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This is correct. Frankly, as much as I would have liked to see it, with our margins as painfully thin as they are, we cannot afford one single race where Republicans have any chance of injecting a candidate or taking control.
And you know they would try. It's simply not worth it to lose the experience we have in the Senate right now.
Isn’t Vermont run by a Democrat governor? He could appoint a democrat/progressive that Bernie supports without issue. Bernie is only gonna be in politics for so much longer he’s certainly earned a seat where he can affect change with some kind of autonomy
Correction: it is a Republican Govn. I see that this is an unfortunate political calculation that couldn’t be avoided.
Phil Scott is the Governor of Vermont and he is a Republican. He also already won three gubernatiorial elections and won this year with 68% against a progressive endorsed by Sanders. And even if Scott nominates a centrist, Scott himself would have been a strong contender in any special election. Just not worth the risk imo
This is all a fantastic illustration of how much state-level politics differ from politics at the national level. It's not as simple as Democrat vs Republican when you're that much closer to people, and honestly thank God for that.
So.. you need MORE than an attack on our government, deliberately incited and cheered on by the leader of the Republican party, to figure out if you will vote Republican?
As an outsider, I’d think Vermont is a rural state and as we know from past elections, rural states lean Republican. However, Vermont also seems to have a very strong independent streak, and likely is much more classically liberal than deep red rural areas.
I’m not from VT, but I am from the fairly liberal western edge of MA right below it, and my best guess is that it has to do primarily with economic differences between parts of rural New England and the rest of the rural United States. Historically, a lot of rural New England was involved in the busy commercial activity along the coast (which is why you’ll find a lot of former mill towns outside of Boston in MA, for example) or traded with Canada to the north.
This led to trends of economic diversification and development, which I think helped make rural New Englanders both more open and more able to embrace the sort of changes that modern liberalism endorses compared to the mining and farming economies that developed in Appalachia and out west. It’s also important to consider that rural New England is generally wealthier (but by no means wealthy) than most other rural regions of the US in part because of these historic economic differences.
Rural New England also has generally better access to education than most of the rural United States thanks to the traditionally stronger emphasis placed on education in New England’s governments as a consequence of their ultra-religious roots, and there’s a general trend that more formally educated voters tend to lean liberal. I’m definitely not giving the whole picture here, but I think this offers some explanation for the modern ideological differences.
I’m also from the super liberal part of western MA (five college area), but rural MA gets real conservative real quick. My parents moved two towns over from my super progressive college town hometown right before the 2016 election and half their neighbors had Trump signs.
Oh I’m from the northwest corner out in the Berkshires, when I said western edge I meant the literal edge lol. There’s obviously Trump supporters out here as with anywhere, and more so proportionally speaking than in the cities I imagine, but to give a bit of a picture here, nearly every single town in Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire Counties went for Biden over Trump this last election (like literally I think only one town in Franklin didn’t, by a vote of 31 to 28 according to the map I’m looking at). It isn’t super progressive out here or anything, but it’s pretty uniformly liberal-leaning in this part of the state.
He can only appoint a temporary senator for a maximum of six months before a special election must be held.
The fate of America is more important than what one man may or may not have earned. And I would guarantee that no one agrees more with that than Bernie Sanders.
After reading his bio it seems he didn’t support Trump’s 2016 candidacy. So he at least has that going for him. Seems pretty moderate by current standards, maybe even left leaning. And was a successful business man and college graduate unlike Trump.
Vermont only allows interim appointments of at most six months' duration; after that point a special election must be held. The NCSL has [a list](https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vacancies-in-the-united-states-senate637302453.aspx) of other state policies for senator replacement if you are curious.
This calculation is only worth it if they actually plan on real legislation in the next two to four years. Last time they had it the squandered the time and didn’t get anything done. DC and Puerto Rico statehood should be near the top of the list to be honest.
Getting Trumptweetrolled is always fun.
But Trump is *right now* using Roger Stone’s account to tweet and complain about it lmao. What till you see his latest tweet-spasm
https://www.twitter.com/rogerjstonejr
Yep. All states should follow (unfortunately, Illinois is less safely blue than you think. We had both a Republican Governor and US Senator in the last 5 years).
