The Biden-Harris Administration Thread

[benni]

Yeah but come September 1, here in Texas we're going to have permitless, unlimited open carry of firearms. So it's all good, shouldn't be anything but a state full of heavily armed yet polite gun-toters.

We've got that in South Carolina now, too. McMaster signed a new open carry bill that will allow all South Carolina concealed weapon permit holders to openly and visibly carry their firearms in public, where allowed. The bill also waives the $50 fee for required open carry permit license and training.

This went into effect in earlier this month. :-/ Let me tell you, it gives me the warm fuzzies thinking of all those people out there who can open carry.

 

[poppy]

The House Has Passed A Bill To Restore The Voting Rights Act

Democrats voted to approve legislation named after the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis. It's aimed at protecting the right to vote, but the bill faces steep Republican opposition in the Senate.

www.npr.org

The House Has Passed A Bill To Restore The Voting Rights Act

Civil rights leader Ben Jealous speaks at a voting rights rally outside the White House on Tuesday, ahead of a House vote to advance a bill named for the late Rep. John Lewis. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

"The House is acting. The Senate also has to join them to send this important bill to my desk, and the Senate has to move forward on the people's act — critical legislation to protect our democracy and the right to vote," Biden said. "We need both of those."

 

[barnswallow]

oh yeah! For the Voting Rights Act (previous post from poppy). And, there's good news about its companion, the For the People Act, too. Let's go.
From TPM, 8.24.21

The For The People Act Still Has Life Though You Wouldn't Know It From Reading The Coverage.

Yeah, I mean, the press acts plenty strange in a number of ways regarding the Biden administration and progress in the legislative branch. The article talks about that and you can read about it if you click on the link. But what interests me more is just reiterating the great things that will come from passage of this bill.

While significant hurdles remain over the next month — including getting senators on board with reforming the filibuster — there is a growing sense that the fight for the For The People Act can be won. Democrats are reportedly nearing an agreement on a revised version of the bill — one that will firmly unify the caucus. And moderate senators are increasingly arguing that filibuster reform may be necessary.

“There is a path ahead toward passage of the For The People Act,” Michael Sozan, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, told us. “That path may be winding and dangerous at times, but there is a route to the summit. People have to remember that transformative legislation is never enacted easily; just think of the Affordable Care Act or the Voting Rights Act, for example.”

...

Passing the For The People Act would be a monumental achievement. The bill would ban congressional gerrymandering, establish strong federal standards to ensure the freedom to vote (including same-day and automatic voter registration, robust early voting periods, and simple vote-by-mail procedures), and create public financing for congressional elections. In no uncertain terms, the bill would bring us closer than we’ve ever been to a government of, by and for the people.

...

The For the People Act is a crucially necessary piece of legislation, and the ills plaguing American democracy will only metastasize if left unaddressed. Our ability to confront the problems facing our nation — from the climate crisis to wealth inequality — depends upon having a functional, representative democracy where all voices can be heard.

...

Grassroots activists and Democratic leadership have defied the odds, kept the pressure up, and now the For The People Act is within reach. It’s critical that during the Senate recess Americans continue to raise their voices. This means pushing reluctant senators and President Biden — who has not yet taken an overly active role in the fight — to do whatever it takes to pass the For The People Act.
“The fight for civil rights has always been a tough battle, but our voices are being heard and we must continue to move forward together,” Morgan said. “In the coming months, we have the chance to ensure that our democracy and our freedom to vote is protected for generations to come, but that change will require unrelenting pressure from the American people to force action by our elected leaders. We cannot stand down.”

Keep both of these pieces of legislation on your radar come this September when the congressional recess ends.

 

[barnswallow]

This blog post is about what we've been calling the human infrastructure bill. I'm posting this opinion because it reminds that the bill is largely paid for and because the blogger, Kevin Drum, focuses on the essential issues. If you don't like the $3.5 trillion price tag, he says, then rank the principal elements of the bill to see what you would strip away.

We need to stop talking about the $3.5 trillion spending bill as a $3.5 trillion spending bill [9.2.21]

The spending bill amounts to only $350 billion per year and is mostly paid for, which means that its effect on inflation will be negligible.

Part of the problem here is that everyone, including me, keeps referring to this legislation as a "$3.5 trillion bill," as if its size were the main thing that defines it. But it's not meant as a stimulus bill or a recovery bill or anything like that. It's just a bill that funds a bunch of progressive programs. This means the questions we should be asking about it are less about its raw size and more about which of these programs you support.

Below is his ranking:

1. Makes the increased Obamacare subsidies from January's coronavirus bill permanent.
2. Provides universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds.
3. Provides funding for long-term care done at home.
4. Provides two years of free community college.
5. Makes the increased child tax credit permanent.
6. Adds dental, hearing, and vision benefits to Medicare.
7. Funds various climate initiatives.

 

[DiminutiveRocker]

Federally mandated vax and mask - Yep!

