Joe Biden, Senator from Citibank (oops, DELAWARE), to Run for President

Shills gonna shill. Biden isn't going to change his stripes, and the cop vice president isn't going to change hers either.

These people are out for themselves and their donors, and don't actually give a fuck about anyone else or what they think. It's been obvious.

It’s actually true that to be effective they need to build and leverage relationships in the party and outside it, that’s just How Things Work. But there’s every indication AOC et al are actually pretty good at doing that, which is the actual thing being resisted here. When they care enough to tell you’re being ineffective, it means you’re actually being effective. If you’re really being ineffective, you can and will be safely ignored.

"They can either continue to just beat the drums on the streets or they can start to leverage the relationship they have..."

--- One Democratic Operative ---

This is typically how operatives think. This is not about the people in the streets, who are much too messy to deal with. Operatives want a small, clearly identified set of people you can schedule a meeting with and broker a deal. That's what they're used to. Working with lobbyists and business associations who understand how to cut deals is so much neater and cleaner. Angry street protestors do not fit cleanly into their political world and the One Democratic Operative is just trying to tell them "what works". Pathetic.

Warren is a moderate Democrat and I don't even really understand the case that she's not. She's a technocrat who believes a robust welfare state is essential to the health of capitalism, not an anti-capitalist!

There is a GREAT reason not to appoint her as Treas Sec which is the Senate appointment thing. That is reason enough!

It would be strategically unwise to put Warren in the Cabinet at the expense of her Senate seat.

Wouldn't a Massachusetts Senate seat be safe Dem? In the cabinet wouldn't she be more able to actually implement policy than just advocate for it?

The seat would be appointed by the governor, who is a Republican (Charlie Baker).

(I have occasionally wondered whether Baker could be persuaded to appoint a Democrat, since he is a relatively moderate Republican in a blue state, but it's probably not worth the risk.)

Warren is a moderate Democrat and I don't even really understand the case that she's not.

When you're standing far enough to the right...

Well, let me put it this way, I'm a moderate Democrat (I voted for Biden over Sanders in the primary), I gave money to Biden's campaign and to my state Dem party and to plenty of downballot candidates; if Warren doesn't scare *me*, indeed strongly appeals to me, who are the "moderate Democrats" she allegedly scares?

Wouldn't a Massachusetts Senate seat be safe Dem?

Even it were up to an election, it wouldn’t necessarily safe. I seem to remember a walking sexpot named Scott Brown who convince many Massachusetts patriots that he should take Ted Kennedy’s seat

xp: donors and Manchins

That Warren is moderate by the standards of party voters and to the left of Lenin in the eyes of consultants, donors and fellow Democratic politicians is the problem.

But doctor... I am a donor

How many commas tho?

Even it were up to an election, it wouldn’t necessarily safe. I seem to remember a walking sexpot named Scott Brown who convince many Massachusetts patriots that he should take Ted Kennedy’s seat

― Karl Malone, Saturday, November 28, 2020 3:39 PM (twenty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

who got bounced two years later when the mass dems found a decent candidate

Neither Bernie nor Warren were ever going to be in the Cabinet. The Vermont gov promised to nominate a Democrat-caucusing independent but there would be a special election that might go poorly.

Wouldn't a Massachusetts Senate seat be safe Dem? In the cabinet wouldn't she be more able to actually implement policy than just advocate for it?

1. No

2. Also no - Cabinet secretaries are there to implement the President's policies (often at the expense of their own).

Executive Branch folx enforce the laws that legislators pass. Legislators can change what the law says, and that is the greater power

(at least in the original design - who tf knows what happens now that every norm and institution has been shredded)

And btw the record will show that I was and am a Liz Lad the whole way through

I gave money to Biden's campaign

Like that’s genuinely hilarious to me, that an average human would give money to Joe Biden

I assume eephus isn’t an oil baron or Pfizer executive

Tbf your brain has been somewhat broken by the narratives pushed in certain fevered conspiratorial online spaces.

But the good news is that Joe is gonna be your president too.

I guess I should say “fracking baron”

genuinely hilarious to me, that an average human would give money to Joe Biden

I tossed $10 to his campaign, because after the Dem convention he was the only candidate for president with a chance to displace Trump and I had a strong personal interest in the success of that campaign. It's not like I stuffed money directly into Biden's pocket. He spent it to get elected. Yes, I know, hilarious.

I gave x25 more than that to local races and to various political organizations working for positive change.

Wait til silby hears that Trump also had individual small-dollar donors, as well as campaign volunteers

Like, people gave $25 to a billionaire and then spent their own time working on his behalf, for free

I sent Biden money. maybe 20 because I was freaking out about something or other on ilx and then 25 for a sign because someone the block over had a Trump sign and my daughter was kinda upset about it and in kid logic wanted us to get one to balance it out

I called her a neolib melt and ordered it

That’s honestly easier to understand xp

I don't think you mocked her nearly enough, ums

later I paid Felix Biederman $100 to record a Cameo making fun of her

diy political signs are the way to go. you can use swear words and also specifically reference your neighbors, too

Every dollar donated to Joe Biden was a dollar not wasted on Amy McGrath imo

I think people should donate where they want to, but there were closer senate races than that one that could've used it.

Giving money to politicians is about the most ridiculous grift I can imagine, especially a politician with as high a stature as Biden. I know, some of you have deeper pockets than me or mine, but I will also say that I truly believe that if everyone donated the money they would donate to politicians to local homelessness organizations and/or bail funds, the world would be a much better place.

I also gave money to Jaime Harrison and Sara Gideon and Mark Kelly (back when that race looked close) and Cory Gardner (back when that race looked close) and Theresa Greenfield and Barbara Bollier and the New Georgia Project and umpteen Democratic state legislative candidates, I did that because I am lucky enough to have the money to do it and I wanted all those people to win, I just don't think it's that weird

I can't really speak to the effectiveness of political donations as the 2 donations I made this cycle were to losing campaigns. I am however considering giving to the Warnock and Ossoff campaigns.

xp and yes I also gave money to our local food bank and to a bail fund and Planned Parenthood and the ACLU and the org that pays the fees of ex-felons in Florida so they can vote, though no, not as much as in aggregate I gave to the sum of all candidates in 2020.

Like, people gave $25 to a billionaire and then spent their own time working on his behalf, for free

he's not a billionaire but tbf this is a better plan for becoming one than he has ever had before

Again, I am merely speaking as someone who lived in a truck for years while working full-time, and has been involved in advocacy for houseless people for a while, too. The amount of money that people donate to politicians could be potentially life-altering for a person living on the streets, and so those sorts of justice-based organizations are where I put my money when I can, which is rare. That isn't really a judgment— people can do with their money whatever they want, obv— but just an observation.

I suck what can I say?

p sure silby's point was just lolbiden

which is OTM

I know, just funnin

Unmentioned upthread, another Biden ploy for bipartisanship:

Breaking, per @CBSSunday: the Bidens are getting a cat

— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) November 28, 2020

there really is no greater form of insanity than defending the US private insurance industry in 2020.

Number of citizens who lost health care coverage since the pandemic began:

14,600,000 United States
0 Australia
0 Belgium
0 Canada
0 Denmark
0 Finland
0 France
0 Germany
0 Italy
0 Japan
0 Norway
0 South Korea
0 Spain
0 UK

kinda puts it in perspective

those numbers aren't 30,000 off. they're one hundred THOUSAND off

You: I’m starving, I need food

Joe Biden: I understand the concept of hunger

— Jack Califano (@jackcalifano) December 6, 2020