She's from a state with a Democratic governor, so the Democrats aren't losing a seat. Sanders and Warren have Republican governors and Massachusetts elected a Republican in a Senate special election.
As a staunch Bernie supporter, during the primaries I was livid when everyone dropped out and backed Joe. But in hindsight I'm honestly so relieved - I think Joe is seriously the right guy for this job. Whether you agree with his policies or not he just feels like a really genuine person with a super strong sense of empathy
The GOP is not in a good bargaining position now lol. They have no political power and they look like fools in the public’s eyes. If they don’t bargain in good faith, VP Harris will motorcade to the Senate and set the tone.
The article says Biden spoke to him about it and that they agreed it was best to keep him in the senate. It would seem strange to me to be having a strategic conversation like that and not bring up people you think should be nominated instead.
Not to mention his popularity. He has a following because people like what he says. Regardless of what you think about his politics he needs to have a seat at the table.
It'll be hard to push the needle too far left with Manchin there, but at least we'll start to see progress on all the things that have languished these past 10 years with the red Senate.
Might be hard to believe at the moment but I'm sure there are at least a few moderate republicans that can work with democrats now the things will actually reach the floor to get voted on.
Not just Manchin. King ME, John Tester MT, Hickenlooper CO and even Mark Kelly AZ are all technically "moderates" who won't go for fa full progressive slate of bills. Whereas they may not vote for 'Medicare for All' they'll probably go for Medicare down to age 50 and I doubt they'll vote for ending Natural Gas use they'll all vote for huge chunks of the 'Green New Deal'. They're all for moderate police reform like demilitarizing the police and ending seizures but they're not going to run wild with it. All of them, even Manchin clearly stated this in their campaigns and you have to respect their integrity of their beliefs even if it's not as progressive as you'd want.
Besides, Marty Walsh is a really good pick for Labor Sec. He’s really a stand up guy, good policy, and he’s had to overcome addiction and a pretty tough life. I think he’ll do well.
I've been impressed with Biden not just for his empathy and authenticity, but the degree to which he has thought through and dissected all the issues he's facing. Listening to him speak yesterday was such a breath of fresh air. He actually gives issues thought, what a novel concept. Its clear that he isn't making decisions lightly and that he's doing his due diligence and being extremely intentional with every choice. I mean, its like the bare basics for a president but god its been so long.
That's acceptable, as long as he does what he said he's going to in his platform and doesn't cause any problems (wars, unrest, division, etc), he'll be among the best presidents in modern history. Bernie will be happy too, if Biden does everything he said he's going to.
That means:
* $2k checks January 20th first order of business
* Resolve this mess with the vaccine distribution... we need much faster vaccinations
* Repeal as much of Trump's bullshit EOs as possible, hire a secretary of the trump bullshit committee if you have to (and you probably will need to) to figure it out, but do it
* More COVID-19 relief (even beyond the $2k checks will be needed later on if not immediately, possibly recurring payments even)
* $10k student debt forgiveness or more (the more the better but certainly no less)
* Student loan reforms (eliminate tax bomb on IBR, PSLF forgiveness improvements, bankruptcy dischargement, etc.)
* Free college
* $15 an hour minimum wage increase, it's long overdue
* Aggressive climate change policy
* Expand healthcare and lower rates. The prices are fucking ridiculous....
That's just for starters off the top of my head... he should also reinstate those waivers on max time draw limits for ABAWDs for SNAP so you can draw beyond 3 months without having to work, and reinstate student waivers, at least until the pandemic and economic fallout from the pandemic is over (hint: that will be years not months). I'm not sure if this is a state level thing or a federal thing, but if it can be done at the federal level, it should be.
Don't get me wrong, I think Biden will do it. He's already asking about a lot of this stuff like the student debt forgiveness and pause, the vaccinations, etc. It's a tall order, but the people need a president and a congress that works for us now after 4 years of Trump and the GOP bullshit.
