Inside Bidenworld's plan to punish the GOP for opposing Covid relief

[DonViejo]

A robust sales job will follow passage (should it happen) as the president and his allies want to avoid the missteps of the Obama years.

By CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO and NATASHA KORECKI

02/08/2021 04:31 AM EST

Democrats are plowing forward with plans to pass a massive Covid-19 relief package. And if Republicans don't join them, they won’t forget it.

Already, there’s talk about midterm attack ads portraying Republicans as willing to slash taxes for the wealthy but too stingy to cut checks for people struggling during the deadly pandemic. And President Joe Biden’s aides and allies are vowing not to make the same mistakes as previous administrations going into the midterms elections. They are pulling together plans to ensure Americans know about every dollar delivered and job kept because of the bill they’re crafting. And there is confidence that the Covid-19 relief package will ultimately emerge not as a liability for Democrats, but as an election year battering ram.

“This is one of those rare instances — maybe not exceedingly rare, but it doesn’t happen often — where the best policy perfectly aligns with the politics,” said Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), a Biden ally. “If I’m a candidate in 2022 running for the House or Senate, I think I’d want to be able to say we’ve had a robust Covid-19 relief bill, we raised the minimum wage, we made progress on health care, we’ve started to make progress on combating climate change and a whole range of issues candidates would want to run on.”

Over the first weeks of the new administration, White House officials stressed that they are singularly focused on moving the “rescue” legislation and unprecedented response to the pandemic through Congress.

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https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/08/biden-gop-covid-relief-punish-466995

[Johnny2X2X]

1. So great to see

Joe has shown that he's much better than Obama at advertising his wins. This has been an amazing 3 weeks and it looks like there's no slowing down for Joe, he's on a roll.

[Laelth]

2. +1 n/t

-Laelth

[PatSeg]

3. "No slowing down for Joe"

Not bad for such a "sleepy" guy!

You are right, his messaging has been spot on. This administration is keeping the country up to date almost on an hourly basis. Very FDR-like. Apparently Joe walked into office totally prepared, knowing exactly what he was going to do from day one. Yes, he IS on a roll.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. Having no transition had little effect

Joe knew what he was doing from the start.

Joe reminds me of leadership books I've read on Level 5 leaders. But with politics in mind. He has all the hallmarks of a Level 5 leader save for the fact he's in politics so he absolutely is required to toot his own horn from time to time. He's a servant leader, a reluctant leader, and he ultimately has a modesty about him that drives him to be as prepared as humanly possible.

This is what strong leaders look like, always moving forward, showing the ability to attack every issue at once. Relentless, modest, always willing to give others credit. Joe was the right man for the job, this is his time and we're going to see this country transformed into a stronger union.

[PatSeg]

6. Yes, that occurred to me as well

The fact that he could be so focused and prepared on day-one, even without a meaningful transition.

I agree with your description of Joe as a leader. His humility really does make him a better president. For Joe, this is about service, not ego and ambition. He is definitely the right man for the job and yes, this is his time. Funny, I'm sure he thought his time had long passed. Guess it's never too late.

[calimary]

23. "Late to bed, Early to rise, Work like hell, And advertise!"

That was the creed my salesman dad lived by, and swore by. He even had that little ditty framed and hung on the wall in his office.

Maybe Biden’s got a version of his own?

[PatSeg]

27. Oh, that is perfect for this administration

Sounds very Bidenesque.

[BComplex]

5. I'm pretty sure Obama has spoken with Joe about the missteps they made at the time,

so that Joe won't let it happen again. Plus, you have to remember, Obama faced a still strong republican party. Thanks to trump, Biden/Harris will benefit from a really broken republican party.

I still think Obama was a great president. Biden might be known as one of the best the United (?) States has ever had.

[uponit7771]

9. +1, best ever this millennium so far. The issues he has to overcome are gob smacking.

[Johnny2X2X]

12. No doubt

Obama faced racism that enabled Reps to block too much of his agenda. Joe is able to use his moderate street cred to push a seemingly much more progressive agenda than Obama was able to. It's early yet, but getting the stimulus passed is going to set the table for a very strong 4 years for Biden.

If he delivers for the American people, I believe the trend of midterm defeats for the party in power can and will be broken. The things that Joe is pushing for and that are seemingly achievable are extremely popular and will make a difference in people's lives.

[Ligyron]

16. Money Talks

Get Americans the money they desperately need and are entitled to and it will be tangible benefit that the Dems alone delivered to them that's impossible for the Repugs to disparage.

Oh, they'll try with Oh my, the deficit, think of the grandchildren, but everyone know now they care less about deficits thanks to their Tax Cuts For Billionaires move and deficits make no difference anyway.

[HUAJIAO]

17. "...... stimulus passed is going to set the table for a very strong 4 years for Biden."

Only IF, as you suggest, that we can hold the House and Senate, indeed make increases, in both.

[calimary]

25. As long as the PR is there, turned up FULL.

Unfortunately, the bad guys are VERY good at messaging.

But we’ll likely have good RESULTS to promote. Money in the people’s pockets is a good one. Progress on the virus will help. Results the public can SEE and FEEL.

We just have to remind America, and sell it like there’s no tomorrow.

And it makes a GIGANTIC difference having a genuinely kind, compassionate, amiable, and honest Salesman-in-Chief promoting the good ideas he ran on, for President. Quite a dramatic contrast to the lying conniving colossally selfish phony we recently ejected from the White House.

