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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.
I can agree that the election won't be hinging on voters like myself, particularly since my vote won't even be tallied before the winner is announced. Though I don't think not voting for someone aiding and abetting an ethnic cleansing campaign is indicative of being a lost cause or extremist. Rather the (unconscionably popular) extremist position is rationalizing voting for them.
From my perspective Democrats have spun themselves into voting for someone that is aiding and abetting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign and the use of talking points like DPB studiously provided isn't to convince folks like myself or "people in the middle". Instead, it's to assuage the consciences of those that know how fundamentally wrong that (as well as stuff like Cop City/Border Crackdown/etc) is, and that it violates their self-image, but feel compelled to vote/advocate for Biden anyway for one reason or another (but still might not).
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On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:Show nested quote +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. 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." 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? Show nested quote +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). 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? Show nested quote +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!
I meant rationalizing/insisting on/celebrating voting for a man complicit in an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign, but yeah, celebrating genocide specifically too I guess. Of course Biden's support for an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign isn't all that I'm considering, it's just more than enough to lose my vote on its own.
Correct, "lesser evilism" is woefully inadequate and ultimately a rationalization for wilfully supporting "evil" imo. Neglecting Democrats choice not to have a real primary, the notion that we're limited to a choice between two evils ignores a key concept of the "american experiment". The consent of the governed, which is the only real backstop to "lesser evilism"
Since Democrats won't even threaten to withdraw their consent despite their leadership materially supporting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign (or Cop City, border crackdowns, etc), I can't trust that they would withdraw their consent if/when I or other people I care about are the people on the chopping block that they have to sacrifice for political expediency next and/or again (which is basically how I read painfully euphemistic spins like "he could find better ways to address systemic racism").
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On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall 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." 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? Show nested quote +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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain.
Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain.
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On February 06 2024 13:53 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +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. I can agree that the election won't be hinging on voters like myself, particularly since my vote won't even be tallied before the winner is announced. Though I don't think not voting for someone aiding and abetting an ethnic cleansing campaign is indicative of being a lost cause or extremist. Rather the (unconscionably popular) extremist position is rationalizing voting for them. From my perspective Democrats have spun themselves into voting for someone that is aiding and abetting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign and the use of talking points like DPB studiously provided isn't to convince folks like myself or "people in the middle". Instead, it's to assuage the consciences of those that know how fundamentally wrong that (as well as stuff like Cop City/Border Crackdown/etc) is, and that it violates their self-image, but feel compelled to vote/advocate for Biden anyway for one reason or another (but still might not).
I'm curious, do you see the US position on the Palestine/Israel war a failure of american democracy or as a failure of the american collective conscience?
I've thought that Biden was doing what the american people wanted: support Israel at all cost, but I've had some difficulty parsing the pooling data, so I could be very wrong. In any case, would you disagree? Do you think there is a deeper collective will for the US to stop its support of Israel's current actions that is currently suppressed due to the nature of the american political system?
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United States41961 Posts
The absolute entitlement of thinking that if you don't personally like the candidate then you're under no obligation to protect democracy. GH, where did you get this idea that democracy exists to please you?
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On February 06 2024 06:15 GreenHorizons wrote:
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."
If your metric is 'any candidate that supports Israel' will lose your vote, then you won't find any candidates in the Western world, period. I mean, even in far more liberal European parties, tacit support for Israel is a given. No one is happy about it, but no one is withdrawing support either.
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On February 06 2024 19:39 Sbrubbles wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 13:53 GreenHorizons wrote: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. I can agree that the election won't be hinging on voters like myself, particularly since my vote won't even be tallied before the winner is announced. Though I don't think not voting for someone aiding and abetting an ethnic cleansing campaign is indicative of being a lost cause or extremist. Rather the (unconscionably popular) extremist position is rationalizing voting for them. From my perspective Democrats have spun themselves into voting for someone that is aiding and abetting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign and the use of talking points like DPB studiously provided isn't to convince folks like myself or "people in the middle". Instead, it's to assuage the consciences of those that know how fundamentally wrong that (as well as stuff like Cop City/Border Crackdown/etc) is, and that it violates their self-image, but feel compelled to vote/advocate for Biden anyway for one reason or another (but still might not). I'm curious, do you see the US position on the Palestine/Israel war a failure of american democracy or as a failure of the american collective conscience? I've thought that Biden was doing what the american people wanted: support Israel at all cost, but I've had some difficulty parsing the pooling data, so I could be very wrong. In any case, would you disagree? Do you think there is a deeper collective will for the US to stop its support of Israel's current actions that is currently suppressed due to the nature of the american political system?
