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The Incoming Biden Presidency

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First things first!


Washington, DC - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA.), Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and their colleagues introduced a resolution today outlining a bold plan for the next President of the United States to use existing authority under the Higher Education Act to cancel up to $50,000 in Federal student loan debt for Federal student loan borrowers. The resolution outlines how the President should use executive authority to cancel student loan debt and ensure there is no tax liability for Federal student loan borrowers resulting from administrative debt cancellation. Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress refuse to provide any immediate student debt cancellation for tens of millions of Americans, but Democrats will be ready to act starting in 2021. Joining the resolution are Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

  • Recognizes the Secretary of Education's broad administrative authority to cancel Federal student loan debt under the existing authorities of section 432(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1082(a));
  • Calls on the President of the United States to take executive action to administratively cancel up to $50,000 in Federal student loan debt for Federal student loan borrowers using existing legal authorities under such section 432(a), and any other authorities available under the law;
  • Encourages the President of the United States, in taking such executive action, to use the executive's authority under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure no tax liability for Federal student loan borrowers resulting from administrative debt cancellation;
  • Encourages the President of the United States, in taking such executive action, to ensure that administrative debt cancellation helps close racial wealth gaps and avoids the bulk of Federal student debt cancellation benefits accruing to the wealthiest borrowers; and
  • Encourages the President of the United States to continue to pause student loan payments and interest accumulation for Federal student loan borrowers for the entire duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • In March, Senators Schumer, Warren, Murray, Brown and their colleagues unveiled a proposal to cancel at least $10,000 in student loan debt during the COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Warren has introduced legislation with House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) to eliminate up to $50,000 in student loan debt for 42 million Americans, including private borrowers.



This isn't the fringe of the party or some shit. This is something that will definitely happen. James Clyburn also introduced something like this earlier this year, and he has Biden's ear.
 
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geniusMoment

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The governor of Vermont has promised to appoint a independent leaning Democrat if Bernie gets a spot in the administration. I know nothing about how honest the governor is, but it still seems risky.

 

cobainwasmurdered

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it's a 6 month maximum vacancy and whoever Bernie supports will win the special election.
 

Mickey Massuco

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Sixty percent of respondents said Biden won the election fairly, while 32 percent, echoing the president’s spurious assertions, believed widespread voter fraud was the reason for his victory.

Wow
 

King Kamala

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Good article. I had my doubts about the Biden campaign's approach to Trump but their strategy paid off. I honestly think, in midst of pandemic, that a fighting fire with fire strategy may have led to a different, worse result.

Also LOL at the anecdote about Julian Castro being miffed about not getting a speaker spot at the DNC. GEE I WONDER WHY YOU DIDN'T GET INVITED! That kind of obliviousness shows why his campaign flopped. Wonder if he has dementia...
 

cobainwasmurdered

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yeah it was a very smart approach and the campaign was very well run. He also seems to be keeping his promise so far about appoining a diverse team as for instance he choose an all-female communications team https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbr...l-female-communications-team/?sh=410eb38dfecd

I'm sure there are some not great picks being made but he seems to at least be making an effort to be more representative of America.
 
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King Kamala

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Oh yeah. My galaxy brained leftist Twitter feed is in a tizzy about some of his picks and I even saw one doofus who was up in arms about Biden "only" wanting to cancel up to $10,000 of a person's student debt. I mean I agree and completely understand the sentiment that "only" $10,000 is not enough but to actively want to fight against your own best interests is DUMB. But it is also in a lot of galaxy brained left wingers modus operandi tbh.

In the past four years, I've come to learn that the old cliché "Something is better than nothing" is actually true.

Your neoliberal in training/ex Jill Stein supporter,
@King Kamala
 

snuffbox

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It was a good campaign, the right one for the moment. And staying positive, avoiding drama, probably helped Biden as much as Trump's antics did. According to exit polls, there was a 4-5 point swing in evangelical voters. Being positive was almost certainly a major factor in that. And that flip, small as it may seem, was a big part of Biden winning the presidency.
 

cobainwasmurdered

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I saw people on leftist twitter vowing to demand campaign refunds from Bernie if he supports some of bidens communication teams picks which wow talk about picking your battles...

