Democratic (Party) Direction

In any case I’m only talking about this generation of progressive, how well the progressives did in the pre-Reagan past might just be further proof that it can happen again.

Is there something nefarious about Tanden I should know about?

This is where an old-school transactional politician can be a plus. Obama seemed to genuinely care about deficit reductions, resulting in some bad deals that damaged Democrats politically, and of course they deficit was immediately blown up as soon as Republicans took over anyway — the whole concept of “Grand Bargains” on the deficit when you’re dealing with a party that doesn’t care about deficits at all was always entirely nonsensical. Biden seems to understand that what’s good for the economy is also good for him, which is a major improvement.

Joe Biden was trying to 'reform entitlements' and crowing about welfare queens driving Cadillacs (he might have switched it to a Lincoln) when Obama was still in law school.

If he was planning austerity again, he is appointing the wrong people at the moment.

I'm okay with causing palpitations at WSJ.

Tanden had a Trumpesque desire to take Libyan oil revenue as war booty, CAP hid reports critical of donor Mike Bloomberg,

yes, it is theoretically possible that joe biden will be kidnapped by aliens in february 2021 and replaced with an extreme accelerationist, we must allow for this possibility in every mention

Hyperbole is hardly necessary. (And I guess I need to hedge my post by stating that the fact that I am responding to you, katherine, and not to milo or table or any of the other usual leftier-than-thou suspects is not because I regard your opinions — or you — as dumber or worse, but merely because I've already gone round and round with them enough times for my taste.) As has been stated on all the various US politics threads time and again, Joe Biden is to a large degree a man without qualities — he shifts with the prevailing tides of his party. At present, the Democratic Party is more open to left-facing solutions and more energized as a voting base than it has been in several decades, and emergencies are demanding a large-scale and non-incrementalist response. Biden himself has given multiple interviews in which he has recognized the need for FDR-ish large-scale action on a number of issues. If he recognizes that need, and the party writ large (meaning, people other than Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and Joe Manchin and Dianne Feinstein, who we all have dartboards of posted on our bedroom walls already, thanks, no further reminders of their perfidy and sellout-ness are necessary at this time, we're all stocked up) is equally aware that Shit Is Real Bad Out There, then why the persistent performative doomcrying about how Diamond Joe is 100% guaranteed to sell us all out to Jamie Dimon or whoever?

Biden can be moved to action. People want to move Biden to action. I see no reason to pre-emptively deny that there will be movement to action.

Tanden had a Trumpesque desire to take Libyan oil revenue as war booty, CAP hid reports critical of donor Mike Bloomberg,

― onlyfans.com/hunterb (milo z), S

And she also had a hand, iirc, in writing the ACA, so, you know, that's the way this shit works.

Sorry, not a fan of openly encouraging war crimes.

She'd encourage war crimes at OMB?

You asked "is there something nefarious about Tanden I should know about?"

I didn't realize nefarious ends when you've arbitrarily decided that their job is insulated from those things.

"Well, Jimmy wants to close the borders completely but how's that gonna matter as Secretary of the Navy?"

this isn't doomcrying, it is simply pointing out that the idea that the election of joe fucking biden is the high point of progressivism in the history of the USA -- that "they've never been so close" to power, as the original post I was responding to said -- is ridiculous

the idea that the election of joe fucking biden is the high point of progressivism in the history of the USA -- that "they've never been so close" to power, as the original post I was responding to said -- is ridiculous

Agreed. But I disagree with ILX-in-general that a Biden presidency means a return to, let's say, the policies and worldview of Clinton's first term. And I do think that Biden is listening to people who are genuinely progressive, and will weigh the merits of their ideas and not simply reject them out of hand.

It’s one email that was a bit open ended iirc.

Bernie’s probably going to vote “yes” as most of the serious labor people seem to think it’s a good pick.

She’s good for that job, she knows domestic policy, she wants to spend money. Not sure Rs will confirm her though if they control the senate.

— Richard Yeselson (@yeselson) November 29, 2020

"Well, Jimmy wants to close the borders completely but how's that gonna matter as Secretary of the Navy?"

― onlyfans.com/hunterb (milo z),

No. Wrong. I's closer to "Waaal, but Joseph supported the Iraq War, but how's that gonna matter as FEMA chief?" Not all sins, even mortal ones, are the same.

It's quite impossible to think of a liberal-Democratic pool untainted by geopolitics that can run a fiefdom like a Cabinet-level departmen.