Both? Though I don't think I'd describe it as a "failure" of US democracy. Rationalizing ethnic cleansing campaigns is integral to the US's origin story and functionally disregarding public opinion until forced to do otherwise (typically with methods beyond electoralism/reformism) is basically canon.
As for the collective conscience, it's a bit of a mixed bag.
You have polls like these:
In all, 50% of U.S. adults now believe Israel’s military offensive has gone beyond what it should have, the poll found. That’s up from 40% in an AP-NORC poll conducted in November.
Then there's this poll: Fifty-three percent of respondents to a recent UMass-Amherst/WCVB poll said they somewhat or strongly support Israel's actions. Only 26% said they somewhat or strongly opposed them.
Which also teased out some other interesting data points.
When presented with a definition of genocide, 50% of those polled said they believe Israel is definitely or probably committing genocide against Palestinian people living in Gaza.
and this relatively older poll indicating support for sending Israel weapons has dropped under a majority and was on a downward trajectory.
Forty-five percent of registered voters said they supported the U.S. sending additional “military aid to Israel for their efforts in the war” with Palestinian militant group Hamas...This is a drop from a previous Quinnipiac poll released in November, in which 54 percent of registered voters said they supported additional military aid to Israel.
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Northern Ireland23767 Posts
On February 06 2024 20:21 EnDeR_ wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 06:15 GreenHorizons wrote:
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." If your metric is 'any candidate that supports Israel' will lose your vote, then you won't find any candidates in the Western world, period. I mean, even in far more liberal European parties, tacit support for Israel is a given. No one is happy about it, but no one is withdrawing support either.
If ‘support’ means believe it has a right to exist as a state, and has some right to self-defence of its people, then yeah I’d agree you’ll struggle to find many who don’t.
Equally you will find many individuals, as well as whole parties who oppose settlements, back BDS and disagree with how the current conflict is being conducted. Although I’d assume it’s broadly a minority, or often these parties aren’t actually wielding the power of governments.
While not innately hostile or opposed to Israel, I wouldn’t class those sorts of positions as supporting Israel either.
In the UK your choices are more limited given Labour have become noticeably more hawkishly aligned with Israel under Starmer in terms of the Parliamentary party and its policy prescriptions, but even then that tradition hasn’t entirely dissipated from individual MPs who’ve long held other views, or the wider party membership.
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Northern Ireland23767 Posts
On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain. Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain.
Appeals to the centre, or the moderate, or the ‘lesser evil’ rarely seem to me to push the right slightly leftwards, but very often push the centre/centre-left to the right.
I’m unsure if this is a biased recollection, a consequence mostly of FPTP, which both my country and the US employ, and like many due to its influence I’m much more au fait with US politics than other non-domestic examples.
Perhaps some of you crazy Europeans with your more democratic and pluralistic methods of electing representatives, and *gasps* coalitions may actually have some counter examples within your systems where political compromises towards the left are more commonplace?
@Gahlo interesting reading, thanks for the post and would also recommend others in here scrolling back and checking it out if they missed it.
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On February 06 2024 21:34 WombaT wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain. Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain. Appeals to the centre, or the moderate, or the ‘lesser evil’ rarely seem to me to push the right slightly leftwards, but very often push the centre/centre-left to the right. I’m unsure if this is a biased recollection, a consequence mostly of FPTP, which both my country and the US employ, and like many due to its influence I’m much more au fait with US politics than other non-domestic examples. Perhaps some of you crazy Europeans with your more democratic and pluralistic methods of electing representatives, and *gasps* coalitions may actually have some counter examples within your systems where political compromises towards the left are more commonplace? @Gahlo interesting reading, thanks for the post and would also recommend others in here scrolling back and checking it out if they missed it.
