An unapologetic Biden is finally saying goodbye to the centrism that hobbled Democrats for decades
An unapologetic Biden is finally saying goodbye to the centrism that hobbled Democrats for decades
Jan 23, 2021 2:00pm Eastern Standard Time
by Kerry Eleveld, Daily Kos Staff
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2021/1/23/2011376/-An-unapologetic-Biden-is-finally-saying-goodbye-to-the-centrism-that-hobbled-Democrats-for-decades
"SNIP.....
As Barack Obama's inauguration kicked off on Jan. 20, 2009, LGBTQ Americans across the country watched with mixed emotions while evangelical pastor Rick Warren delivered the invocation. Though the vast majority of them had voted for Obama, Warren had urged members of his California-based megachurch to vote in favor of a ballot measure stripping marriage rights from same-sex couples; indeed, Proposition 8 narrowly passed on the same night Obama was elevated to the highest office in the land. Election Night had been a double-edged sword for gay and transgender individuals, and Warren's presence made the inauguration bittersweet as well.
But Obama's pick of Warren symbolized what ultimately emerged as a stumbling block to his ability to accomplish many of the priorities liberals had voted for in 2008 and which were also broadly popular—action on immigration, climate change, and, at least initially, queer rights. Obama was an incrementalist at heart, and he was still approaching Republicans as rational players in America's democratic experiment. Including an anti-gay evangelical pastor in his inauguration was one of several olive branches Obama extended to conservatives in the early days of his administration in what would prove to be a fruitless effort to win their cooperation. A dozen years later, however, Obama's former No. 2—a man who was viewed in the 2020 Democratic primary as far less progressive than Obama was seen in the 2008 contest—is quickly advancing a far more unapologetically progressive agenda from Day One of his administration.
In fact, President Joe Biden has quickly dispensed of many of the old Obama-era battles that flummoxed liberals and eventually drew them to the streets to protest the administration's inaction. Biden has already sent Congress a bold immigration bill that unequivocally includes a pathway to citizenship, expanded green card access, and fortifies the DACA program for Dreamers established by Obama in 2012. Biden also immediately yanked the Keystone XL pipeline permit—an action Obama didn't take until 2015, after years of pushing by climate activists. And building on the many hard-fought Obama-era wins on LGBTQ equality, Biden quickly signed an order pushing the most aggressive interpretation of Title VII protections for transgender and gay Americans in employment, housing, and education.
Sure, these are old battles. And to some extent, Biden has benefited from a natural evolution of the issues over a decade. That is particularly true on policies concerning the LGBTQ movement, which emerged from Obama's presidency lightyears ahead of where it began. But it is also a measure of how far the progressive movement has come over the past decade that we aren't immediately having to go to battle with a Democratic administration that seems less intent on advancing liberal causes than using them as bargaining chips on the way to accomplishing other goals. So far, that vestige of 90s-era Clintonian politics seems to have finally been laid to rest in the Biden White House.
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This whole thing (far beyond just DC statehood) is madness.
The Rethugs have gamed the system at most every level to give them power FAR beyond what they should have.
The Senate itself is a crazily undemocratic institution. Soon 70% of the seats will be controlled by just 30% of the population, and that 30% is far more white, less educated, more rural, more reactionary RW, more fundie religious, more anti-science than the other 70% of the population.
The Electoral College itself is the ONLY way the Rethugs can ever win the POTUS now, as it can block massive, permanent (I think, we shall see) popular vote victories by us.
Gerrymandering maintains another systemically unfair power advantage at both state (House and Senate) and federal (House) levels. Not only does this fuck up state assemblies and the House, but now Trump has helped put a turd in the punchbowl by kneecapping the 2020 Census, so it is possible that we get robbed out of a few seats at both state and federal levels. This (at the federal level) also fucks, possibly, with the Electoral College possibly being unfairly tilted (due to massive undercounts in Blue states) as the result of post 2020 reapportionment.
The Rethugs have absolutely fucked up the Federal judiciary system for decades, including the SCOTUS. Because of all listed in this rant, there is little we can do to solve this at present, as we do not have the votes to expand any level of the federal courts, including and especially SCOTUS.
The Rethugs also still commit MASSIVE systemic voter suppression (via state control of assemblies and governorships) is so so many Blue areas, especially in Red/pink/purple states such as Houston, etc etc (and of minority areas in red districts), which hurts us at every level, state and federal.