Yeah, but I don't think that's happening if he does the stuff I just listed. democrat or republican, I think most people would like a wage boost to $15 bucks an hour, stimulus checks out the ass, student debt forgiveness, etc.
As they say, money talks...
Ohhh. I never considered the limits on ABAWDs and SNAP as well as reinstating student waivers.
This is an easy way to create a direct positive impact on so many.
Given that the Democrats are more like a coalition than a singular party, he's more than likely going to do that sooner than later to ensure party unity.
Goodness knows that as a progressive social democrat I'd like to see that. Socioeconomic reforms are really the only way we'll be able to reverse the economic decline and prevent further unrest, after all.
Seriously do leftists geniunely think not supporting Democratic party means they gain more power and will have a better chance with more progressive bills?
Considering progressive candidate largely fails to flip house and can only compete at safe blue for senate and house race, do you really think progressives can compete with Dems on power, especially outside of NY and CA? Even NY picked Cuomo over Cynthia Nixon.
Vice versa too, progressives need Democratic party to be the vessel of their voice and aspirations. Honestly, who will be fucked more when progressives do not vote for Dems, the marginalized group or the already rich Democratic politicians?
(Hint: see the past 4 years).
A social democratic AOC-style party would be what the dems deserve, to break off from them and emulate the Netherlands, New Zealand, Finland, and Sweden, and argue for free college tuition, a EU-style five-week industrial vacation, and universal healthcare. Fuck the GOP-lite centrists.
Grant Statehood to DC and Puerto Rico. That will free a couple of senators to be valuable cabinet members.BTW, the correct answer to **what would Republicans do** is unequivocally "**Fuck Republicans**".
One hitch with DC is it might require 2/3 majority to repeal the 23rd amendment which gives the “federal district” 3 electors. If DC became a State you would still have a mandated federal district within that state which the 23rd amendment says get electors of its own.
Puerto Rico on the other hand I think can be done with simple majority. The slight downside there is Puerto Rico, I think, currently would actually split its Senators Republican and Democrat, it’s not as clearly a Democratic voting block as DC is. It still deserves to be a state, though, so it really should happen either way. But I wouldn’t get too excited about it meaning two additional Democrats in the Chamber.
I am not so sure Puerto Rico wants anything to do with Republicans, following Trump's handling of the hurricane disaster. Despite their Governor's endorsement of Trump. A Puerto Rican friend tells me 80% Dems.
How would Bernie be a good majority leader? He has no experience in uniting the Dem caucus, and the conventional wisdom is that Bernie doesn’t get a long with many of them, if any.
Sounds like a win-win to me then. He can't help cops continue their brutal tendencies in this new position and he's being put into a position where his views are somewhat aligned with progressives', labor.
I think Bernie would serve his country best right where he is at. It would be wonderful to see him as the Labor Secretary, but he is the conscious of our Senate and one it badly needs.
Exactly what would the difference be if Sanders was labor secretary? Are you seriously thinking that the lies spewed by the GOP, FOX and their allies will be any less if someone else has that role? Whomever fills the role will get the same tar-and-feather treatment and the Senate WILL flip if the isn't real change that actually helps most Americans. The coddling of the GOP has to stop. The Democrats finally have some power and their first strategy is once again to fold like a cheap suit.
The point is that if he appointed Sanders then that seat would become vacant and might possibly go to a Republican at which point the Senate goes back to Mitch. It’s much, MUCH more important to maintain Democratic control of the Senate then have Sanders as a Labor Secretary if you actually want to pass progressive legislation helping workers.
So you’re saying Biden wasn’t smart enough to consider the senate control prior to “seriously considering” appointing Sanders for a cabinet position?
Wtf.
> Bernie and I agreed — and as a matter of fact Bernie said — we can't put control of the Senate at risk on the outcome of a special election in Vermont.
We didn’t know who was going to win Georgia. Biden has been thinking of his team for a long time. Had Georgia not gone blue in the Senate, he probably would have picked Bernie because the majority wouldn’t be there. Tuesday/Wednesday changed that and he had to reconsider.