I didn't agree with the 'against lesser evil' argument in 2016, but I understood it then. Now it's just confusing given that we know what happened next.
After the 'lesser evil' lost to Trump, there was no great shift left within the Democratic party. On the contrary, Bernie did much worse in the 2020 primary than in the 2016 one. And he should have crushed it if there was any merit to this idea.
Maybe it's time to admit that the US left is too small for that to happen instead of rolling that boulder uphill again and expecting different results.
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On February 06 2024 21:34 WombaT wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain. Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain. Appeals to the centre, or the moderate, or the ‘lesser evil’ rarely seem to me to push the right slightly leftwards, but very often push the centre/centre-left to the right. I’m unsure if this is a biased recollection, a consequence mostly of FPTP, which both my country and the US employ, and like many due to its influence I’m much more au fait with US politics than other non-domestic examples. Perhaps some of you crazy Europeans with your more democratic and pluralistic methods of electing representatives, and *gasps* coalitions may actually have some counter examples within your systems where political compromises towards the left are more commonplace? @Gahlo interesting reading, thanks for the post and would also recommend others in here scrolling back and checking it out if they missed it. Compromise towards the left?
Wilders (Dutch far right) dropping some of his racist policies and rhetoric to appeal to a broader base and becoming the biggest party after the election as a (potential) result.
(whether you believe he actually softened or is just pretending is another matter).
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On February 07 2024 02:42 Dan HH wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 21:34 WombaT wrote:On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain. Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain. Appeals to the centre, or the moderate, or the ‘lesser evil’ rarely seem to me to push the right slightly leftwards, but very often push the centre/centre-left to the right. I’m unsure if this is a biased recollection, a consequence mostly of FPTP, which both my country and the US employ, and like many due to its influence I’m much more au fait with US politics than other non-domestic examples. Perhaps some of you crazy Europeans with your more democratic and pluralistic methods of electing representatives, and *gasps* coalitions may actually have some counter examples within your systems where political compromises towards the left are more commonplace? @Gahlo interesting reading, thanks for the post and would also recommend others in here scrolling back and checking it out if they missed it. I didn't agree with the 'against lesser evil' argument in 2016, but I understood it then. Now it's just confusing given that we know what happened next. After the 'lesser evil' lost to Trump, there was no great shift left within the Democratic party. On the contrary, Bernie did much worse in the 2020 primary than in the 2016 one. And he should have crushed it if there was any merit to this idea. Maybe it's time to admit that the US left is too small for that to happen instead of rolling that boulder uphill again and expecting different results.
I dunno, last time the Democratic party appealed to the US left Obama lapped McCain.
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Canada11266 Posts
There are some confounding factors on that though- namely the Iraq War had become increasingly unpopular. So whoever the Democrats put forwards was running against a party that just had a very unpopular presidency with the wider public. Chancer are a more moderate Biden running in 2008 as lead on the ticket would have also carried the day. But it's like not the bigger progressives like Dennis Kucinich got much traction back then either. And quite frankly, Obama being carried through on personal charisma, his hope and change rhetoric was vague enough that a person could map on to it a wide array of beliefs from left to moderate left and feel like that's what Obama meant.
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On February 06 2024 12:51 Zambrah wrote:
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.
My bar for Biden's presidency wasn't super high, but it wasn't super low either. I honestly wasn't sure if he was meeting my expectations for the longest time, until I sat down and dug into what he's actually been accomplishing. After doing that research, I realized he's surpassed my expectations.
On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain.Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain.
Definitely true, if the best way to characterize Biden is him being the lesser of two evils compared to Trump. But based on my research, I don't think that's a fair assessment of his overall presidency. He's not just a lesser net-negative; he's a net-positive overall:
- Bernie and other progressives mentioned $15/hour wages, and Biden delivers that exact wage to some federal workers. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards.
- Bernie and other progressives mentioned the expensive cost of insulin, and Biden caps insulin costs to $35/month for Medicare recipients. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards.
