Preliminary speaker on now. Open thread.
President Biden Delivers Remarks On The EconomyPost + Comments (118)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads
Preliminary speaker on now. Open thread.
President Biden Delivers Remarks On The EconomyPost + Comments (118)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Black Lives Matter, Civil Rights, Open Threads
Karine Jean-Pierre becomes first Black woman in 30 years to host a White House press briefing pic.twitter.com/AN1Olbyn9K
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 27, 2021
President Biden will visit Tulsa next week to commemorate 100 years since a white mob flattened the section of the city known as Black Wall Street and killed at least dozens, possibly hundreds.
More on the Tulsa race massacre: https://t.co/fan6TBOKoQhttps://t.co/BIT1jKnIJK
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 25, 2021
This week, ahead of planned commemorations, journalists across the @AP will explore how the Tulsa Race Massacre’s economic, political and cultural impacts have echoed across generations. Read the stories here: https://t.co/P2nQ4C1ApU
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 25, 2021
Meet the new Asst Attorney for Civil Rights, ?@KristenClarkeJD? – an amazing, courageous civil rights lawyer. She is the first woman – the first Black woman – to be confirmed to this position. Kristen is the 5th former ?@NAACP_LDF? atty to lead the Civ Rts Division. pic.twitter.com/LYf3rulCjt
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) May 25, 2021
Pressure builds on UNC board to grant tenure to journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones https://t.co/8BofgAfBbT
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 27, 2021
Thursday Morning Open Thread: Making Amends, However GraduallyPost + Comments (198)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat
58% of voters support passing Biden's $4 trillion infrastructure plan without any Republican votes, poll finds https://t.co/swHxjw9qSm via @businessinsider
— Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) May 25, 2021
lol biden's ingenious plan https://t.co/UaqDpy3Bv7
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 25, 2021
I heard he wants to make it so the sun rises in the east and sets in the west too!
— Capulet Poehner (@CapuletPoehner) May 25, 2021
Politicians don't actually want things to fail. Getting things done requires huge sacrifices, and you don't recoup those sacrifices if you fail. I feel like pundits with legacy media sinecures don't understand how ambitious and driven people tick. https://t.co/T2u00JOAhp
— Reinstated Doorknob Licker (@agraybee) May 25, 2021
After all…
I'm glad we're all having fun, it's what I specifically voted for! pic.twitter.com/yp91ZNxe8B
— Reinstated Doorknob Licker (@agraybee) May 25, 2021
Wednesday Morning Open Thread: President Biden Knows How Many Beans Make FivePost + Comments (200)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Black Lives Matter, Open Threads, President Biden, Media Mudlarks
The American Rescue Plan is helping get us out of this crisis and back on track—but we can’t stop now.
We must pass the American Jobs Plan to deliver millions of good-paying jobs.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 24, 2021
WaPo WH bureau chief @AshleyRParker writes: "Depending on the viewpoint, Biden has restored routine and order to the White House—or removed the freewheeling passion."
God help us all.https://t.co/xfwP14rkab
— Dan Froomkin/PressWatchers.org (@froomkin) May 24, 2021
And the Media Mudlarks are starving, proles!
… More than most public figures, Biden has sought to keep one foot in the normal world as he has ascended the rungs of power, from commuting home to Delaware on Amtrak to phoning ordinary Americans to attending Mass. But the presidency is testing that impulse in an entirely new way.
Current and former advisers say Biden’s typical day reveals a creature of habit with well-worn routines and favorite treats, from orange Gatorade to chocolate chip cookies; a tactile politician eager to escape the Washington bubble who meets privately with people who write him letters; and the patriarch of a sprawling Irish-Catholic clan who abruptly interrupts high-level meetings to take calls from family members.
It marks a sharp contrast with former president Donald Trump, whose days often ran both early and late with tweets that were frequently angry or inflammatory, and whose time was often consumed by rambling rallies, spontaneous calls to TV hosts and random, unscripted activities. Depending on the viewpoint, Biden has restored routine and order to the White House — or removed the freewheeling passion…
We have to talk about issues, now! Sharing gossip and mean tweets was so much more fun!
Senior Admin official tells @NBCNews: President Biden will host members of the Floyd family at the White House next Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of his death.
— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) May 21, 2021
.@PressSec says Pres Biden's meeting with George Floyd's family will be private to have a "real conversation." She says a number of family members will attend including Floyd's daughter, Gianna, her mother, Roxie Washington, as well as Floyd's sister, three brothers & a nephew.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) May 24, 2021
Extremely important at a time when life has gotten even more intolerable for millions in Haiti under the Moïse regime https://t.co/gkepyud4H8
— Jonathan Myerson Katz (@KatzOnEarth) May 22, 2021
Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Living His Best LifePost + Comments (170)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Excellent Links, Open Threads, President Biden, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You
President Biden is giving a bit of simple advice to businesses unable to find workers: Offer people more money. Biden is betting it leads to middle-class security. But Republicans say his policies have let loose high inflation that will hurt the economy. https://t.co/hyFTW0A7Cb
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) May 22, 2021
… This recommendation, included in a White House memo about the state of the economy, gets at a fundamental tension in an economy that is returning to full health after the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses are coping with spiking prices for goods such as steel, plywood, plastics and asphalt. Yet workers, after enduring a year of job losses, business closures and social distancing, are no longer interested in accepting low wages.
Administration officials say the White House is not trying to target a specific wage level for workers. But officials say higher wages are a goal of President Joe Biden and a byproduct of his $1.9 trillion relief package and at least $3.5 trillion in additional spending being proposed for infrastructure and education.
Boosting wages gets at the central promise of the Biden presidency to improve the lives of everyday Americans and restore the country’s competitive edge in the world. Republicans say that Biden’s policies have already let loose a torrent of inflation that will hurt the economy. The outcome of these competing forces could decide the trajectory of the U.S. economy as well as the factors weighing on voters in next year’s elections.
White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein said the goal is “to pull forward a robust, inclusive recovery that provides good employment opportunities to people who have been the heroes of this pandemic, folks who are in the bottom half, who went to work, often in unsafe conditions, or had to stay home to take care of their families and deal with school closures and childcare constraints.”…
What makes the current situation unique is that wage pressures generally build when the unemployment rate is low. But the rate is 6.1% and the country is 8.2 million jobs below its pre-pandemic levels, historically the kind of numbers that might lead workers to settle for lower earnings.
The difference this time is that the government spent a combined $6 trillion over the past year, including relief packages passed under President Donald Trump, to minimize the economic damage from the pandemic. Biden’s own relief package was geared toward helping to boost wages, with enhanced unemployment benefits, new monthly payments to parents, aid to restaurants and money for state and local governments to increase pay for essential workers…
Part of the dispute between Biden and Republicans is a more fundamental one on how economies grow. The administration has embraced a philosophy of investing in workers and providing them with benefits to make it easier for them to juggle life responsibilities and jobs.
By contrast, Republicans believe the key is to minimize taxes and other barriers for employers so that lower operating costs lead them to invest and hire. …
Since we took office, we’ve gone from an economy in crisis to one that is projected to grow faster than it has in nearly 40 years.
That’s progress. Let’s keep it going.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 22, 2021
Opinion: How does the Biden White House get results? By remaining disciplined.https://t.co/jv46wFOwzW
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 23, 2021
Monday Morning Open Thread: <em>Blasphemy!</em>Post + Comments (201)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Media Mudlarks
Psaki: I don’t know. You’re the professional here Peter. You’re the TV star. What’s the Fox chyron going to be? pic.twitter.com/6AeBSbWQAR
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 21, 2021
How is the paste buffett in the Fox greenroom, Peter? Do you have a favorite flavor?
POTUS awards Medal of Honor to Col. Ralph Puckett, Jr., & said his first response was to ask “why all the fuss” & ask if medal could be mailed
"I was going to make a joke about the Post Office but decided not to do that,” Biden said. “I think you deserve a little bit of fuss” pic.twitter.com/VEOGIN83ar
— Jordan Fabian (@Jordanfabian) May 21, 2021
Biden and South Korea's Moon Jae-in crouch next to US Medal of Honor winner Ralph Puckett Jr. for a photo.
