The Biden Administration

[Bact PhD]

Jan 19, 2022 16:57:42 GMT LFC said:

Here's a suggestion of 3 things for Biden and the Democrats to do now.

Reality is here. The time for wishful thinking is over. Democrats don’t have the votes in the Senate to pass voting rights bills or the expansive Build Back Better (BBB) spending bill they’ve spent months debating among themselves.

But Democrats can do their part to salvage the Biden presidency by doing three things.

First: Reach out to Republican Senator Mitt Romney, the GOP’s one-time standard bearer, and take him up on his offer to modernize the 1887 Electoral Count Act (ECA).

Next: Move quickly to seal the bipartisan deal on the domestic manufacturing of desperately-needed semiconductor chips.

Finally: Figure out what a certain moderate Democratic senator from West Virginia will allow in BBB, and as Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg put it, “Sign whatever deal [Joe] Manchin will go for.” And then go sell it like crazy to the public.

“What I’m hearing is that Democrats are ready to unite around anything Biden can get from Manchin,” Greenberg told The Daily Beast, signaling that progressive Democrats too are at last reconciled to reality. Manchin might have balked at the originally proposed $3.5 trillion BBB price tag, but earlier in the process Manchin proposed his own $1.8 trillion package that included significant tax-the-rich proposals. Those policies, if adopted, would have put him to the left of where Barack Obama was as president.

Re the suggestion concerning the WV Senator: Greenberg seems awfully confident that said Senator won’t move the goalposts…again.

[Traveler]

Between Schumer and Biden, I have never seen such incompetence. Mistaking his election as a mandate for progressives and trying to foist BBB without taxing the rich and restoring 100% of SALT was the epitome of overreach and hubris. Now we are back where we started.
The progressives are going to have to shut up and take what they can realistically get. Manchin deserves a lot of blame for this, in that he played Lucy and the football ever since it was brought up. But that doesn't explain the overreach, which is a big part of Joe's abysmal polling.

[goldenvalley]

Jan 22, 2022 16:23:22 GMT Traveler said:

Between Schumer and Biden, I have never seen such incompetence. Mistaking his election as a mandate for progressives and trying to foist BBB without taxing the rich and restoring 100% of SALT was the epitome of overreach and hubris. Now we are back where we started.
The progressives are going to have to shut up and take what they can realistically get. Manchin deserves a lot of blame for this, in that he played Lucy and the football ever since it was brought up. But that doesn't explain the overreach, which is a big part of Joe's abysmal polling.

There are a lot of reasons Biden's polling is bad. First Delta, now Omicron variants are ascendant.  The media harped on the Afghanistan withdrawal a lot, I suspect because it offered some relief from talking about Covid.  And inflation.  BBB, in my mind was needed and Biden had no choice but to dance with Manchin on it.  

The media reported BBB in horse race style, the same way they did the voting rights bills. So we don't really know what was intended.  I think folks like Pelosi made a mistake in calling it "transformative" which sounds scary. And the dollar amount looked scary.  The media never bothered to explained that figure was not the amount to be spent in a single year but over 10 years.  Horse race reporting doesn't care about the such details.

I doubt the Reps would have supported any part of the BBB no matter how small or large it was. They figured they had to vote for the Covid relief bill and a least some saw personal political gain in the infrastructure bill.  Now they're done.  They smell blood and they'll do nothing but obstruct from here on out.

[jackd]

I think Biden's principal problem is the virus and its effects on the economy, like inflation and logistical obstacles to consumerism that contribute to inflation. Also do not underestimate the shallow self centeredness of the public. To say that Biden should not have tried for as much as he did is too easy a dismissal. What should he have tried for that would not have been obstructed by the Republicans and "moderates" in the Congress? The popularity of the BBB provisions has been demonstrated over and over again in the polls. It's the Congress that resists, not the people, for its own reasons which are largely related to greed. Afghanistan was going to go badly no matter when it was attempted. All things considered, it went surprisingly well. The military has much to answer for that problem.
Had Biden followed the advice of the "moderates", he would not have attempted anything and would be being criticized as old and ineffectual just as he is now.

[LFC]

Jan 22, 2022 18:07:09 GMT jackd said:

Had Biden followed the advice of the "moderates", he would not have attempted anything and would be being criticized as old and ineffectual just as he is now.

The media will destroy him. The reporting on Afghanistan was abysmal with the briefest mention that the operation  moved a massive number of people successfully and almost zero analysis how everybody who said we should have stayed to prop up the government was proven completely, totally, and utterly wrong. Instead it was "AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! There was a terrorist attack!!!" (Like that hasn't been happening continually for decades.) "AAAAAAHHHH!!!!! Some people didn't get pulled out!!!" (With numbers that rose with each successive meeting of the previous stated demand.) AFAIC the withdrawal from Afghanistan was about as good as it was going to get and I for one am glad we're out.