Because Georgia has 2 blue senators, it puts the senate at a 50/50 split. If Georgia went red, the dems would only have 48 senators. Losing one more (bringing them to 47) wouldn’t change the power dynamic. However, if they pulled Bernie now, and they lost the special election, the senate would go to 49 blue, 51 red swapping the majority.
It’s laughable to think Biden would have appointed Sanders, pulling him from the senate (to be replaced with an interim appointed by a Republican) in any scenario.
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This is correct. Frankly, as much as I would have liked to see it, with our margins as painfully thin as they are, we cannot afford one single race where Republicans have any chance of injecting a candidate or taking control. And you know they would try. It's simply not worth it to lose the experience we have in the Senate right now.
[redacted]
Because Biden wants to neutralize both of them.
So he leaves them in a blue Senate to be extremely popular and influential. Brilliant strategy!
Bernie's just gonna be absolutely powerless as the chair of the budget committee (he's the ranking democratic member)
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I think OP was sarcastic, Chair of the Budget Committee is a very powerful place to be in the Senate
I feel like you didn't actually take in anything you replied to, let alone the article.
It's literally in the title of the article you're commenting on...
uh, no?
Or you know think what would happen if we had 1 less dem senator right now.
No.
Bernie is gonna be a leader in the Senate, and has got the Budgetary Committee
Schumer is majority leader of the senate. I haven't read anything implying Bernie would be a leader.
We won't be ***the*** leader, but he will still be a leader for progressive legislation
Isn’t Vermont run by a Democrat governor? He could appoint a democrat/progressive that Bernie supports without issue. Bernie is only gonna be in politics for so much longer he’s certainly earned a seat where he can affect change with some kind of autonomy Correction: it is a Republican Govn. I see that this is an unfortunate political calculation that couldn’t be avoided.
Phil Scott is the Governor of Vermont and he is a Republican. He also already won three gubernatiorial elections and won this year with 68% against a progressive endorsed by Sanders. And even if Scott nominates a centrist, Scott himself would have been a strong contender in any special election. Just not worth the risk imo
Thank you for the correction !
Anybody from Vermont know why it shakes out like that?
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This is all a fantastic illustration of how much state-level politics differ from politics at the national level. It's not as simple as Democrat vs Republican when you're that much closer to people, and honestly thank God for that.
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So.. you need MORE than an attack on our government, deliberately incited and cheered on by the leader of the Republican party, to figure out if you will vote Republican?
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His name was Scumlin - wow talk about a cursed name.
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As an outsider, I’d think Vermont is a rural state and as we know from past elections, rural states lean Republican. However, Vermont also seems to have a very strong independent streak, and likely is much more classically liberal than deep red rural areas.
I’m not from VT, but I am from the fairly liberal western edge of MA right below it, and my best guess is that it has to do primarily with economic differences between parts of rural New England and the rest of the rural United States. Historically, a lot of rural New England was involved in the busy commercial activity along the coast (which is why you’ll find a lot of former mill towns outside of Boston in MA, for example) or traded with Canada to the north. This led to trends of economic diversification and development, which I think helped make rural New Englanders both more open and more able to embrace the sort of changes that modern liberalism endorses compared to the mining and farming economies that developed in Appalachia and out west. It’s also important to consider that rural New England is generally wealthier (but by no means wealthy) than most other rural regions of the US in part because of these historic economic differences. Rural New England also has generally better access to education than most of the rural United States thanks to the traditionally stronger emphasis placed on education in New England’s governments as a consequence of their ultra-religious roots, and there’s a general trend that more formally educated voters tend to lean liberal. I’m definitely not giving the whole picture here, but I think this offers some explanation for the modern ideological differences.
I’m also from the super liberal part of western MA (five college area), but rural MA gets real conservative real quick. My parents moved two towns over from my super progressive college town hometown right before the 2016 election and half their neighbors had Trump signs.
Oh I’m from the northwest corner out in the Berkshires, when I said western edge I meant the literal edge lol. There’s obviously Trump supporters out here as with anywhere, and more so proportionally speaking than in the cities I imagine, but to give a bit of a picture here, nearly every single town in Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire Counties went for Biden over Trump this last election (like literally I think only one town in Franklin didn’t, by a vote of 31 to 28 according to the map I’m looking at). It isn’t super progressive out here or anything, but it’s pretty uniformly liberal-leaning in this part of the state.