Moon earlier spoke at White House mic, saying Puckett is a hero of Korean War, and without those sacrifices the democracy enjoyed in South Korea couldn't have blossomed. pic.twitter.com/4J5xR4bKcc
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 21, 2021
“It’s simply, simply wrong. I will not let that happen,” President Biden tells me about the Justice Department seizing the records of reporters. pic.twitter.com/bRL88NssMr
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 21, 2021
It’s a sad loss to the Media Mudlarks…
Proximity to power has a way of attracting interest regardless of whether it is coveted. But gone are the days when White House staff had celebrity status, writes @AnnieKarni. https://t.co/5tEgxwxRPC
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) May 18, 2021
And yet, the voters seem okay with it!
NEW POLL: 60 percent approve of Biden's job as president https://t.co/oDTN0RGYcW pic.twitter.com/efgtAMxxO1
— The Hill (@thehill) May 21, 2021
Saturday Morning Open Thread: Normal Makes A Nice ChangePost + Comments (154)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Domestic Politics
President Joe Biden was a senator for 36 years. He has seen horse-trading. He has seen comity with segregationists. He has seen deadlock and filibusters. He has seen bipartisanship. He has seen Newt Gingrich’s power grab. He has seen Mitch McConnell’s obstructionism.
He knows how the Senate and the House work.
One of the things he learned is that nothing happens quickly in the Senate, particularly when the margin is as close as it is now. But there are ways. Those ways are not played out in the public eye. They involve quiet talks and promises, agreement and respect. Some of these things may even be feigned. But feigning respect, for example, is itself a way of showing respect.
None of these tactics was useful in an administration devoted to one man’s whims. The old ways decayed even before that, under Gingrich’s and his successors’ scorched-earth politics. Reporters who grew up since Gingrich do not recognize that other tactics exist. They do not recognize that relationships are built and doubts sowed behind the scenes. They are accustomed to tantrums and sudden shows of power. They do not have the tools to describe the wide array of tactics Biden brings with him.
Ulrike Franke wrote a piece about younger German policy analysts that overlaps with what I’m describing. It’s not just German.
I think we are beginning to see results of Biden’s tactics. It’s early, but there is a premium on being the first to point things out.
Thirty-five House Republicans voted to form a commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Every time there’s a defining vote, including both impeachments, Trump keeps losing a greater number of Republicans in each new episode. A math-minded person could chart it! 1 yes (Romney in Impeachment #1; next time ten House members+7 Senators; now 35 House members.
Paul Ryan, former Republican Speaker of the House, is holding a fundraiser for Adam Kinzinger, one of the 35.
That is how to move the Senate too. A few at a time. As one senator moves (Mitt Romney), it becomes easier for others.
On the Democratic side we have Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. It’s hard to say what Sinema is about, but Manchin has been a Democratic senator in a red state since 2010. Before that, he was in West Virginia state government for 28 years. He knows what Biden knows. John Stoehr puts forth an analysis of Manchin’s actions that is similar to what I’m saying here.
Manchin speaks of bipartisanship and has co-authored a letter with Republican Lisa Murkowski urging the Senate to pass a voting rights act that should be able to pass the Supreme Court that struck down the earlier version of that act. It is not the full-throated voting rights acts that the House has put forward. It may well be shot down by Senate Republicans.
But having put it forward in a bipartisan way gives Manchin ammunition to say, later, well the Republicans aren’t going to cooperate, so I sadly will have to vote with my Democratic colleagues to remove the filibuster, which has been so badly misused.
Biden is redefining bipartisanship to mean the will of the people; he cites polls that indicate his actions are approved by as much as 75% of the American people. That necessarily includes some Trump voters. If Manchin’s bipartisan approach in the Senate fails, that strengthens Biden’s all-America approach and perhaps gives Manchin an opening to vote against the filibuster.
With those 35 Republicans, the House passed a bill for a 1/6 Commission. The Senate is now contemplating it. You can be sure discussions are taking place behind the scenes. Chuck Schumer will bring it to the floor when he has the votes or when it is clear he can pin it on the Republicans. Which would strengthen a Manchin vote against the filibuster.
It’s early, and we are seeing small indicators. Things can still go bad. It’s easy to wish for decisive action and demand that Democrats move without Republicans. But splitting the Republicans will make it easier to get important legislation passed and may even help to break the Republican Party sufficiently that it has to reform.
Cross-posted to Nuclear Diner
President Biden Restores Strategy To PoliticsPost + Comments (54)