Congratulations to my friend, @neeratanden on her nomination as OMB Director! I worked for OMB in grad school, evaluating grantees of the Telecommunications & Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP). Very proud of her & sad for @amprog. But mostly very proud of her.

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) November 29, 2020

No. Wrong. I's closer to "Waaal, but Joseph supported the Iraq War, but how's that gonna matter as FEMA chief?" Not all sins, even mortal ones, are the same.

You asked what was nefarious about her. You don't think "war booty" is nefarious, cool - but "well, it won't matter in this job" doesn't erase bad behavior.

honestly my only memory of neera tanden was her calling the manager on matt bruenig

A pox on both their houses

You asked what was nefarious about her. You don't think "war booty" is nefarious, cool - but "well, it won't matter in this job" doesn't erase bad behavior.

― onlyfans.com/hunterb (milo z),

Then you don't believe in staffing Cabinet or sub-Cabinet positions.

"Every Democratic operative is complicit in the abhorrent policy of the last 1-30 years" isn't a stunning defense of the incoming Administration, IMO.

The Bruenig thing didn’t happen. He lost his side gig because they asked him stop trolling and he refused.

I understand we have draw-the-line positions. Mine was when Obama nominated Kerry as secretary of state. But I think about (a) what the position is (b) assuming they're evil, how well does the Cabinet or sub-Cabinet position absorb or mitigate that evil?

The Bruenig thing didn’t happen. He lost his side gig because they asked him stop trolling and he refused.

I don't think that happens without NT throwing her weight around, but whatever, he's doing fine.

tanden was insufferable whenever she got retweeted to my tl. i'm doing my best to mute all these choads and avoid these threads from here on out.

Matt Bruenig bears the distinction of being the only guy I’m aware of whose wife acts as her own wife guy

democrats absolutely despise bernie sanders pt 128953

the bruenigs suck afaict

But I think about (a) what the position is (b) assuming they're evil, how well does the Cabinet or sub-Cabinet position absorb or mitigate that evil?

At this point, it's not about individuals - it's that Biden is so transparently open to the dregs of the Clinton and Obama years. He's waving a neon green arrow about the direction he's heading.

David Sirota did a little "please sir be better" dance in a blog post yesterday, but he's ultimately correct that you can staff without welcoming everyone who's been useless, venal or outright evil over the last 30 years. He's just wrong to have expected better of Biden.

Tradcath liberals have a burden of proof to meet wrt abortion and gays if they want to hang

how i feel about it

same

Liz failed that test on abortion already IIRC

neera tanden seems like an immature and petty person but good for her

I can't take Sirota seriously after pushing on Twitter as Warren and Sanders as Cabinet nominees given the political realities of their states. Will Charlie Baker be forced to appoint a Democratic replacement for her?

Sirota’s just like other liberal and progressive pundits trying to glean some hope and positivity after telling people that it was important to vote for Joe Biden to advance the ‘progressive agenda.’

You’re pathetic.

Why? Because I don’t think Joe Biden advances progressive causes.

I voted for him as a true lesser evil. No reason to delude myself that the previous 50 years of his life, he lived a lie.

More like keep NOPE alive amirite???

I voted for him as a true lesser evil.

True. That's how I regard Cabinet and sub-Cabinet positions too.

So far his economic cabinet looks to be more progressive than Obama's.

We all realize that these picks are probably not going to be confirmed, right?

that didn't seem to matter the last four years

We will see who gets confirmed but so far, the notion that Biden's intentions are to re-inforce austerity measures don't square with his nominations.

A pox on both their houses

but to a large extent we all live in their houses

you live in Matt Bruenig's house?

I bet it's a nice house, plenty of natural light.

Can I just say I made a rare visit the "have you quit the labour party yet?" and by contrast to the treatment Keir Starmer gets over there I now feel that milo & table are quite mild in his criticism of Diamond Joe and indeed by British standards are Democratic Party team players

*their criticism

The fact that Tanden has picked fights with leftists on Twitter has turned her into a cartoon villain within the Chapo Trap House Cinematic Universe, which perhaps overshadows whatever actual faults she might bring to the role of OMB director. Given her online presence, I get why leftists might see the nomination as a slap in the face. However, it's been interesting to see those reactions juxtaposed with praise from people who are committed to progressive economic policy but are less tuned into the flame wars.