration, let alone need to recalibrate the rate after a national and global disaster (the way Biden did). As far as gas prices go, they’re almost completely back to pre-pandemic numbers, just like the inflation rate. Before the pandemic, Trump’s national gas price averages were between $2.30 and $2.90 per gallon; under Biden, the average cost of a gallon of gas has decreased from around $4.90 to $3.10. And keep in mind that the trends for both our inflation rate and our average price of gas are still projecting decreases (they aren’t just leveling off or stopping at 3% inflation or $3 per gallon). [12] [13] 5b. And one other thing about Biden effectively dealing with inflation: The effects of covid and the resulting supply chain issues weren’t just felt in the United States; there was massive global inflation. And guess which country handled it the best? “The United States has had the strongest economic recovery, measured by GDP. The U.S. economy has remained strong in 2023, with continued growth amid economic uncertainties. Most notably, this growth comes in the wake of the United States fully regaining all pre-pandemic GDP losses in 2021, as well as surpassing pre-pandemic levels. … As the world emerged from the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, most advanced economies experienced elevated inflation. U.S. inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target but is down substantially from its 2022 highs, with annual inflation declining in each of the past 12 months. Compared with advanced European economies, the United States has the lowest harmonized headline inflation rate—a comparable measure of inflation. In fact, compared with every other G7 economy, the United States has not just the lowest headline inflation but also the lowest core inflation—inflation that excludes volatile energy and food prices. Core inflation is the preferred measure of central banks.” [14] 6. Biden continues to find effective ways to reduce and forgive student debt, despite Trump’s Republican-leaning Supreme Court blocking some of it. Biden has been helping millions of Americans by forgiving over $130 billion dollars of loans and interest, allowing more and more graduates to save their money or spend it to help themselves and stimulate the economy. This may not be a long-term solution to the problem of the ever-increasing cost of college – and we do need to seriously explore long-term solutions too – but this at least provides some important and immediate relief for many young adults who would otherwise financially drown. [15] 7a. On the topic of labor, Biden is incredibly pro-union and continues to fight for workers’ rights. He updated the Davis-Bacon standards to prevent federal contractors from paying below-market wages; he raised the contractor minimum wage to $15/hour and made it easier for workers to unionize, collectively bargain, and fight for fair and equitable wages; he signed an executive order in January 2021 (as soon as he took office) that empowered federal workers by reversing Trump’s 2018 executive order that had made it easier to fire workers and harder for them to collectively bargain; he appointed officials at both the U.S. Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board who actively expand resources for educating workers on their rights; and he was the first president to ever join workers on a picket line. In addition to all of that, Biden created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment (chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris), which teamed up with the Department of Treasury to study the positive effects of unions on the economy, and released a first-of-its-kind report to promote the long list of benefits associated with unions. [16] [17] 7b. There are many union leaders voicing their appreciation for Biden and disdain for Trump; here are two such examples: Lee Saunders and Shawn Fain. Lee Saunders, the president of AFSCME (the largest trade union of public employees in the United States), said, “President Joe Biden is the most pro-union, pro-worker president of our lifetimes – hands down, no contest. He not only understands the importance of supporting working people, but he is a trade unionist at heart. He believes in the power of collective bargaining. He believes that everyone who wants to exercise their freedom to organize should do so without interference. And he has not been shy about saying so.” Shawn Fain, the president of UAW (United Auto Workers – another large American labor union), said, “Nowhere in history has Donald Trump ever stood for the American worker. He stands against pretty much everything we stand for. … Our contract fight with the Big Three [Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis; Stellantis owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, etc.], our most successful contract in history, President Biden stood there with us on the picket line, unlike President Trump back in '19, when GM was on strike for 40 days and he was completely not existent and silent on the issue. I can go through a list of things, the difference in the candidates. It's very clear to us who stands with working-class people in this country and who stands against them. … In 2008-2009, the economic recession, Donald Trump blamed the workers for what was wrong with these companies. … You know, versus President Biden, who, in 2023, when a plant was going to close in Belvidere, Illinois, for Stellantis, he stood with those workers. He helped us save a community and helped bring not one plant but two plants back to life, and he stood with our members on the picket line in our fight for economic justice.” [18] [19] 8. While Biden’s weakest area is probably foreign policy – there are plenty of criticisms, and some compliments, for certain decisions his administration has made for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Afghanistan exit – he has significantly improved relations with most other countries, and has restored the United States’ image in the eyes of our allies. The rest of the world has viewed the United States extremely positively under Democratic presidents (especially under both Obama and Biden) and extremely negatively under Republican presidents (especially under both George W. Bush and Trump), and re-earning the world’s respect and trust has allowed Biden to be more persuasive and more effective than Trump could ever be. For example, while some people dislike how much assistance Biden has given to Ukraine’s defense, he has managed to avoid sending American troops, he has persuaded other countries to also contribute to Ukraine, and he is successfully helping Ukraine to cripple Russian influence in the region. Trump’s volatility, ego, and love of dictatorships would never permit him to handle any international conflict in a thoughtful, measured, and practical manner, and world leaders relentlessly – and correctly – mock Trump’s ignorance. [20] [21] 9. Biden is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+, and he has specific policies in place to reduce discrimination of sex, gender, and sexual orientation, which has earned him the support of the National Organization for Women (NOW) – the largest feminist organization in the country – as well as GLAAD – the world’s largest pro-LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization – and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – another major pro-LGBTQ+ organization. The policy list for supporting women is dozens of points long and is outlined on the NOW website (see [22]); it focuses on “five main issue areas: economic security, healthcare, care infrastructure, ending violence against women, and protecting and empowering women globally. Combined, this agenda targets some of the most pressing issues facing women, especially women of color, today in the U.S.” The GLAAD website has documented hundreds of pro-LGBTQ+ examples under the Biden administration, including executive orders, legislative support, speeches, and nominations. Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD president and CEO, said, “President Biden included LGBTQ people in his vision for a more equal, more free, and more compassionate country. In re-upping his call for Congress to pass the Equality Act and protect transgender youth, the President is leading by example to expand freedom so no one is left behind. The call is urgent. LGBTQ Americans’ safety and dignity are under attack in state legislatures across the country, and our protections are at risk from the hostile majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Every lawmaker and every voter must speak up for LGBTQ people, and secure protections against discrimination, so we all have a greater chance to belong, be safe, and to succeed.” The HRC website adds, “President Biden and Vice President Harris have been steadfast, fearless, and unyielding in their support of LGBTQ+ Americans. This administration has achieved landmark victories for LGBTQ+ Americans in its first term — from protecting our right to marry who we love and challenging discriminatory laws seeking to deny healthcare to transgender youth, to strengthening policies that prevent discrimination in foster care, and affirming the identities of all Americans. What’s at stake in the 2024 presidential election for LGBTQ+ people is our humanity, our right to exist, and our ability to live and raise our families in environments free from discrimination and fear. We’re ready to mobilize millions of Equality Voters to support pro-equality, pro-choice, and pro-democracy candidates like President Biden and Vice President Harris. Let’s win this.” [22] [23] [24] [25] 10. The current Supreme Court is the most conservative and lopsided it has been in decades, thanks to Trump’s three appointed justices. Electing Democratic presidents is the best way to start recalibrating the Supreme Court towards the center with more left-leaning justices, such as Biden’s appointee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We already saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade; who knows what other progress could be undone with more Republican presidents appointing more conservative Supreme Court justices. This may also appeal to American voters who consider themselves centrist or moderate or preferring a balance of liberal and conservative leaders, given that the Supreme Court is currently heavily skewed towards favoring Republicans. [26] There is certainly more that President Biden could do – he could find better ways to address systemic racism, voting rights, immigration reform, education, healthcare, and so on – and then I would be even happier with his presidency. Nevertheless, he’s still done an impressive job so far, and Trump’s presidency doesn’t have a list of positives that are even remotely comparable. We don’t even need to consider Trump’s negatives – although we absolutely should: undermining our elections with conspiracy theories, purposely stealing and keeping and sharing classified documents even after he no longer had clearance, handling covid terribly by peddling anti-science and anti-medicine propaganda, perpetuating racism and sexism, being found civilly liable for sexual assault and needing to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages for defaming his victim, facing 91 felonies and soon-to-be found guilty of at least some of those criminal charges, etc. Biden is an easy pick for me, and he should be an easy pick for you too; I just wish he did a better job of explaining why. Sources: [1] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684[2] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: 162 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act [3] CHIPs And Science Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346[4] CHIPs And Science Act: 87 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act [5] Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376[6] Inflation Reduction Act: 227 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_Reduction_Act [7] Unemployment Data: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/unemployment-rate [8] Median Wage Growth Data: https://www.atlantafed.org/chcs/wage-growth-tracker [9] Job Creation Data: https://seidmaninstitute.com/job-growth/year/ [10] Stock Market Data (Dow Jones): https://www.macrotrends.net/1319/dow-jones-100-year-historical-chart [11] Stock Market Data (S&P 500): https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/^GSPC/ [12] U.S. Inflation Data: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ [13] Average U.S. Gas Prices: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg&f=m [14] Global Inflation Comparison: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/7-reasons-the-u-s-economy-is-among-the-strongest-in-the-g7/ [15] Student Loan Forgiveness: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-debt-2024/ [16] Pro-Labor Examples: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/8-ways-the-biden-administration-has-fought-for-working-people-by-strengthening-unions/ [17] Biden-Harris-Treasury Pro-Union Research: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1706 [18] AFSCME Union Supporting Biden: https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2023/saunders-president-joe-biden-is-the-most-pro-union-president-of-our-lifetimes [19] UAW Union Supporting Biden: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2024/01/27/uaw-president-shawn-fain-fox-news-neil-cavuto-david-pakman/72379756007/ [20] Global Confidence For Biden And Trump: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/ [21] World Leaders Mocking Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/trump-describes-trudeau-as-two-faced-over-nato-hot-mic-video [22] NOW Policy List Supporting Women: https://now.org/the-biden-agenda-for-women/ [23] GLAAD Pro-LGBTQ+ Examples: https://glaad.org/biden-harris/ [24] GLAAD Pro-Biden Statement: https://glaad.org/releases/2023-biden-sotu/ [25] HRC Pro-Biden Statement: https://www.hrc.org/resources/biden-harris-2024-campaign [26] Supreme Court Skewed Conservative: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109444617/the-supreme-court-conservative My first thought is: "I won't vote for someone aiding and abetting Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians and find it irreconcilably problematic that Democrat voters rationalize/insist on/celebrate doing so." Bernie is far from perfect (should have said this and more/better months ago), but this is the least I could expect from someone I would consider voting for. https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1754232724322156767Speaking to your points generally, none of that even approaches non-reformist reform, so I view it as oppositional to desirable strategies and outcomes (while typically less immediately devastating than Republican preferences). I think this whole "communication" talking point resonates a lot among media, politicians, party loyalists, professional-managerial class types, and the like, but I don't think it's really capturing the various angles his clear and record breaking unpopularity is coming from. Electorally it's likely all about Michigan (though Democrats could lose through Wisconsin too) so to the degree there is value in the "communication" line, it's in tailoring those "communication" talking points to that audience. One problem being that unenthusiastic voters to Biden's left and fencesitting "independents" have very different ideas on what that would sound like. Trying to spin them for both would probably fail to sway either. Without a real primary to pressure Biden to make commitments to his left flank (not talking about socialists, just social dems between Bernie and Biden), it's probably going to be all-in on bending over backwards to appease "independents/never Trump Republicans" at the expense of Democrats most disproportionate and consistent supporters as well as other oppressed/marginalized groups. This is represented by things like Biden's insistence on aiding and abetting Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians, Democrats agreeing to Republican's cracking down on the border (apparently for naught), and Cop City (being shepherded in part by Black Democrat politicians). Considering Biden barely won with much more favorable polling, it may be another Clinton situation where we could attribute a potential Biden loss to a long list of factors where people will emphasize the ones that fit their worldview. For Democrats this typically manifests as petulantly blaming those to their left. The only world in which the US isn't going to send another dollar to Israel is one in which the US nukes itself. And lets be honest, even then they would send funds to Israel so long as there are 3 random Americans left on the planet. Your choice is going to be Trump or Biden. And both will send money to Israel and one is objectively worse in basically every aspect.