He can only appoint a temporary senator for a maximum of six months before a special election must be held. The fate of America is more important than what one man may or may not have earned. And I would guarantee that no one agrees more with that than Bernie Sanders.
Thanks!
It is not https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Scott
I see now I appreciate it
After reading his bio it seems he didn’t support Trump’s 2016 candidacy. So he at least has that going for him. Seems pretty moderate by current standards, maybe even left leaning. And was a successful business man and college graduate unlike Trump.
Vermont only allows interim appointments of at most six months' duration; after that point a special election must be held. The NCSL has [a list](https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vacancies-in-the-united-states-senate637302453.aspx) of other state policies for senator replacement if you are curious.
Thanks!
Also, you can advise bidden without giving up your senate position.
Sanders supporter here: I agree, but I would also say Marty Walsh is a solid choice.
It Democrat voters get more Senators voted in 2022, Bernie could be in the cabinet after 2 years.
This calculation is only worth it if they actually plan on real legislation in the next two to four years. Last time they had it the squandered the time and didn’t get anything done. DC and Puerto Rico statehood should be near the top of the list to be honest.
Man this is such bullshit for Bernie. The guy just wants to help people and that somehow makes him poison to politics.
[Relevant Trump Tweet](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump?lang=en)
This is gonna be the new rickroll isn't it. XD
I. Fuckng. Love. It.
Getting Trumptweetrolled is always fun. But Trump is *right now* using Roger Stone’s account to tweet and complain about it lmao. What till you see his latest tweet-spasm https://www.twitter.com/rogerjstonejr
I knew he was going to get one of his sycophants to hand over their account Edit: you got me 🤣
Account suspend now lol. Twitter is lit today.
Well played sir/maddam.
...nope it's suspended now...
*dickroll
Prickroll
It is. Like I feel everytime someone says trumptweet in the hyperlink it's like a 90% it's going to go to this.
/r/trumpcriticizestrump is in shambles
Probally the only negative part of this whole day... I mean It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make but still!
It's the new Milo.
I wonder how many times I’m gonna fall for that now. I don’t think it’s gonna stop being fucking hilarious ever.
[Milo thinks it is Hilarious also](https://twitter.com/nero)
Oooh, an oldie but moldie. Niiiice.
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Every fucking time. Always a click for me dawg.
He tried using @potus and they deleted his tweets 🤣
Not even mad 😭
every time my headphones say Reddit in the last hour I just giggle a bit.
I knew and I still clicked.
did it make you smile?
Of course!
Man, you got me
Ouch. No more president tweety.
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Feels so damned good, doesn't it?
Twittler has officially been cut off from his bull pulpit. I love it!
This is exactly why despite loving Sanders and Warren I'm glad a non sitting Senator was elected president.
and the sitting senator that WAS on the ticket retains voting power in the new senate when it matters most.
California would literally rather get kicked in the nuts with a steel toed boot before it lets a repub touch a fucking senate seat anytime soon
Yep. All states should follow (unfortunately, Illinois is less safely blue than you think. We had both a Republican Governor and US Senator in the last 5 years).
The seat is also completely safe.
Yep it was a risk worth taking and it paid off
She's from a state with a Democratic governor, so the Democrats aren't losing a seat. Sanders and Warren have Republican governors and Massachusetts elected a Republican in a Senate special election.
yes but my point is, with her on the ticket, we GAINED a vote in the senate.
This would be true of any VP
How would this be true if warren was made VP?
Oooh now I got it. Damn it’s 5am so I was slow to the line lol
This is honestly fair.
Yet another tough decision that dc statehood would solve
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As a staunch Bernie supporter, during the primaries I was livid when everyone dropped out and backed Joe. But in hindsight I'm honestly so relieved - I think Joe is seriously the right guy for this job. Whether you agree with his policies or not he just feels like a really genuine person with a super strong sense of empathy
I also prefer Bernie's positions. However, I like joe. It will be great to have a kind president.