Because of many of these these actions and features of the system, we have to rely on electing so many centrist and conservative Dems in a multiplicity of artificially created purple/pink/red districts, and then we are held captive by these types, who end up blocking most all truly bold actions that could start to dismantle all this Rethug systemic shitbaggery. (which comes fr not only the flawed system and then their shithousery listed above, but also from an inability to pass legislation that would quite possible bring in tens of millions of new voters for us.) A lack of proportional representation is another longwave constitutional destructive force, as it defaults to a two-party system, where us Dems are often the loser as we are more likely to bleed out non-voters on the left than the Rethugs are on the right.
Hopefully we can use Rethug obstructionism as a battle cry to keep our majorities, BUT the very same obstructionism will also drive RW voters to the midterms, in order to try and crush Biden's presidency. 2022 looms ominously, as the last 2 first term Dem POTUS midterms (1994 and 2010- in 2010 we lost a net 63 House and a net 7 senate seats from post 2008) were disastrous for us, and the map is not at all great for us, despite what some have said. We will have 35 to as many as 50 or so House seats in danger, and as for the Senate, we have decent shots at only picking up 3 (the 2 open seats in NC and PA, plus maybe Johnson in WI) and we ourselves have to defend 4 at risk seats.
2022 US Senate 'in-play' races
At-Risk (even if marginal) Dems
In order of risk to us
Georgia (Warnock will be aided by Stacey Abram running for Governor though)
Nevada Catherine Cortez Masto (Brian Sandoval would be by far the toughest Rethug to beat)
New Hampshire Maggie Hassan (her two strongest opponents would probably be Former Senator Kelly Ayotte and especially Governor Sununu, plus the Rethugs flipped BOTH the State Senate and the State House in 2020 and now hold a Trifecta)
Arizona Mark Kelly (It will not be McSally running against him, perhaps it will be Ducey)
then the pretty much locks, but not 100%
Vermont Patrick Leahy (IF he retires, the very popular Rethug Governor Phil Scott may prove to be trouble)
Colorado Michael Bennet (I see little chance for him to lose barring a MASSIVE Red Wave)
Possible Rethug Flips
In order of risk to the Rethugs
Pennsylvania Open Seat (John Fetterman, the current Lieutenant Governor, is probably the favourite atm to win our nomination, along with Josh Shapiro, the current AG)
North Carolina Open Seat (Jeff Jackson can win this for us I think, he would have won in 2020 I am fairly sure, we ended up with the worst of the top 4 or 5 candidates possible)
Wisconsin Ron Johnson (asshat deluxe, I fucking hate this clown, would LOVE to see Mandela Barnes run, he is the current Lieutenant Governor)
the rest are harder
Florida Marco Rubio (will be fairly hard to beat him, barring Ivanka Trump shenanigans)
then the real long shots
Iowa Chuck Grassley (may retire he will turn 90yo in the first year of his next term if he runs, if he retires we have a better, if not great shot)
Kansas Jerry Moran Only shot we have, and it would be a long one, is if Sibelius runs this time, she should have ran in 2020 when it was an open seat for the other one!) If she refuses again, forget winning this seat.
then the pretty much 1% or less chance ones (Kansas will not even make the 1% list if Sibelius refuses to run again)
Kentucky Rand Paul (fucking berk, but this is a pipe dream atm, I fear)
Ohio Rob Portman
Indiana Todd Young (no clue if Buttigieg would try, Indiana is SO Red now, ffs)
Missouri Roy Blunt
Progressive.. it means getting things DONE. So you work on going the best way about it.
No purity tests.. that's how he ran his campaign leading to the head Off with the Orange Ogre.
And yea, our most Loyal Voters who GOTV are Black Voters. Especially Black Women!
Biden has a Mandate.
This is DU.
There'll be somebody along soon enough labeling Biden and/or Harris as DINOs.
That's my President!
Joe Biden. 
I first saw this OP.
he was more liberal than Obama on issues like gay marriage and is familiar with how the GOP operates. There's no need to cave in to their demands as long as we have our slim majority in both houses.
The citizenship issue on the census should help us when it comes to redistricting. Many suburban areas have gotten more competitive for us with demographic changes.
In his defense, Joe represented Delaware for a long time. WorldAtlas says: "The financial sector is one of the backbone sectors of the economy of Delaware...Delaware is also America’s credit card capital."
I don't know how much that affected his orientation but I would assume it tended to pull him to the right--possibly farther than he would have preferred. He has so much empathy that he can clearly see that leaning right is not the answer now for him or the country.