Standard US political dysfunction and cynicism might be enough if Biden stops circumventing Congress to ship Israel more weapons to massacre Palestinians with. Unclear how Democrats/the public will react to Republican plans to help fund Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign as a standalone bill that Biden would most likely sign should it make it to his desk.
Given the dynamics of US electoralism (and since I don't live in Michigan or Wisconsin), my choice is between unnecessarily voting for ethnic cleansing Palestinians or not, so "not" is the easy, obvious, and only ethically defensible choice for me and millions of other people in the US.
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On February 06 2024 06:26 JimmiC wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 03:44 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I just wrote quite a bit about voting *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. Looking for feedback. Agree? Disagree? Thanks! Reasons To Vote For Biden In 2024 (written in February 2024) In my opinion, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both too old to be president. They are both cognitively declining, and they both regularly misspeak and make gaffes. I would much rather have younger nominees to choose from, but the 2024 primaries have made it clear that we will – again – have a showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Barring a sudden withdrawal or death, one of these two will be elected president in November, and I think there are several good reasons to vote *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. While the “lesser of two evils” argument should be persuasive in practice, sometimes people need more reasons to feel enthusiastic enough to get up and vote for a candidate. The Biden administration has had many accomplishments, but isn’t doing a great job of communicating them; this list is designed to outline some of those accomplishments, and explain why I’m hoping to see Biden and his administration continue their solid work for another four years. 1. The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act allocated $1.2 trillion towards building and updating major infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, public transit, internet/broadband, ports, airports, power grid reliability, and school transportation. Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 221-201; the Senate vote was 69-30). [1] [2] 2. The CHIPs And Science Act authorized $280 billion in scientific research, education, and high-tech manufacturing, such as semiconductor production, quantum computing, biotechnology, and relevant workforce training. Again, Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 243-187; the Senate vote was 64-33). [3] [4] 3. The Inflation Reduction Act capped the monthly cost of insulin (to $35) and other out-of-pocket medical expenses for millions of Americans, especially those on Medicare, lowered other drug prescription prices, and invested $783 billion in clean energy (the largest climate change investment in American history), which includes renewable energy production and development of agricultural, forest, marine, and rural regions. It is worth stating a third time, because of how unprecedented it is in our usually-gridlocked Congress: Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 220-213; the Senate vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie). [5] [6] 4. Biden has strong economic numbers, both on an absolute scale and relative to Trump, in terms of unemployment, median wage growth, job creation, and the stock market. Unemployment percentages are lower under Biden (adult unemployment reached a 30+ year record low, and youth/15-24 unemployment also reached a 30+ year record low), median wage growth is higher under Biden (the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), the number of jobs created is higher under Biden (again, the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), and the stock market is stronger under Biden (it has reached the highest numbers ever recorded). [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 5a. Let’s talk about inflation, the price of gas, and how Biden has actually been incredibly effective at stabilizing them, after covid created supply chain issues (causing massive inflation everywhere). In our country, inflation due to covid has been consistently decreasing from a high of around 9% to nearly 3%, thanks to the aforementioned three acts (laws) – and others – under the Biden administration. It should be noted that Trump’s economic inflation numbers were very good; they were consistent at around the ideal inflation rate of 2% until covid occurred, although Trump didn’t actually do anything in particular to earn that 2% rate that he inherited from the end of the Obama administration, let alone need to recalibrate the rate after a national and global disaster (the way Biden did). As far as gas prices go, they’re almost completely back to pre-pandemic numbers, just like the inflation rate. Before the pandemic, Trump’s national gas price averages were between $2.30 and $2.90 per gallon; under Biden, the average cost of a gallon of gas has decreased from around $4.90 to $3.10. And keep in mind that the trends for both our inflation rate and our average price of gas are still projecting decreases (they aren’t just leveling off or stopping at 3% inflation or $3 per gallon). [12] [13] 5b. And one other thing about Biden effectively dealing with inflation: The effects of covid and the resulting supply chain issues weren’t just felt in the United States; there was massive global inflation. And guess which country handled it the best? “The United States has had the strongest economic recovery, measured by GDP. The U.S. economy has remained strong in 2023, with continued growth amid economic uncertainties. Most notably, this growth comes in the wake of the United States fully regaining all pre-pandemic GDP losses in 2021, as well as surpassing pre-pandemic levels. … As the world emerged from the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, most advanced economies experienced elevated inflation. U.S. inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target but is down substantially from its 2022 highs, with annual inflation declining in each of the past 12 months. Compared with advanced European economies, the United States has the lowest harmonized headline inflation rate—a comparable measure of inflation. In fact, compared with every other G7 economy, the United States has not just the lowest headline inflation but also the lowest core inflation—inflation that excludes volatile energy and food prices. Core inflation is the preferred measure of central banks.” [14] 6. Biden continues to find effective ways to reduce and forgive student debt, despite Trump’s Republican-leaning Supreme Court blocking some of it. Biden has been helping millions of Americans by forgiving over $130 billion dollars of loans and interest, allowing more and more graduates to save their money or spend it to help themselves and stimulate the economy. This may not be a long-term solution to the problem of the ever-increasing cost of college – and we do need to seriously explore long-term solutions too – but this at least provides some important and immediate relief for many young adults who would otherwise financially drown. [15] 7a. On the topic of labor, Biden is incredibly pro-union and continues to fight for workers’ rights. He updated the Davis-Bacon standards to prevent federal contractors from paying below-market wages; he raised the contractor minimum wage to $15/hour and made it easier for workers to unionize, collectively bargain, and fight for fair and equitable wages; he signed an executive order in January 2021 (as soon as he took office) that empowered federal workers by reversing Trump’s 2018 executive order that had made it easier to fire workers and harder for them to collectively bargain; he appointed officials at both the U.S. Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board who actively expand resources for educating workers on their rights; and he was the first president to ever join workers on a picket line. In addition to all of that, Biden created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment (chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris), which teamed up with the Department of Treasury to study the positive effects of unions on the economy, and released a first-of-its-kind report to promote the long list of benefits associated with unions. [16] [17] 7b. There are many union leaders voicing their appreciation for Biden and disdain for Trump; here are two such examples: Lee Saunders and Shawn Fain. Lee Saunders, the president of AFSCME (the largest trade union of public employees in the United States), said, “President Joe Biden is the most pro-union, pro-worker president of our lifetimes – hands down, no contest. He not only understands the importance of supporting working people, but he is a trade unionist at heart. He believes in the power of collective bargaining. He believes that everyone who wants to exercise their freedom to organize should do so without interference. And he has not been shy about saying so.” Shawn Fain, the president of UAW (United Auto Workers – another large American labor union), said, “Nowhere in history has Donald Trump ever stood for the American worker. He stands against pretty much everything we stand for. … Our contract fight with the Big Three [Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis; Stellantis owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, etc.], our most successful contract in history, President Biden stood there with us on the picket line, unlike President Trump back in '19, when GM was on strike for 40 days and he was completely not existent and silent on the issue. I can go through a list of things, the difference in the candidates. It's very clear to us who stands with working-class people in this country and who stands against them. … In 2008-2009, the economic recession, Donald Trump blamed the workers for what was wrong with these companies. … You know, versus President Biden, who, in 2023, when a plant was going to close in Belvidere, Illinois, for Stellantis, he stood with those workers. He helped us save a community and helped bring not one plant but two plants back to life, and he stood with our members on the picket line in our fight for economic justice.” [18] [19] 8. While Biden’s weakest area is probably foreign policy – there are plenty of criticisms, and some compliments, for certain decisions his administration has made for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Afghanistan exit – he has significantly improved relations with most other countries, and has restored the United States’ image in the eyes of our allies. The rest of the world has viewed the United States extremely positively under Democratic presidents (especially under both Obama and Biden) and extremely negatively under Republican presidents (especially under both George W. Bush and Trump), and re-earning the world’s respect and trust has allowed Biden to be more persuasive and more effective than Trump could ever be. For example, while some people dislike how much assistance Biden has given to Ukraine’s defense, he has managed to avoid sending American troops, he has persuaded other countries to also contribute to Ukraine, and he is successfully helping Ukraine to cripple Russian influence in the region. Trump’s volatility, ego, and love of dictatorships would never permit him to handle any international conflict in a thoughtful, measured, and practical manner, and world leaders relentlessly – and correctly – mock Trump’s ignorance. [20] [21] 9. Biden is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+, and he has specific policies in place to reduce discrimination of sex, gender, and sexual orientation, which has earned him the support of the National Organization for Women (NOW) – the largest feminist organization in the country – as well as GLAAD – the world’s largest pro-LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization – and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – another major pro-LGBTQ+ organization. The policy list for supporting women is dozens of points long and is outlined on the NOW website (see [22]); it focuses on “five main issue areas: economic security, healthcare, care infrastructure, ending violence against women, and protecting and empowering women globally. Combined, this agenda targets some of the most pressing issues facing women, especially women of color, today in the U.S.” The GLAAD website has documented hundreds of pro-LGBTQ+ examples under the Biden administration, including executive orders, legislative support, speeches, and nominations. Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD president and CEO, said, “President Biden included LGBTQ people in his vision for a more equal, more free, and more compassionate country. In re-upping his call for Congress to pass the Equality Act and protect transgender youth, the President is leading by example to expand freedom so no one is left behind. The call is urgent. LGBTQ Americans’ safety and dignity are under attack in state legislatures across the country, and our protections are at risk from the hostile majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Every lawmaker and every voter must speak up for LGBTQ people, and secure protections against discrimination, so we all have a greater chance to belong, be safe, and to succeed.” The HRC website adds, “President Biden and Vice President Harris have been steadfast, fearless, and unyielding in their support of LGBTQ+ Americans. This administration has achieved landmark victories for LGBTQ+ Americans in its first term — from protecting our right to marry who we love and challenging discriminatory laws seeking to deny healthcare to transgender youth, to strengthening policies that prevent discrimination in foster care, and affirming the identities of all Americans. What’s at stake in the 2024 presidential election for LGBTQ+ people is our humanity, our right to exist, and our ability to live and raise our families in environments free from discrimination and fear. We’re ready to mobilize millions of Equality Voters to support pro-equality, pro-choice, and pro-democracy candidates like President Biden and Vice President Harris. Let’s win this.” [22] [23] [24] [25] 10. The current Supreme Court is the most conservative and lopsided it has been in decades, thanks to Trump’s three appointed justices. Electing Democratic presidents is the best way to start recalibrating the Supreme Court towards the center with more left-leaning