- Bernie and other progressives mention our crumbling infrastructure, and Biden helps to get $1.2 trillion for exactly that issue with the Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards.
- Bernie and other progressives mention workers' rights, unions, and being pro-labor, and Biden significantly delivers in that space over and over again (see 7a and 7b). That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards.
And there are so many more examples from my list, which aren't just moderate/barely-left-of-center successes; they're real accomplishments that are more progressive than any other recent president. Why is it progressive when Bernie says it, but not progressive when Biden actually does it? We might not have expected them to come from Biden, but they did.
On February 06 2024 14:06 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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: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! I meant rationalizing/insisting on/celebrating voting for a man complicit in an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign, but yeah, celebrating genocide specifically too I guess. Of course Biden's support for an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign isn't all that I'm considering, it's just more than enough to lose my vote on its own. Correct, "lesser evilism" is woefully inadequate and ultimately a rationalization for wilfully supporting "evil" imo. Neglecting Democrats choice not to have a real primary, the notion that we're limited to a choice between two evils ignores a key concept of the "american experiment". The consent of the governed, which is the only real backstop to "lesser evilism" Since Democrats won't even threaten to withdraw their consent despite their leadership materially supporting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign (or Cop City, border crackdowns, etc), I can't trust that they would withdraw their consent if/when I or other people I care about are the people on the chopping block that they have to sacrifice for political expediency next and/or again (which is basically how I read painfully euphemistic spins like "he could find better ways to address systemic racism").
While I don't personally think that Biden is just the lesser of two evils, I would like to ask a follow-up question about your general view of how being the lesser of two evils is inadequate and not worthy of your vote. Is that always true for you, or is it hypothetically possible to make Trump so evil/negative/regressive (without improving any of Biden's flaws, so Biden would still merely be the lesser of two evils) that the gap between them becomes so huge that you would finally consider voting for Biden / the (sufficiently) lesser of two evils?
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United States24569 Posts
Looking at the most extreme example from the other direction, if Trump's platform was "On day 1 as president I will use nukes to extinguish all life on Earth" and it was actually credible, would that warrant voting for Biden this year just to help ensure the world-ender didn't happen? If not, where/when is the line?
In unrelated news, early voting is ongoing for the Santos replacement in New York. We should know by valentine's day if the well-known democrat wins or the crazy right-wing candidate (based on what I'm hearing about this particular election)... I've heard but have not validated that polls are surprisingly close.
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On February 07 2024 09:27 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On February 06 2024 12:51 Zambrah wrote:
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. My bar for Biden's presidency wasn't super high, but it wasn't super low either. I honestly wasn't sure if he was meeting my expectations for the longest time, until I sat down and dug into what he's actually been accomplishing. After doing that research, I realized he's surpassed my expectations. On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain.Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain. Definitely true, if the best way to characterize Biden is him being the lesser of two evils compared to Trump. But based on my research, I don't think that's a fair assessment of his overall presidency. He's not just a lesser net-negative; he's a net-positive overall: - Bernie and other progressives mentioned $15/hour wages, and Biden delivers that exact wage to some federal workers. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mentioned the expensive cost of insulin, and Biden caps insulin costs to $35/month for Medicare recipients. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention our crumbling infrastructure, and Biden helps to get $1.2 trillion for exactly that issue with the Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention workers' rights, unions, and being pro-labor, and Biden significantly delivers in that space over and over again (see 7a and 7b). That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. And there are so many more examples from my list, which aren't just moderate/barely-left-of-center successes; they're real accomplishments that are more progressive than any other recent president. Why is it progressive when Bernie says it, but not progressive when Biden actually does it? We might not have expected them to come from Biden, but they did. Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 14:06 GreenHorizons wrote:On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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: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! I meant rationalizing/insisting on/celebrating voting for a man complicit in an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign, but yeah, celebrating genocide specifically too I guess. Of course Biden's support for an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign isn't all that I'm considering, it's just more than enough to lose my vote on its own. Correct, "lesser evilism" is woefully inadequate and ultimately a rationalization for wilfully supporting "evil" imo. Neglecting Democrats choice not to have a real primary, the notion that we're limited to a choice between two evils ignores a key concept of the "american experiment". The consent of the governed, which is the only real backstop to "lesser evilism" Since Democrats won't even threaten to withdraw their consent despite their leadership materially supporting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign (or Cop City, border crackdowns, etc), I can't trust that they would withdraw their consent if/when I or other people I care about are the people on the chopping block that they have to sacrifice for political expediency next and/or again (which is basically how I read painfully euphemistic spins like "he could find better ways to address systemic racism"). While I don't personally think that Biden is just the lesser of two evils, I would like to ask a follow-up question about your general view of how being the lesser of two evils is inadequate and not worthy of your vote. Is that always true for you, or is it hypothetically possible to make Trump so evil/negative/regressive (without improving any of Biden's flaws, so Biden would still merely be the lesser of two evils) that the gap between them becomes so huge that you would finally consider voting for Biden / the (sufficiently) lesser of two evils?