[jackd]

Likewise.

[AnBr]

Jan 23, 2022 0:16:37 GMT LFC said:

Some people didn't get pulled out!!!" (With numbers that rose with each successive meeting of the previous stated demand.) AFAIC the withdrawal from Afghanistan was about as good as it was going to get and I for one am glad we're out.

From what I heard most that were not pulled out wanted to stay.

I am getting tired of this knee jerk reaction of people blaming Biden as fumbling or being ineffectual for failure to get things passed. How much could ANYONE be able to get done given a Senate with a 50-50 split and Moscow Mitch's intransigence? And with Manchin & Sinema that is less than 50%. There is only so much that is possible from the bully pulpit and negotiating with/arm twisting people that have already made up their minds to say no from the start. And it doesn't help with the media's approach to coverage looking for that horse race where none exists.

[LFC]

How much could ANYONE be able to get done given a Senate with a 50-50 split and Moscow Mitch's intransigence?

Behold the legion of armchair quarterbacks!

It's the classic Democrat / Republican double standard. Dems push for multiple things, most of which are popular, Republicans obstruct which they can do in our form of government, therefore the Dems are ineffectual. Republicans then get voted in, do nothing but tax cuts for the rich and gin up culture wars and the MSM makes nary a peep. Moscow Mitch learned long ago that doing nothing was their best strategy because they wouldn't get called on it.

But yeah, "both sides are bad."

[Traveler]

Folks, first time back in a couple of weeks. I still think my points stand. Ron Klain looks like the one who overreached. Face it, Biden is only as good as his team. Which has let him down. Repeatedly. And unfortunately, the buck stops with him. And note my takedown of the wealthy Dems that torpedoed any decent tax policies. Heck, even Manchin called that out. Of course, Sinema is the obvious culprit there. But many SALT state representatives foisted that provision to completely repeal, vs. upping the limit which would have helped them a lot. Now they got nuttin'.

And the inflation analyses over at BB definitely DO suggest that the stimulus is partly responsible, and could have been much better crafted to focus on the less fortunate. Like extending the child tax credit. Not that is gone too. 20/20 hindsight maybe, but a lot of this was evident during the sausage making.

BTW, it ain't both sides bad like the MSM likes to shriek.  We all know who is truly bad.  So craft your approaches accordingly.  

[jackd]

Most of your points are "theoretical" given the reality of no real majority in the Senate.

[goldenvalley]

Feb 2, 2022 23:05:52 GMT jackd said:

Most of your points are "theoretical" given the reality of no real majority in the Senate.

Witness the impact of a single Senator being hospitalized and how that might impact the timing on some sort of continuing budget resolution and confirmation of a US Supreme Court justice.  And the Senator is only 49 years old...there are Senators much older than 49 in both parties.  Control of the Senate is one or three hospitalizations, maybe deaths away at any time.

[LFC]

Feb 2, 2022 23:35:04 GMT goldenvalley said:

Witness the impact of a single Senator being hospitalized and how that might impact the timing on some sort of continuing budget resolution and confirmation of a US Supreme Court justice.  And the Senator is only 49 years old...there are Senators much older than 49 in both parties.  Control of the Senate is one or three hospitalizations, maybe deaths away at any time.

I read in one of the pieces somewhere that the average age of a U.S. Senator is 63.

[pnwguy]

It could work the other way too.

If Karma would strike down Moscow Mitch, Beshear could appoint a Democrat to his seat, which would change things dramatically.

[Traveler]

Feb 2, 2022 23:05:52 GMT jackd said:

Most of your points are "theoretical" given the reality of no real majority in the Senate.

Exactly the point I was trying to make.  Thanks.  

[LFC]

Jen Psaki pwns Steve Douchey yet again. What kind of "man" can stand to spend their life being humiliated in public for money? (Maybe I should ask Lindsey Graham or Sean Spicer.)

White House press secretary Jen Psaki used a contentious question-and-answer session with a Fox News correspondent to refute a string of right-wing media tropes Republicans have used to blame President Joe Biden’s energy policies for recent high gas prices.

While addressing reporters at her daily news briefing on Monday, Ms Psaki was pressed by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on reports that the Biden administration is looking to backstop a potential ban on Russian oil imports by bringing in a new supply from Iran or Venezuela. Both countries are currently blocked from selling oil on US markets by economic sanctions imposed during the Trump administration.

Mr Doocy noted that the Biden administration has pledged to “do everything [they] can to reduce the impact that high gas prices have on Americans”, and asked Ms Psaki why the US could not simply “do it here” by increasing domestic production.