justices, such as Biden’s appointee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We already saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade; who knows what other progress could be undone with more Republican presidents appointing more conservative Supreme Court justices. This may also appeal to American voters who consider themselves centrist or moderate or preferring a balance of liberal and conservative leaders, given that the Supreme Court is currently heavily skewed towards favoring Republicans. [26] There is certainly more that President Biden could do – he could find better ways to address systemic racism, voting rights, immigration reform, education, healthcare, and so on – and then I would be even happier with his presidency. Nevertheless, he’s still done an impressive job so far, and Trump’s presidency doesn’t have a list of positives that are even remotely comparable. We don’t even need to consider Trump’s negatives – although we absolutely should: undermining our elections with conspiracy theories, purposely stealing and keeping and sharing classified documents even after he no longer had clearance, handling covid terribly by peddling anti-science and anti-medicine propaganda, perpetuating racism and sexism, being found civilly liable for sexual assault and needing to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages for defaming his victim, facing 91 felonies and soon-to-be found guilty of at least some of those criminal charges, etc. Biden is an easy pick for me, and he should be an easy pick for you too; I just wish he did a better job of explaining why. Sources: [1] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684[2] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: 162 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act [3] CHIPs And Science Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346[4] CHIPs And Science Act: 87 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act [5] Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376[6] Inflation Reduction Act: 227 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_Reduction_Act [7] Unemployment Data: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/unemployment-rate [8] Median Wage Growth Data: https://www.atlantafed.org/chcs/wage-growth-tracker [9] Job Creation Data: https://seidmaninstitute.com/job-growth/year/ [10] Stock Market Data (Dow Jones): https://www.macrotrends.net/1319/dow-jones-100-year-historical-chart [11] Stock Market Data (S&P 500): https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/^GSPC/ [12] U.S. Inflation Data: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ [13] Average U.S. Gas Prices: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg&f=m [14] Global Inflation Comparison: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/7-reasons-the-u-s-economy-is-among-the-strongest-in-the-g7/ [15] Student Loan Forgiveness: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-debt-2024/ [16] Pro-Labor Examples: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/8-ways-the-biden-administration-has-fought-for-working-people-by-strengthening-unions/ [17] Biden-Harris-Treasury Pro-Union Research: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1706 [18] AFSCME Union Supporting Biden: https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2023/saunders-president-joe-biden-is-the-most-pro-union-president-of-our-lifetimes [19] UAW Union Supporting Biden: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2024/01/27/uaw-president-shawn-fain-fox-news-neil-cavuto-david-pakman/72379756007/ [20] Global Confidence For Biden And Trump: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/ [21] World Leaders Mocking Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/trump-describes-trudeau-as-two-faced-over-nato-hot-mic-video [22] NOW Policy List Supporting Women: https://now.org/the-biden-agenda-for-women/ [23] GLAAD Pro-LGBTQ+ Examples: https://glaad.org/biden-harris/ [24] GLAAD Pro-Biden Statement: https://glaad.org/releases/2023-biden-sotu/ [25] HRC Pro-Biden Statement: https://www.hrc.org/resources/biden-harris-2024-campaign [26] Supreme Court Skewed Conservative: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109444617/the-supreme-court-conservative Good read. Thanks for all the effort. Impressive sourcing.
Thanks! I figure that including the references would allow people to check out the links on their own (if they want), just to double-check to make sure I wasn't misrepresenting something or quote-mining someone. No need to take my word for what's in a bill or what a person said, if you have access to the direct source!
On February 06 2024 08:03 WombaT wrote:
That’s a solid writeup Plasma, I’m assuming you’re keeping it on file for some other purpose than posting here? Just curious!
Yep, I like to keep these long posts on file for a few reasons: to share with irl people or on social media, as a reminder to keep doing political research (especially near elections), as a reminder to keep writing (about literally anything), and because I host debates with my friends a few times each year (where compilations like this might come in handy). I also wonder if any part of this list might become out-of-date over the next ten months; it'd be interesting to see if it ages well.
On February 06 2024 04:56 riotjune wrote:
Nice list. Cold hard policies is your best ammunition when it comes to making the case for Biden, and he has quite a list for those *willing* to really dig into them, even if it's boring and mundane (think of it as "homework" for the average voter). Not all might agree the good is good, or if he's doing enough, but it sure outnumbers whatever bad list he's got going on that the media loves to focus on since that's what brings in the views. (Which you can easily find from conservative outlets, even if it's mostly bunk and debunked. Hell, they'll target this list by mostly talking out of their ass anyway, or just outright ignore it.)
I think there's a policy expert out there with a list of 30+ good things that Biden's done, outnumbering his bad list, all sourced, and this is coming from a guy who sat out the 2020 election and is overly critical of Biden.
I like your emphasis on "willing". Sadly, a willingness to do research - or an open-mindedness to being persuaded at all - are certainly things that many people are opposed to, especially during political conversations where most voters are already dug in to an "us vs. them" mentality. I'd like to think that there's enough variety on this list to at least hit one or two topics that many people might care about, but that's certainly not a guarantee for everyone (as GH pointed out).
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The key thing to remember is that elections are not won by trying to convince lost causes like GH and other extremists who don't care what you have to say but talking to the people in the middle. Having clear sourced arguments like that is really good and I'll save it for personal use.
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On February 06 2024 09:15 Sermokala wrote:
The key thing to remember is that elections are not won by trying to convince lost causes like GH and other extremists who don't care what you have to say but talking to the people in the middle. Having clear sourced arguments like that is really good and I'll save it for personal use.