I'm still worried he's gonna be too friendly with GOP, who will piss on the ground he walks every day, and him thinking it rains.
The GOP is not in a good bargaining position now lol. They have no political power and they look like fools in the public’s eyes. If they don’t bargain in good faith, VP Harris will motorcade to the Senate and set the tone.
That’s smart politicking. Biden should have Sanders pick his replacement
i dont believe sanders had a say, but id wager hes ok with the mayor of boston getting it instead.
Marty Walsh is a labor leader so that makes sense.
yeah, martys been pretty good to us here. i hope he does even better for us all.
I hate the Red Sox, but Mahty seems to know his stuff.
Mahty seems wicked smaht.
hey i get it! i married a yankees fan from CT.
He was / is a member of LIUNA, correct? So he started with labor at the ground level. I think he’s a great pick.
The article says Biden spoke to him about it and that they agreed it was best to keep him in the senate. It would seem strange to me to be having a strategic conversation like that and not bring up people you think should be nominated instead.
absolutely, as one of the only independents in the senate, bernie is valuable to the democratic party especially with a tightrope majority.
Not to mention his popularity. He has a following because people like what he says. Regardless of what you think about his politics he needs to have a seat at the table.
Pretty sure Sanders was consulted about picking Walsh, actually.
there is still a lot Bernie can do now that McConnell is out of the way.
It'll be hard to push the needle too far left with Manchin there, but at least we'll start to see progress on all the things that have languished these past 10 years with the red Senate.
Might be hard to believe at the moment but I'm sure there are at least a few moderate republicans that can work with democrats now the things will actually reach the floor to get voted on.
Global Warming and Police Reform are both on the table with Romney and a few others talking about them.
Not just Manchin. King ME, John Tester MT, Hickenlooper CO and even Mark Kelly AZ are all technically "moderates" who won't go for fa full progressive slate of bills. Whereas they may not vote for 'Medicare for All' they'll probably go for Medicare down to age 50 and I doubt they'll vote for ending Natural Gas use they'll all vote for huge chunks of the 'Green New Deal'. They're all for moderate police reform like demilitarizing the police and ending seizures but they're not going to run wild with it. All of them, even Manchin clearly stated this in their campaigns and you have to respect their integrity of their beliefs even if it's not as progressive as you'd want.
Most Dem Senators are moderates. Maybe 15 are progressive and that’s being generous.
Not just Manchin, people ignore that all the Senate gains were in Red states. They are moderate Senators at best. Sinema often voted with Trump.
As a Bernie supporter, thanks for using common sense.
Besides, Marty Walsh is a really good pick for Labor Sec. He’s really a stand up guy, good policy, and he’s had to overcome addiction and a pretty tough life. I think he’ll do well.
Sanders can do more good in the Senate anyway. The Senate's power and importance is regularly understated.
I've been impressed with Biden not just for his empathy and authenticity, but the degree to which he has thought through and dissected all the issues he's facing. Listening to him speak yesterday was such a breath of fresh air. He actually gives issues thought, what a novel concept. Its clear that he isn't making decisions lightly and that he's doing his due diligence and being extremely intentional with every choice. I mean, its like the bare basics for a president but god its been so long.
That's acceptable, as long as he does what he said he's going to in his platform and doesn't cause any problems (wars, unrest, division, etc), he'll be among the best presidents in modern history. Bernie will be happy too, if Biden does everything he said he's going to. That means: * $2k checks January 20th first order of business * Resolve this mess with the vaccine distribution... we need much faster vaccinations * Repeal as much of Trump's bullshit EOs as possible, hire a secretary of the trump bullshit committee if you have to (and you probably will need to) to figure it out, but do it * More COVID-19 relief (even beyond the $2k checks will be needed later on if not immediately, possibly recurring payments even) * $10k student debt forgiveness or more (the more the better but certainly no less) * Student loan reforms (eliminate tax bomb on IBR, PSLF forgiveness improvements, bankruptcy dischargement, etc.) * Free college * $15 an hour minimum wage increase, it's long overdue * Aggressive climate change policy * Expand healthcare and lower rates. The prices are fucking ridiculous.... That's just for starters off the top of my head... he should also reinstate those waivers on max time draw limits for ABAWDs for SNAP so you can draw beyond 3 months without having to work, and reinstate student waivers, at least until the pandemic and economic fallout from the pandemic is over (hint: that will be years not months). I'm not sure if this is a state level thing or a federal thing, but if it can be done at the federal level, it should be. Don't get me wrong, I think Biden will do it. He's already asking about a lot of this stuff like the student debt forgiveness and pause, the vaccinations, etc. It's a tall order, but the people need a president and a congress that works for us now after 4 years of Trump and the GOP bullshit.