While I reject the framing of "evil", I don't think you appreciate how problematic it is you and others don't identify aiding and abetting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign as abhorrent to the point of being disqualifying.
It's been a bit since I've mentioned it, but the problem isn't that the gap isn't large enough, it's that Biden and Democrats generally are unacceptable. My general thought was that openly aiding and abetting an ethnic cleansing campaign would finally cross that line for more people, but I've been sorely disappointed.
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On February 07 2024 10:18 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On February 07 2024 09:27 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On February 06 2024 12:51 Zambrah wrote:
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. My bar for Biden's presidency wasn't super high, but it wasn't super low either. I honestly wasn't sure if he was meeting my expectations for the longest time, until I sat down and dug into what he's actually been accomplishing. After doing that research, I realized he's surpassed my expectations. On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain.Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain. Definitely true, if the best way to characterize Biden is him being the lesser of two evils compared to Trump. But based on my research, I don't think that's a fair assessment of his overall presidency. He's not just a lesser net-negative; he's a net-positive overall: - Bernie and other progressives mentioned $15/hour wages, and Biden delivers that exact wage to some federal workers. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mentioned the expensive cost of insulin, and Biden caps insulin costs to $35/month for Medicare recipients. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention our crumbling infrastructure, and Biden helps to get $1.2 trillion for exactly that issue with the Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention workers' rights, unions, and being pro-labor, and Biden significantly delivers in that space over and over again (see 7a and 7b). That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. And there are so many more examples from my list, which aren't just moderate/barely-left-of-center successes; they're real accomplishments that are more progressive than any other recent president. Why is it progressive when Bernie says it, but not progressive when Biden actually does it? We might not have expected them to come from Biden, but they did. On February 06 2024 14:06 GreenHorizons wrote:On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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: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! I meant rationalizing/insisting on/celebrating voting for a man complicit in an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign, but yeah, celebrating genocide specifically too I guess. Of course Biden's support for an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign isn't all that I'm considering, it's just more than enough to lose my vote on its own. Correct, "lesser evilism" is woefully inadequate and ultimately a rationalization for wilfully supporting "evil" imo. Neglecting Democrats choice not to have a real primary, the notion that we're limited to a choice between two evils ignores a key concept of the "american experiment". The consent of the governed, which is the only real backstop to "lesser evilism" Since Democrats won't even threaten to withdraw their consent despite their leadership materially supporting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign (or Cop City, border crackdowns, etc), I can't trust that they would withdraw their consent if/when I or other people I care about are the people on the chopping block that they have to sacrifice for political expediency next and/or again (which is basically how I read painfully euphemistic spins like "he could find better ways to address systemic racism"). While I don't personally think that Biden is just the lesser of two evils, I would like to ask a follow-up question about your general view of how being the lesser of two evils is inadequate and not worthy of your vote. Is that always true for you, or is it hypothetically possible to make Trump so evil/negative/regressive (without improving any of Biden's flaws, so Biden would still merely be the lesser of two evils) that the gap between them becomes so huge that you would finally consider voting for Biden / the (sufficiently) lesser of two evils? While I reject the framing of "evil", I don't think you appreciate how problematic it is you and others don't identify aiding and abetting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign as abhorrent to the point of being disqualifying. It's been a bit since I've mentioned it, but the problem isn't that the gap isn't large enough, it's that Biden and Democrats generally are unacceptable. My general thought was that openly aiding and abetting an ethnic cleansing campaign would finally cross that line for more people, but I've been sorely disappointed.