Biden's proposal has a bunch of other elements that make it more interesting but it still is nowhere near good enough but ultimately it will be congress that decides just how far to go. Something needs to get done and then once it is done people just have to keep pushing for more.
 

Brocklock

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I think we needed someone with Biden's experience to try to steer things straight. I wasn't a fan either initially, but once I thought about how long he's been around some of these human fecal matter like Mitch, they needed someone that knows how to deal with him. And Biden's been around him for years. Hopefully the more progressive option comes down the line, but Biden ended up running a good campaign after how bad he looked in the primaries.
 

snuffbox

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It might have been the greatest comeback in American electoral history. Bush Sr lost Iowa in 1988 (after previously losing the nomination to Reagan in 1980) and came back to win the nomination and the presidency. FDR was a losing candidate for VP one hundred years ago, then got polio, and came back several years later. And Lincoln lost a senate race and came back to do better in a bigger election in 1860. Those are the only contenders I can think of to match with Biden getting his ass kicked in Iowa and New Hampshire only to comeback, win the nomination, and the White House.

And Biden isn't devoid of progressivism. Remember, he was the one who pushed Obama towards gay marriage rights. Before that, Obama only wanted civil unions.
 
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Laz

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@snuffbox , re: "is 'neoliberal' the new 'socialism'"
It's more like the new "flip flopper." When the mainstream media talks incessantly about how "far left" the policies of the Squad and Bernie and even fucking Warren are, when they're actually centrist policies that seem radical because of the rightward swing by the Dems after Carter? Using "neoliberal" as a slur is fitting.
 

King Kamala

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He could've been a frontrunner in '88 too if he didn't get busted for plagiarism early on in the campaign!

I also don't get far left argument that Biden should fill his cabinet with people who supported Bernie. Obviously, again, I think some Bernie supporters would be better than no Bernie supporters but Biden won the nomination and it wasn't even particularly close. He has no obligation to cater to the whims of Bernie's base.
 

Mickey Massuco

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I’m glad I don’t listen to those takes, unfortunately I have to see people here giving them credibility by engaging with them and breaking them down.

some stuff is worth genuine criticism, but most of these complaints seem like bucket crab stuff.
 

snuffbox

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Re: the Biden comeback, this guy ran for president all the way back in 1988! I had no idea. Talk about a lesson in perseverance.

Know who else ran for the first time in 1988? Trump. He got nowhere. Happened again in 2000. Then he bitched out in 2012. He's now 1-4 in presidential races, or 1-40ish if you count his many legal defeats in trying to steal this year's.
 

King Kamala

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I really think this negates the argument that people weren't excited about Biden. I think plenty of people were quietly excited about the "return to normal." It's just he doesn't have the number of loud mouthed dorks that Trump, Obama, or Bernie has.

MAKE BEING VOCALLY ENTHUSIASTIC FOR POLITICIANS UNCOOL AGAIN
 

Laz

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When he's running against one of the most absurdly popular incumbents to ever be such an incredible failure at being a quality leader? Yeah...
 

cobainwasmurdered

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When he's running against one of the most absurdly popular incumbents to ever be such an incredible failure at being a quality leader? Yeah...
If it was simply a matter of an unpopular (or simple someone no one cared about) candidate running against a hated candidate I don't think you would have seen the kind of turnout and fundraising records broken (for the last 100 years!) that happened. I think it is underestimating how smart a campaign Biden ran.



These are really bad takes especially on the DNI. The reactions to Neera's hiring have been overreactions but that doesn't mean she is a good pick (or isn't). And the dismissiveness of the second tweet is awful. Spy agencies shouldn't be fucking killing people in the first place, so no they don't need someone who has been involved in dronings.
 

snuffbox

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My gripe with Tanden is the demise of Thinkprogress.
 

Laz

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If it was simply a matter of an unpopular (or simple someone no one cared about) candidate running against a hated candidate I don't think you would have seen the kind of turnout and fundraising records broken (for the last 100 years!) that happened. I think it is underestimating how smart a campaign Biden ran.
I won't argue that Biden ran a smarter campaign than the last big Dem (who ran one of the worst major campaigns I can remember), but if you're going to use voter turnout as an example then I'm going to mention that Donnie 2020 has the second highest turnout in history. It kinda defeats the point, IMO l.
 
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