The White House press secretary has responded to similar questions by noting that the federal government has not placed any limits on oil companies’ ability to make use of current drilling leases, but Doocy initially tried jumping in to keep her from saying so once more before she cut him off: “Let me give you the facts here — I know that can be inconvenient, but I think they're important in this moment”.

Ms Psaki said administration officials have been “clear” about the need for the short-term US oil supply to keep up with demand while continuing to push for a shift to renewable, clean energy sources.

But she also stressed that the US is currently among the world’s top producers of oil and gas.

“We have actually produced more oil — it is at record numbers — and we will continue to produce more oil,” she said. There are 9,000 approved drilling permits that are not being used, so the suggestion that we are not let allowing companies to drill is inaccurate”.

Also “inaccurate,” she said, would be any “suggestion” that Mr Biden’s executive order prohibiting new drilling permits on federal land is “what is hindering or preventing” a drop in gas prices.

“Ninety percent of them [drilling leases] happen on private lands ... and there are 9,000 unused, approved drilling permits. So I would suggest you ask the oil companies why they’re not using those if there’s a desire to drill more,” she said.

Ms Psaki also shot down another line of questioning from Doocy on whether Mr Biden’s cancelation of the Canadian Keystone XL gas pipeline would have prevented the recent price spike.

“The Keystone was not an oil field. It's a pipeline,” she said. “Also, the oil is continuing to flow in — just through other means — it actually would have nothing to do with the current supply imbalance”.

[goldenvalley]

Mar 8, 2022 16:13:15 GMT LFC said:

Jen Psaki pwns Steve Douchey yet again. What kind of "man" can stand to spend their life being humiliated in public for money? (Maybe I should ask Lindsey Graham or Sean Spicer.)

And even if new drilling were permitted it would take a year or so before any oil was pumped out and refined.  It's not like turning on the water faucet.  Facts are stubborn things Mr Doocy.

[LFC]

Mar 8, 2022 16:43:29 GMT goldenvalley said:

Facts are stubborn things Mr Doocy.

Not for the right. Once they fully embraced "alternative facts" actual facts weren't a problem for them anymore. Welcome to the post-truth society.

[andydp]

Mar 8, 2022 16:43:29 GMT goldenvalley said:

Mar 8, 2022 16:13:15 GMT LFC said:

Jen Psaki pwns Steve Douchey yet again. What kind of "man" can stand to spend their life being humiliated in public for money? (Maybe I should ask Lindsey Graham or Sean Spicer.)

I am reminded of an old vaudeville gag where this person keeps hitting his head against the wall.  A person comes to him and asks: "Why do you keep hitting your head against the wall ?"  The answer: "It feels good when I stop."

Douchey must like it when Psaki stops hammering him.  I'm not a news person, but shouldn't Douchey do some research before asking "wannabe gotha" questions ?

[goldenvalley]

Mar 8, 2022 17:49:09 GMT andydp said:

Mar 8, 2022 16:43:29 GMT goldenvalley said:

I am reminded of an old vaudeville gag where this person keeps hitting his head against the wall.  A person comes to him and asks: "Why do you keep hitting your head against the wall ?"  The answer: "It feels good when I stop."

Douchey must like it when Psaki stops hammering him.  I'm not a news person, but shouldn't Douchey do some research before asking "wannabe gotha" questions ?

H*%% no!  He just wants to provoke some kind of ill tempered response so it can be shown on endless repeat on Faux. In the absence of that happening her answers will be characterized as tap dancing around the question, filled with irrelevancies. It works because every viewer knows that Dems are weak and responsible for high gas prices.

[AnBr]

Biden’s Russian Energy Ban Could Reorder the World

Russia’s time as the world’s energy superpower might soon be coming to an end. Under President Vladimir Putin’s watch, the country has supplied vast amounts of natural gas and oil to Europe, Asia, and other corners of the globe. But the West’s crackdown on Russian energy in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine could signal a new era in the global energy markets, one that sees Russia fade in influence while other budding powers scramble to fill the void.

President Biden announced Tuesday that the U.S. would ban imports of Russian oil. The British government also said it would do the same. By taking aim at one of Russia’s most lucrative industries, Western leaders hoped to ratchet up the pressure on Putin to end the war in Ukraine, the largest land invasion since World War II.

[LFC]

Biden's pick for the Federal Reserve Board withdrew after Republican went full metal anti-democracy and Manchin joined them. Once again for Manchin it's all about protecting his own personal portfolio. I soooo loathe that corrupt clown.

Sarah Bloom Raskin has officially withdrawn her nomination to serve as vice chair for supervision of the Federal Reserve Board. She had floated in limbo for weeks after Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee boycotted her confirmation hearing.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) put the final nail in the coffin Monday, saying he would not support her candidacy and closing off the possibility that Democrats would be able to circumvent the boycott with a Senate rule change.