Unfortunately other countries are conducting ethnic cleansing and other horrible acts, yet it is not possible for America to denounce them because the alternative is America has no allies in the regions where she has an interest.
It's Realpolitik in action. Unfortunately, nice feelings don't keep the oil shipments coming.
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On February 07 2024 10:18 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On February 07 2024 09:27 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On February 06 2024 12:51 Zambrah wrote:
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. My bar for Biden's presidency wasn't super high, but it wasn't super low either. I honestly wasn't sure if he was meeting my expectations for the longest time, until I sat down and dug into what he's actually been accomplishing. After doing that research, I realized he's surpassed my expectations. On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain.Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain. Definitely true, if the best way to characterize Biden is him being the lesser of two evils compared to Trump. But based on my research, I don't think that's a fair assessment of his overall presidency. He's not just a lesser net-negative; he's a net-positive overall: - Bernie and other progressives mentioned $15/hour wages, and Biden delivers that exact wage to some federal workers. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mentioned the expensive cost of insulin, and Biden caps insulin costs to $35/month for Medicare recipients. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention our crumbling infrastructure, and Biden helps to get $1.2 trillion for exactly that issue with the Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention workers' rights, unions, and being pro-labor, and Biden significantly delivers in that space over and over again (see 7a and 7b). That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. And there are so many more examples from my list, which aren't just moderate/barely-left-of-center successes; they're real accomplishments that are more progressive than any other recent president. Why is it progressive when Bernie says it, but not progressive when Biden actually does it? We might not have expected them to come from Biden, but they did. On February 06 2024 14:06 GreenHorizons wrote:On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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: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! I meant rationalizing/insisting on/celebrating voting for a man complicit in an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign, but yeah, celebrating genocide specifically too I guess. Of course Biden's support for an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign isn't all that I'm considering, it's just more than enough to lose my vote on its own. Correct, "lesser evilism" is woefully inadequate and ultimately a rationalization for wilfully supporting "evil" imo. Neglecting Democrats choice not to have a real primary, the notion that we're limited to a choice between two evils ignores a key concept of the "american experiment". The consent of the governed, which is the only real backstop to "lesser evilism" Since Democrats won't even threaten to withdraw their consent despite their leadership materially supporting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign (or Cop City, border crackdowns, etc), I can't trust that they would withdraw their consent if/when I or other people I care about are the people on the chopping block that they have to sacrifice for political expediency next and/or again (which is basically how I read painfully euphemistic spins like "he could find better ways to address systemic racism"). While I don't personally think that Biden is just the lesser of two evils, I would like to ask a follow-up question about your general view of how being the lesser of two evils is inadequate and not worthy of your vote. Is that always true for you, or is it hypothetically possible to make Trump so evil/negative/regressive (without improving any of Biden's flaws, so Biden would still merely be the lesser of two evils) that the gap between them becomes so huge that you would finally consider voting for Biden / the (sufficiently) lesser of two evils? While I reject the framing of "evil", I don't think you appreciate how problematic it is you and others don't identify aiding and abetting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign as abhorrent to the point of being disqualifying. It's been a bit since I've mentioned it, but the problem isn't that the gap isn't large enough, it's that Biden and Democrats generally are unacceptable. My general thought was that openly aiding and abetting an ethnic cleansing campaign would finally cross that line for more people, but I've been sorely disappointed.
I don't think it would be particularly helpful for me to reiterate what other people wrote earlier about there only being two outcomes (either Biden wins or Trump wins), and that taking the possibly-morally-virtuous road of not supporting either candidate doesn't actually stop one of them from winning the election... Was your second paragraph the answer to my question? I get that you find the Democrats unacceptable, but would there be a hypothetical scenario where the Democratic candidate - while still morally unacceptable to you - is worth voting for, due to the Republican opponent being so, so, so much worse (like in micronesia's example)?