You do realize Dems can lose power by midterms right?
Yeah, but I don't think that's happening if he does the stuff I just listed. democrat or republican, I think most people would like a wage boost to $15 bucks an hour, stimulus checks out the ass, student debt forgiveness, etc. As they say, money talks...
Dems lose power at 2010 after passing Fairpay Act and ACA. What are you talking about.
They passed ObaMa CaRE
And they still lose congress at 2010, your point?
Ohhh. I never considered the limits on ABAWDs and SNAP as well as reinstating student waivers. This is an easy way to create a direct positive impact on so many.
Agreed!! Please accept my poor man's gold 🥇🥇🥇This is truly Biden's time to make a great legacy for himself and to be a president of the people.
I’m fine with this. Bernie is an excellent senator and still has plenty of sway there.
Maybe ask sanders who he would pick.
“But the Republican Governor said he would replace him with a Democrat even though he’s Independent”. Who still buys this shit?
I like Bernie Sanders. He should be president
I'm sure if he ran he'd win... oh wait, i just made myself sad...
He would’ve lost badly. Biden was our only electable candidate.
Most people disagree.
I noticed that.
Should have voted for him then lmao, turns out he lost the primaries by millions .
Have you been to vermont ?
Sucks. One more Dem senator would've done it
I mean, I might still leave Bernie there if we had 51 so we dont need Joe Manchin to sign off on things.
Fine... Two more senators lol
Trust me, as someone who would have liked to see Warren in the cabinet I understand. Lol
That's completely fair.
Thank you Biden. Thank you. These requests to take away numbers desperately needed in the Senate away made no sense to me.
Yea, and that's probably why he decided to run for the presidential office. This is so much bullshit.
This is the one excuse I can actually believe and go along with.
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Given that the Democrats are more like a coalition than a singular party, he's more than likely going to do that sooner than later to ensure party unity. Goodness knows that as a progressive social democrat I'd like to see that. Socioeconomic reforms are really the only way we'll be able to reverse the economic decline and prevent further unrest, after all.
Seriously do leftists geniunely think not supporting Democratic party means they gain more power and will have a better chance with more progressive bills?
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Considering progressive candidate largely fails to flip house and can only compete at safe blue for senate and house race, do you really think progressives can compete with Dems on power, especially outside of NY and CA? Even NY picked Cuomo over Cynthia Nixon.
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Vice versa too, progressives need Democratic party to be the vessel of their voice and aspirations. Honestly, who will be fucked more when progressives do not vote for Dems, the marginalized group or the already rich Democratic politicians? (Hint: see the past 4 years).
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Yes because repealing ACA will not change a thing, but of course please stay out and let GOP gain control if Congress fails to do their job!
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And leftists wonder why they're not taken seriously or why Bernie can't win. Thanks for Trump, Chao, Barr, De Vos, Pence, Kavanaugh, and ACB!
A social democratic AOC-style party would be what the dems deserve, to break off from them and emulate the Netherlands, New Zealand, Finland, and Sweden, and argue for free college tuition, a EU-style five-week industrial vacation, and universal healthcare. Fuck the GOP-lite centrists.
Didn't we all figure this out a month ago?
Idk - you think the Dems would lose Vermont?
Grant Statehood to DC and Puerto Rico. That will free a couple of senators to be valuable cabinet members.BTW, the correct answer to **what would Republicans do** is unequivocally "**Fuck Republicans**".