“Despite her readiness — and despite having been confirmed by the Senate with broad, bipartisan support twice in the past — Sarah was subject to baseless attacks from industry and conservative interest groups,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Senate Republicans are more focused on amplifying these false claims and protecting special interests than taking important steps toward addressing inflation and lowering costs for the American people.”

Raskin wrote to President Biden in a letter that she was bowing out amid “relentless attacks by special interests,” according to the New Yorker, which first reported her withdrawal.

Raskin’s cardinal sin in the eyes of Republicans and Manchin amounted to suggesting that regulators puzzle out how to incentivize shifts to renewable energy, a fairly anodyne proposal on the world stage. She also wrote a piece in the New York Times criticizing the Paycheck Protection Program for giving loans to fossil fuel companies.

[LFC]

Sinemanchin ... again.

Economists and workers' rights advocates on Thursday condemned the latest setback for working people dealt by right-wing Democratic lawmakers, three of whom joined every Republican senator in opposing President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division after being aggressively lobbied by business interests.

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) voted against allowing Dr. David Weil's nomination to move forward Wednesday evening, several months after the former Obama administration official was first nominated for the top wage regulatory role.

Manchin and Sinema have obstructed much of President Joe Biden's agenda since he took office—opposing the elimination of the filibuster in order to pass voting rights legislation and rejecting climate and anti-poverty provisions in the Build Back Better Act.

"This is really infuriating," said Chirag Mehta of the grassroots group Community Change, accusing the senators of repeatedly "delivering body blows to working people on behalf of big business."

Well that certainly sounds like Manchin's agenda.

[LFC]

Jen Psaki may be going to MSNBC.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is reportedly planning to trade the briefing room podium for an anchor gig at MSNBC. The move, according to Axios, is set to take place this spring and follows months of negotiations. Psaki, who is still “in talks” with MSNBC and has yet to sign a contract, would follow her former deputy Symone Sanders to the station. Psaki’s show would air as part of NBC’s streaming service Peacock, but it would not fill Rachel Maddow’s slot once the flagship host leaves later this year. The move has not been formally announced yet, as negotiations have not been finalized and the departure has not been announced to the White House press team.

To quote Samuel Jackson in Hitman's Bodyguard: "Damn! I liked her. She's spunky."

[goldenvalley]

Apr 1, 2022 19:02:38 GMT LFC said:

Jen Psaki may be going to MSNBC.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is reportedly planning to trade the briefing room podium for an anchor gig at MSNBC. The move, according to Axios, is set to take place this spring and follows months of negotiations. Psaki, who is still “in talks” with MSNBC and has yet to sign a contract, would follow her former deputy Symone Sanders to the station. Psaki’s show would air as part of NBC’s streaming service Peacock, but it would not fill Rachel Maddow’s slot once the flagship host leaves later this year. The move has not been formally announced yet, as negotiations have not been finalized and the departure has not been announced to the White House press team.

To quote Samuel Jackson in Hitman's Bodyguard: "Damn! I liked her. She's spunky."

Press sec'y to the President is a burnout job, especially in the last 15 years. She is very good at it but its probably because of hours and hours of prep time. 

[LFC]

Josh Marshall notes that Biden isn't fighting, which is sadly so typical of Democrats. The result is that people are getting their opinions pushed by the other side.

A new AP poll says that 54% of Americans think President Biden has been “not tough enough” on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. These kinds of public perceptions can be shaped by perceptions of a leader as much as they drive them. So you think Biden is weak as your starting point and therefore you think he’s not being tough enough on Russia rather than the other way around. Also notable, Americans’ hawkishness over Ukraine has dipped a bit from a month ago. But the first, second and third most important thing about this poll is that this is what you get when you’re not reminding Americans every day – and I mean every god-damned day – that the GOP has spent the last 7 years boosting, allying with and even conspiring with Russia.

This is so obvious I don’t see the need to even rehearse all the details and the bill of particulars. This is just losing the game because you didn’t put a team on the field. Political messaging, political storytelling isn’t a one and done or binary thing. You don’t seize on the silver bullet message and then the waters part in front of you. But there’s only so many hours in the day. In a setting like this, when Republicans are attacking Democrats 24/7 you need to carve out some of those hours for Republicans to explain why just three years ago they were helping Presidents Trump and Putin conspire against Ukraine and the United States. Only four years ago eight Republican Senators decided to spend July 4th making fealty to Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The list is endless.

When you’re in a war and on the defense an army will also attack at its opponent’s weak points. Capacity diverted from offense to defense means less incoming fire. Only so much army to go around; only so many hours in the day. The physical realities are different but the basic calculus is just the same.

Will pushing the GOP’s guilt and complicity on Russia make people stop caring about inflation? Of course not. But if you’re not even putting that team on the field you are simply not doing the simplest blocking and tackling of politics. It’s that bad.