That's quite flattering  And while I agree with you that GH (and some other potential voters) might not be as easily persuaded for certain reasons, I'm always still interested in hearing their rationalizations.
On February 06 2024 06:15 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 03:44 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I just wrote quite a bit about voting *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. Looking for feedback. Agree? Disagree? Thanks! + Show Spoiler +Reasons To Vote For Biden In 2024 (written in February 2024) In my opinion, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both too old to be president. They are both cognitively declining, and they both regularly misspeak and make gaffes. I would much rather have younger nominees to choose from, but the 2024 primaries have made it clear that we will – again – have a showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Barring a sudden withdrawal or death, one of these two will be elected president in November, and I think there are several good reasons to vote *for* Biden, not just *against* Trump. While the “lesser of two evils” argument should be persuasive in practice, sometimes people need more reasons to feel enthusiastic enough to get up and vote for a candidate. The Biden administration has had many accomplishments, but isn’t doing a great job of communicating them; this list is designed to outline some of those accomplishments, and explain why I’m hoping to see Biden and his administration continue their solid work for another four years. 1. The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act allocated $1.2 trillion towards building and updating major infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, public transit, internet/broadband, ports, airports, power grid reliability, and school transportation. Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 221-201; the Senate vote was 69-30). [1] [2] 2. The CHIPs And Science Act authorized $280 billion in scientific research, education, and high-tech manufacturing, such as semiconductor production, quantum computing, biotechnology, and relevant workforce training. Again, Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 243-187; the Senate vote was 64-33). [3] [4] 3. The Inflation Reduction Act capped the monthly cost of insulin (to $35) and other out-of-pocket medical expenses for millions of Americans, especially those on Medicare, lowered other drug prescription prices, and invested $783 billion in clean energy (the largest climate change investment in American history), which includes renewable energy production and development of agricultural, forest, marine, and rural regions. It is worth stating a third time, because of how unprecedented it is in our usually-gridlocked Congress: Biden and Congressional Democrats miraculously found effective ways to negotiate with some of the usually-veto-everything-that-costs-money-or-comes-from-the-left Congressional Republicans (the House vote was 220-213; the Senate vote was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie). [5] [6] 4. Biden has strong economic numbers, both on an absolute scale and relative to Trump, in terms of unemployment, median wage growth, job creation, and the stock market. Unemployment percentages are lower under Biden (adult unemployment reached a 30+ year record low, and youth/15-24 unemployment also reached a 30+ year record low), median wage growth is higher under Biden (the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), the number of jobs created is higher under Biden (again, the percent growth reached a 20+ year record high), and the stock market is stronger under Biden (it has reached the highest numbers ever recorded). [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 5a. Let’s talk about inflation, the price of gas, and how Biden has actually been incredibly effective at stabilizing them, after covid created supply chain issues (causing massive inflation everywhere). In our country, inflation due to covid has been consistently decreasing from a high of around 9% to nearly 3%, thanks to the aforementioned three acts (laws) – and others – under the Biden administration. It should be noted that Trump’s economic inflation numbers were very good; they were consistent at around the ideal inflation rate of 2% until covid occurred, although Trump didn’t actually do anything in particular to earn that 2% rate that he inherited from the end of the Obama administration, let alone need to recalibrate the rate after a national and global disaster (the way Biden did). As far as gas prices go, they’re almost completely back to pre-pandemic numbers, just like the inflation rate. Before the pandemic, Trump’s national gas price averages were between $2.30 and $2.90 per gallon; under Biden, the average cost of a gallon of gas has decreased from around $4.90 to $3.10. And keep in mind that the trends for both our inflation rate and our average price of gas are still projecting decreases (they aren’t just leveling off or stopping at 3% inflation or $3 per gallon). [12] [13] 5b. And one other thing about Biden effectively dealing with inflation: The effects of covid and the resulting supply chain issues weren’t just felt in the United States; there was massive global inflation. And guess which country handled it the best? “The United States has had the strongest economic recovery, measured by GDP. The U.S. economy has remained strong in 2023, with continued growth amid economic uncertainties. Most notably, this growth comes in the wake of the United States fully regaining all pre-pandemic GDP losses in 2021, as well as surpassing pre-pandemic levels. … As the world emerged from the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, most advanced economies experienced elevated inflation. U.S. inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target but is down substantially from its 2022 highs, with annual inflation declining in each of the past 12 months. Compared with advanced European economies, the United States has the lowest harmonized headline inflation rate—a comparable measure of inflation. In fact, compared with every other G7 economy, the United States has not just the lowest headline inflation but also the lowest core inflation—inflation that excludes volatile energy and food prices. Core inflation is the preferred measure of central banks.” [14] 6. Biden continues to find effective ways to reduce and forgive student debt, despite Trump’s Republican-leaning Supreme Court blocking some of it. Biden has been helping millions of Americans by forgiving over $130 billion dollars of loans and interest, allowing more and more graduates to save their money or spend it to help themselves and stimulate the economy. This may not be a long-term solution to the problem of the ever-increasing cost of college – and we do need to seriously explore long-term solutions too – but this at least provides some important and immediate relief for many young adults who would otherwise financially drown. [15] 7a. On the topic of labor, Biden is incredibly pro-union and continues to fight for workers’ rights. He updated the Davis-Bacon standards to prevent federal contractors from paying below-market wages; he raised the contractor minimum wage to $15/hour and made it easier for workers to unionize, collectively bargain, and fight for fair and equitable wages; he signed an executive order in January 2021 (as soon as he took office) that empowered federal workers by reversing Trump’s 2018 executive order that had made it easier to fire workers and harder for them to collectively bargain; he appointed officials at both the U.S. Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board who actively expand resources for educating workers on their rights; and he was the first president to ever join workers on a picket line. In addition to all of that, Biden created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment (chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris), which teamed up with the Department of Treasury to study the positive effects of unions on the economy, and released a first-of-its-kind report to promote the long list of benefits associated with unions. [16] [17] 7b. There are many union leaders voicing their appreciation for Biden and disdain for Trump; here are two such examples: Lee Saunders and Shawn Fain. Lee Saunders, the president of AFSCME (the largest trade union of public employees in the United States), said, “President Joe Biden is the most pro-union, pro-worker president of our lifetimes – hands down, no contest. He not only understands the importance of supporting working people, but he is a trade unionist at heart. He believes in the power of collective bargaining. He believes that everyone who wants to exercise their freedom to organize should do so without interference. And he has not been shy about saying so.” Shawn Fain, the president of UAW (United Auto Workers – another large American labor union), said, “Nowhere in history has Donald Trump ever stood for the American worker. He stands against pretty much everything we stand for. … Our contract fight with the Big Three [Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis; Stellantis owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, etc.], our most successful contract in history, President Biden stood there with us on the picket line, unlike President Trump back in '19, when GM was on strike for 40 days and he was completely not existent and silent on the issue. I can go through a list of things, the difference in the candidates. It's very clear to us who stands with working-class people in this country and who stands against them. … In 2008-2009, the economic recession, Donald Trump blamed the workers for what was wrong with these companies. … You know, versus President Biden, who, in 2023, when a plant was going to close in Belvidere, Illinois, for Stellantis, he stood with those workers. He helped us save a community and helped bring not one plant but two plants back to life, and he stood with our members on the picket line in our fight for economic justice.” [18] [19] 8. While Biden’s weakest area is probably foreign policy – there are plenty of criticisms, and some compliments, for certain decisions his administration has made for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Afghanistan exit – he has significantly improved relations with most other countries, and has restored the United States’ image in the eyes of our allies. The rest of the world has viewed the United States extremely positively under Democratic presidents (especially under both Obama and Biden) and extremely negatively under Republican presidents (especially under both George W. Bush and Trump), and re-earning the world’s respect and trust has allowed Biden to be more persuasive and more effective than Trump could ever be. For example, while some people dislike how much assistance Biden has given to Ukraine’s defense, he has managed to avoid sending American troops, he has persuaded other countries to also contribute to Ukraine, and he is successfully helping Ukraine to cripple Russian influence in the region. Trump’s volatility, ego, and love of dictatorships would never permit him to handle any international conflict in a thoughtful, measured, and practical manner, and world leaders relentlessly – and correctly – mock Trump’s ignorance. [20] [21] 9. Biden is pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+, and he has specific policies in place to reduce discrimination of sex, gender, and sexual orientation, which has earned him the support of the National Organization for Women (NOW) – the largest feminist organization in the country – as well as GLAAD – the world’s largest pro-LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization – and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – another major pro-LGBTQ+ organization. The policy list for supporting women is dozens of points long and is outlined on the NOW website (see [22]); it focuses on “five main issue areas: economic security, healthcare, care infrastructure, ending violence against women, and protecting and empowering women globally. Combined, this agenda targets some of the most pressing issues facing women, especially women of color, today in the U.S.” The GLAAD website has documented hundreds of pro-LGBTQ+ examples under the Biden administration, including executive orders, legislative support, speeches, and nominations. Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD president and CEO, said, “President Biden included LGBTQ people in his vision for a more equal, more free, and more compassionate country. In re-upping his call for Congress to pass the Equality Act and protect transgender youth, the President is leading by example to expand freedom so no one is left behind. The call is urgent. LGBTQ Americans’ safety and dignity are under attack in state legislatures across the country, and our protections are at risk from the hostile majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Every lawmaker and every voter must speak up for LGBTQ people, and secure protections against discrimination, so we all have a greater chance to belong, be safe, and to succeed.” The HRC website adds, “President Biden and Vice President Harris have been steadfast, fearless, and unyielding in their support of LGBTQ+ Americans. This administration has achieved landmark victories for LGBTQ+ Americans in its first term — from protecting our right to marry who we love and challenging discriminatory laws seeking to deny healthcare to transgender youth, to strengthening policies that prevent discrimination in foster care, and affirming the identities of all Americans. What’s at stake in the 2024 presidential election for LGBTQ+ people is our humanity, our right to exist, and our ability to live and raise our families in environments free from discrimination and fear. We’re ready to mobilize millions of Equality Voters to support pro-equality, pro-choice, and pro-democracy candidates like President Biden and Vice President Harris. Let’s win this.” [22] [23] [24] [25] 10. The current Supreme Court is the most conservative and lopsided it has been in decades, thanks to Trump’s three appointed justices. Electing Democratic presidents is the best way to start recalibrating the Supreme Court towards the center with more left-leaning justices, such as Biden’s appointee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We already saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade; who knows what other progress could be undone with more Republican presidents appointing more conservative Supreme Court justices. This may also appeal to American voters who consider themselves centrist or moderate or preferring a balance of liberal and conservative leaders, given that the Supreme Court is currently heavily skewed towards favoring Republicans. [26] There is certainly more that President Biden could do – he could find better ways to address systemic racism, voting rights, immigration reform, education, healthcare, and so on – and then I would be even happier with his presidency. Nevertheless, he’s still done an impressive job so far, and Trump’s presidency doesn’t have a list of positives that are even remotely comparable. We don’t even need to consider Trump’s negatives – although we absolutely should: undermining our elections with conspiracy theories, purposely stealing and keeping and sharing classified documents even after he no longer had clearance, handling covid terribly by peddling anti-science and anti-medicine propaganda, perpetuating racism and sexism, being found civilly liable for sexual assault and needing to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages for defaming his victim, facing 91 felonies and soon-to-be found guilty of at least some of those criminal charges, etc. Biden is an easy pick for me, and he should be an easy pick for you too; I just wish he did a better job of explaining why. Sources: [1] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684[2] Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act: 162 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act [3] CHIPs And Science Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4346[4] CHIPs And Science Act: 87 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIPS_and_Science_Act [5] Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376[6] Inflation Reduction Act: 227 references and summary at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_Reduction_Act [7] Unemployment Data: https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/unemployment-rate [8] Median Wage Growth Data: https://www.atlantafed.org/chcs/wage-growth-tracker [9] Job Creation Data: https://seidmaninstitute.com/job-growth/year/ [10] Stock Market Data (Dow Jones): https://www.macrotrends.net/1319/dow-jones-100-year-historical-chart [11] Stock Market Data (S&P 500): https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/^GSPC/ [12] U.S. Inflation Data: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ [13] Average U.S. Gas Prices: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg&f=m [14] Global Inflation Comparison: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/7-reasons-the-u-s-economy-is-among-the-strongest-in-the-g7/ [15] Student Loan Forgiveness: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-debt-2024/ [16] Pro-Labor Examples: https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/8-ways-the-biden-administration-has-fought-for-working-people-by-strengthening-unions/ [17] Biden-Harris-Treasury Pro-Union Research: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1706 [18] AFSCME Union Supporting Biden: https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2023/saunders-president-joe-biden-is-the-most-pro-union-president-of-our-lifetimes [19] UAW Union Supporting Biden: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2024/01/27/uaw-president-shawn-fain-fox-news-neil-cavuto-david-pakman/72379756007/ [20] Global Confidence For Biden And Trump: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/06/10/americas-image-abroad-rebounds-with-transition-from-trump-to-biden/ [21] World Leaders Mocking Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/trump-describes-trudeau-as-two-faced-over-nato-hot-mic-video [22] NOW Policy List Supporting Women: https://now.org/the-biden-agenda-for-women/ [23] GLAAD Pro-LGBTQ+ Examples: https://glaad.org/biden-harris/ [24] GLAAD Pro-Biden Statement: https://glaad.org/releases/2023-biden-sotu/ [25] HRC Pro-Biden Statement: https://www.hrc.org/resources/biden-harris-2024-campaign [26] Supreme Court Skewed Conservative: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109444617/the-supreme-court-conservative My first thought is: "I won't vote for someone aiding and abetting Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians and find it irreconcilably problematic that Democrat voters rationalize/insist on/celebrate doing so."
I don't blame you for disagreeing with Biden's handling of Israel-Palestine, and I certainly agree with you that it's a problem if people are celebrating the genocide of Palestinians. Given that both presidential candidates would likely continue "aiding and abetting Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians", don't you think it's worth looking at other aspects of the Biden presidency and the Trump presidency?
Bernie is far from perfect (should have said this and more/better months ago), but this is the least I could expect from someone I would consider voting for. https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1754232724322156767Speaking to your points generally, none of that even approaches non-reformist reform, so I view it as oppositional to desirable strategies and outcomes (while typically less immediately devastating than Republican preferences).
And it seems to be the case that "less immediately devastating than Republican preferences", i.e., the lesser of two evils, isn't convincing enough for you, correct? Even though there doesn't exist a third presidential option, as Gorsameth pointed out, and especially not one with views that approach the kind of reform you're looking for?
I think this whole "communication" talking point resonates a lot among media, politicians, party loyalists, professional-managerial class types, and the like, but I don't think it's really capturing the various angles his clear and record breaking unpopularity is coming from.
Electorally it's likely all about Michigan (though Democrats could lose through Wisconsin too) so to the degree there is value in the "communication" line, it's in tailoring those "communication" talking points to that audience. One problem being that unenthusiastic voters to Biden's left and fencesitting "independents" have very different ideas on what that would sound like. Trying to spin them for both would probably fail to sway either.
Without a real primary to pressure Biden to make commitments to his left flank (not talking about socialists, just social dems between Bernie and Biden), it's probably going to be all-in on bending over backwards to appease "independents/never Trump Republicans" at the expense of Democrats most disproportionate and consistent supporters as well as other oppressed/marginalized groups. This is represented by things like Biden's insistence on aiding and abetting Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians, Democrats agreeing to Republican's cracking down on the border (apparently for naught), and Cop City (being shepherded in part by Black Democrat politicians).
Considering Biden barely won with much more favorable polling, it may be another Clinton situation where we could attribute a potential Biden loss to a long list of factors where people will emphasize the ones that fit their worldview. For Democrats this typically manifests as petulantly blaming those to their left.
I think in practice, I agree with you here, but probably because a lot of people don't like to compromise. In order to appease both the fence-sitting independents and those on the left, Biden would have needed to accomplish things that make both groups happy. I think my list might include some of those things, but it depends on the individual (e.g., you're a counterexample, and that's okay) and it depends how willing to compromise each group is. There is a difference, of course, between the mindset of "Biden did a few things that I wanted, and a few things I didn't want, so I think that's good enough" and "Biden did a few things that I wanted, and a few things I didn't want, and that's not good enough to have earned my vote". It'll be interesting to see how Biden approaches the key swing states you mentioned!
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Ill probably wind up voting for him, he has exceeded my expectations, albeit they were low. In some ways hes far exceeded them, and I like that he at least says things that I like to hear even if my faith in him accomplishing anything truly substantive about those issues is low.
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On February 06 2024 09:15 Sermokala wrote:
The key thing to remember is that elections are not won by trying to convince lost causes like GH and other extremists who don't care what you have to say but talking to the people in the middle. Having clear sourced arguments like that is really good and I'll save it for personal use.
Here's an article by 538 discussing why they believe the conventional wisdom of The Moderate Middle Is A Myth.
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EPT