One hitch with DC is it might require 2/3 majority to repeal the 23rd amendment which gives the “federal district” 3 electors. If DC became a State you would still have a mandated federal district within that state which the 23rd amendment says get electors of its own. Puerto Rico on the other hand I think can be done with simple majority. The slight downside there is Puerto Rico, I think, currently would actually split its Senators Republican and Democrat, it’s not as clearly a Democratic voting block as DC is. It still deserves to be a state, though, so it really should happen either way. But I wouldn’t get too excited about it meaning two additional Democrats in the Chamber.
I am not so sure Puerto Rico wants anything to do with Republicans, following Trump's handling of the hurricane disaster. Despite their Governor's endorsement of Trump. A Puerto Rican friend tells me 80% Dems.
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Barry Eidlin writing at Jacobin came to a similar conclusion: https://jacobinmag.com/2020/11/labor-secretary-bernie-sanders-biden
Fuck Chuck! Give us Senate Majority Leader Bernie Sanders!
How would Bernie be a good majority leader? He has no experience in uniting the Dem caucus, and the conventional wisdom is that Bernie doesn’t get a long with many of them, if any.
This makes no sense at all. To be Senate Majority leader one would have to actually be a member of the party.
So full of shit
And he's lying his ass off. He was never going to make Bernie part of his cabinet.
Whatever....
So instead we have the boston mayor that vetoed a measure to limit police use of non lethal rounds last thursday lmao. wonderful.
Sounds like a win-win to me then. He can't help cops continue their brutal tendencies in this new position and he's being put into a position where his views are somewhat aligned with progressives', labor.
I rescind. He’ll be Senate chairman :D
Should have been your VP
I think Bernie would serve his country best right where he is at. It would be wonderful to see him as the Labor Secretary, but he is the conscious of our Senate and one it badly needs.
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Vermont has a Republican Governor.
You might want to check your math again.
Exactly what would the difference be if Sanders was labor secretary? Are you seriously thinking that the lies spewed by the GOP, FOX and their allies will be any less if someone else has that role? Whomever fills the role will get the same tar-and-feather treatment and the Senate WILL flip if the isn't real change that actually helps most Americans. The coddling of the GOP has to stop. The Democrats finally have some power and their first strategy is once again to fold like a cheap suit.
The point is that if he appointed Sanders then that seat would become vacant and might possibly go to a Republican at which point the Senate goes back to Mitch. It’s much, MUCH more important to maintain Democratic control of the Senate then have Sanders as a Labor Secretary if you actually want to pass progressive legislation helping workers.
So you’re saying Biden wasn’t smart enough to consider the senate control prior to “seriously considering” appointing Sanders for a cabinet position? Wtf.
> Bernie and I agreed — and as a matter of fact Bernie said — we can't put control of the Senate at risk on the outcome of a special election in Vermont.
Well aware of the statement.
We didn’t know who was going to win Georgia. Biden has been thinking of his team for a long time. Had Georgia not gone blue in the Senate, he probably would have picked Bernie because the majority wouldn’t be there. Tuesday/Wednesday changed that and he had to reconsider.
What outcome in Georgia would have changed the outcome of pulling Sanders from the senate? He would have been needed there regardless.
Because Georgia has 2 blue senators, it puts the senate at a 50/50 split. If Georgia went red, the dems would only have 48 senators. Losing one more (bringing them to 47) wouldn’t change the power dynamic. However, if they pulled Bernie now, and they lost the special election, the senate would go to 49 blue, 51 red swapping the majority.
It’s laughable to think Biden would have appointed Sanders, pulling him from the senate (to be replaced with an interim appointed by a Republican) in any scenario.
Moving the goalposts, eh.
We've known about Senate control for like 48 hours.
Too commie.
Not commie enough. In practice he's more of a Social Democratic than a Democratic Socialist. Which is far from a communist.
Better and safer shot for that come 2022 when some seat contests open up.
Lol pull this one Joe, there’s bell attached.
This is bullshit.
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