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On February 07 2024 10:18 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On February 07 2024 09:27 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On February 06 2024 12:51 Zambrah wrote:
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. My bar for Biden's presidency wasn't super high, but it wasn't super low either. I honestly wasn't sure if he was meeting my expectations for the longest time, until I sat down and dug into what he's actually been accomplishing. After doing that research, I realized he's surpassed my expectations. On February 06 2024 19:10 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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." 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? GH isn't exactly wrong in his belief that continuously voting for the 'lesser evil' isn't exactly pushing Democrats to the left. They have little reason to be better when their competition is a moustache twirling cartoon villain.Its sadly the result of the frankly broken US electoral system that there is no real other option, anything other then voting for the lesser evil that you consider barely better then the literal villain is either directly or indirectly supporting said villain. Definitely true, if the best way to characterize Biden is him being the lesser of two evils compared to Trump. But based on my research, I don't think that's a fair assessment of his overall presidency. He's not just a lesser net-negative; he's a net-positive overall: - Bernie and other progressives mentioned $15/hour wages, and Biden delivers that exact wage to some federal workers. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mentioned the expensive cost of insulin, and Biden caps insulin costs to $35/month for Medicare recipients. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention our crumbling infrastructure, and Biden helps to get $1.2 trillion for exactly that issue with the Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act. That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. - Bernie and other progressives mention workers' rights, unions, and being pro-labor, and Biden significantly delivers in that space over and over again (see 7a and 7b). That's progress; that's a legitimate step forward, not a small step backwards. And there are so many more examples from my list, which aren't just moderate/barely-left-of-center successes; they're real accomplishments that are more progressive than any other recent president. Why is it progressive when Bernie says it, but not progressive when Biden actually does it? We might not have expected them to come from Biden, but they did. On February 06 2024 14:06 GreenHorizons wrote:On February 06 2024 10:09 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: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: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! I meant rationalizing/insisting on/celebrating voting for a man complicit in an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign, but yeah, celebrating genocide specifically too I guess. Of course Biden's support for an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign isn't all that I'm considering, it's just more than enough to lose my vote on its own. Correct, "lesser evilism" is woefully inadequate and ultimately a rationalization for wilfully supporting "evil" imo. Neglecting Democrats choice not to have a real primary, the notion that we're limited to a choice between two evils ignores a key concept of the "american experiment". The consent of the governed, which is the only real backstop to "lesser evilism" Since Democrats won't even threaten to withdraw their consent despite their leadership materially supporting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign (or Cop City, border crackdowns, etc), I can't trust that they would withdraw their consent if/when I or other people I care about are the people on the chopping block that they have to sacrifice for political expediency next and/or again (which is basically how I read painfully euphemistic spins like "he could find better ways to address systemic racism"). While I don't personally think that Biden is just the lesser of two evils, I would like to ask a follow-up question about your general view of how being the lesser of two evils is inadequate and not worthy of your vote. Is that always true for you, or is it hypothetically possible to make Trump so evil/negative/regressive (without improving any of Biden's flaws, so Biden would still merely be the lesser of two evils) that the gap between them becomes so huge that you would finally consider voting for Biden / the (sufficiently) lesser of two evils? While I reject the framing of "evil", I don't think you appreciate how problematic it is you and others don't identify aiding and abetting an ongoing ethnic cleansing campaign as abhorrent to the point of being disqualifying.
It's been a bit since I've mentioned it, but the problem isn't that the gap isn't large enough, it's that Biden and Democrats generally are unacceptable. My general thought was that openly aiding and abetting an ethnic cleansing campaign would finally cross that line for more people, but I've been sorely disappointed.
Loudly, the answer to this seems to be people not understanding how you frame this as unique to Biden. Generally people here aren't willing to disqualify the entirety of the US political structure, so it is a question of "Biden or Trump".
Given that, I can't understand your disappointment. People seem to understand that their participation in US democracy vis-a-vis voting involves a choice between Biden and (assuredly) Trump. You seem to be claiming yourself disappointed in them for not choosing ???? when ???? wasn't on the ballot.
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