 

[DiminutiveRocker]

Biden Admin has its hands full with Republicans forcing a possible government shut down, clinging likes rats to a meat truck to the filibuster - I say STOP WAITING for a bi-partisan agreements, Joe - they do no exist in this era of trumpism - only lies and deceit and obstruction. Do whatever it is you need to do to combat voter suppression and job creation and care for families who need it the most!

 

[barnswallow]

Nail-biting for Democrats as we watch to see whether Biden's agenda is pushed through the House... the pair of bills for infrastructure are on the agenda. There's lots going on but, in the midst of it, I want to post this assessment of the $3.5 trillion human infrastructure portion.
First, here's a little reminder of the issue from TPM...
The Day of Reckoning Over BIF And Reconciliation is Upon Us [not sure if this might update... it's 'live coverage']
I like this perspective From one of my favorite bloggers, Kevin Drum. $3.5 trillion sounds enormous, until you read his rational perspective:
The $3.5 trillion bill increases spending by 7% and increases the deficit by 0%

In addition, I continue to find it unfortunate that DC convention continues to force us to refer to things by their ten-year cost. Sure, you can write "ten year cost" every single time you mention the bill, but most people only pay attention to the headline number itself, especially if it's in the, um, headline. The reality is that this bill, in its current form, would increase spending by about $350 billion per year out of a federal budget of $5 trillion. That's an increase of 7%. You may decide for yourself if that's too much, or if the programs funded by the bill are worth that kind of spending.

 

[barnswallow]

 

[barnswallow]

 

[Milty]

We've got that in South Carolina now, too. McMaster signed a new open carry bill that will allow all South Carolina concealed weapon permit holders to openly and visibly carry their firearms in public, where allowed. The bill also waives the $50 fee for required open carry permit license and training.

This went into effect in earlier this month. :-/ Let me tell you, it gives me the warm fuzzies thinking of all those people out there who can open carry.

It‘s dumbness like this this that stops me from ever visiting the US any time soon. Or ever again. It’s just subtle home grown terrorism.

 

[barnswallow]

More on the Inflation Reduction Act [IRA], which has passed in the Senate and is expected to pass this week in the House. Then, on to President Biden's desk for his penned signature, to become law.

Democrats' Sweeping Climate, Health Care And Tax Bill Has Passed The Senate [TPM; 7.8.22]

Of course, it was a close call, with every chicken sh-t republican voting against, AND, somehow, denying the $35 cap on insulin, the slop bucket, night soil, heathens-calling-themselves-christians, doing what they do best: hurting your average American. 51 to 50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.

 

[barnswallow]

Viewing a few of my posts that include twitter links... some are getting scrubbed by muskmelon and so I'm adding the screen shot. Hate the clutter but want the info.

 

[barnswallow]

 

[barnswallow]

 

[barnswallow]

 

[barnswallow]

I hear this was a good, important speech. I’m going to listen to more. Here’s a snippet.
And another bit that goes out of synch at the end, unfortunately. For only a few seconds though.

 

[barnswallow]

I learned that no regular network tv covered Biden’s speech. That’s not so unusual, apparently. Usually, presidential speeches don’t occur during prime time. And, there’s procedure that’s followed, involving networks viewing the speech in advance, blah-blah-blah. MSNBC and CNN did air it. I quite like this C-SPAN recording, for its stark, no-spin clarity.

 

[barnswallow]

Biden Just Clobbered China's Chip Industry [NYTimes; 10.20.22]

Any thoughts?

One thing I noticed is the paragraph about the Japanese and the lead up to Pearl Harbor:

Allen also warned that we don’t know how grave a provocation China might consider these rules. He pointed out that in the run-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was America’s refusal to sell oil to Imperial Japan that led the latter to conclude that it was “functionally at war” with the United States. The semiconductor rules are narrower than our oil restrictions on Japan were. “But will China see it that way?” Allen asked. “I kind of doubt it.”

I puzzle over the distinction between overt (as in Biden's action) vs covert (as in the many efforts the Chinese have taken), over the suggestion that China will view one concrete governmental action to protect national security by the US government as aggressive, while engaging in a non-explicit strategy of 'death by a thousand cuts', in broad daylight, as fair.

 

[barnswallow]

This is long but good and I needed exercise, so it worked for a late night walk in the rain, when it should be snowing. This is January after all.

The video is titled “With Democrats things get better”

You might forget this, given the mudslinging ruckus coming from the other side.

 

[barnswallow]

A link about providing solutions to the pressures on the U.S. southern border obtained from an article on Kamala Harris:
FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces Public-Private Partnership Has Generated More than $4.2 Billion in Private Sector Commitments for Northern Central America [whitehouse.gov; 2.6.23]
Here's the link to the article where I found the above:
The Excellence of Kamala Harris Is Hiding in Plain Sight [NYTimes; 3.2.23]
I have listened to recordings of VP Harris, a few times. I often find myself calling out at the video, 'get some elocution lessons!' Something about her presentation - is it the lawyerly influence? Is it a you-can't-touch-this, guarded demeanor? I'd have to go back and watch again to figure out what it is that leaves me wishing for more (what?) from her when she's speaking in public. It's not that I don't like her. It's that I want her to come off with more appeal / passion(?). Yeah. Not sure what.