[HUAJIAO]

31. PR.. You are absolutely right. We are, for the most part, terrible at PR..

Jeeze, hire the McDonalds PR team. I mean, if they are able to sell that crap they can sell anything...

[calimary]

32. Now THERE'S an interesting idea!

What the hell?

And why the hell not?

Help is where you find it!

[Cosmocat]

20. I don't think a lot of dems got that he was walking a VERY fine line

stated or unstated, like Jackie Robinson, he had no margin of error where he could say or do something to be cast as the "angry black man."

[dsp3000]

30. Obama was handicapped from doing some of the things biden is doing, simply because you know why.

Can you imagine if Obama pushed some of the things Biden is right now to help the poor?
The Rs would just throw around racist dog whistles all day long and talk about welfare queens to no end, and their electorate will eat it up simply because he was black.

[uponit7771]

7. +1, I'm REALLY happy to see the lessons learned turned into action vs "we need to's"

[mopinko]

11. he learned the lessons.

wont get fooled again.

[Skraxx]

18. To Be Fair, Obama Had a MUCH Thinner Line to Walk Than Biden

Biden doesn't have to worry about being portrayed the angry, or showoff, uppity black man. In retrospect, yes, Obama probably should have just said fuck it, but you didn't walk in the shoes of the first black President. Only one man got to experience and deal with that first.

[llashram]

22. why can't Presdent Obama

be kept out of any negative light concerning the current administration? I also had my problems with some Obama administration's actions yet to me, he was a breath of fresh air. Especially when following another liar-in-chief. 8 years of the cheney/bush WH left me exhausted and many good military people dead based on lies and racist innuendos concerning Muslims.

President Obama in my estimation did not want to advertise his "wins" just like he didn't want to ever advertise his anger at racist haters. He in the former case did not need white republicans stating how arrogant, et cetera, he was over his accomplishments of the day and in the latter case have republicans, their base and many in the media accusing him of being the archetypal "angry Blackman" and NEVER letting that fact slip far from the minds of Americans. Given the large number of racists in American culture, that was to be avoided at all cost. Hell the fear President Obama instilled in that large element of American culture was a palpable fear. A fear shown at the ballot box in 2015. 180 degree shift to a narcissistic white fascist tool and overt racist that the media gave a 4-year hall pass to. HRC was robbed.

With all the racist, ignorant stupidity from RepubliKKKans in the House and Senate obstructing EVERY bit of Obama administration policy(s) initiatives, especially after 2010 mid-terms, coupled with a racist group of Republikkkan Americans recently revealed as virulent haters of all NOT racially WHITE on January 6, 2021, I can safely comment that President Obama faced "THE two mountains" to climb versus the one mountain all other Presidents have faced in the history of this democracy.

Please, I ask, refrain from putting President Obama in any manner of negative light vs any other Democratic president. He, like our current POTUS inherited a mountain of grief following a Republican administration with President Obama facing a proverbial second of mountain of something as American as "mom and apple pie", racism magnified by his office.

If this is an over the top rant to you or anyone, I apologize in advance. It just that now vice-President Harris must be facing a somewhat same circumstance compounded by the sexist/racist element(s) of American culture.

[lagomorph777]

8. Yes, please! More of THIS!

This is EXACTLY the right thing to do.

[IronLionZion]

10. I'm loving it!

I'm so happy to see Dems be like this after being screwed over so many times. Many of us were worried Joe would be Mr. Nice Guy but we need to move forward with or without Republicans. As we see improved outcomes from COVID relief, we'll see improvements in our electoral chances.

It's pretty obvious that most voters didn't benefit much from the Trump tax cuts. But they will see benefits from COVID relief.

[ad121rome]

13. Chats

The Fireside chats are genius, get the message out that he is helping all citizens equally. I would suggest he include occasional visits with his cabinet members to discuss how they are helping average citizens too.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Senator Casey's on board, I'm thinking this is the return of a sound political middle

and Americans are ready. And at least we have a plan! We're not wandering, hoping, drifting. The new us.

[erronis]

15. Cue(Q) the (r)epubliqons to sabotage any way they can

Witness that conspiracy-pated pharmacist who purposefully destroyed vaccine doses.

They'll try to find ways to make the recovery fail. They would much rather expend energy in negativity than trying to help the country.

[Jetheels]

19. Messaging is sooooooo important.

[CaptainTruth]

21. OMG MESSAGING!!! YESSSSS!!!!!

This needs to become standard practice. I DO NOT want a repeat of 2010.

We all need to realize that we can do all kinds of great things for the American people but if we don't TELL them about it, repeatedly (it's marketing, folks) they're not going to know about it & we're going to suffer (electorally) as a result. Winning elections today is largely a matter of winning over independents (the largest group of voters according to data I've seen), people who don't have a strong party affiliation & who can be persuaded by effective messaging. Too many times they hear a pervasive right-wing message of lies, but we don't do a good job of effectively countering that message with truth & reality. Don't be shy! Speak up! Tell people what we're doing for them & how it's helping them, & while we're at it, point out how Republicans are hurting them & NOT working for them.

Damn I'm glad to see this, finally!!!

[HUAJIAO]

33. Yup.. Messaging, PR.......

Blast out everything dems do for humanity, every day.. Like MAN, if you keep seeing STOP AT WALL DRUG enough times, why damn, you just gotta stop at Wall Drug.

EAT MICKEY D's
EAT MICKEY D's
EAT MICKEY D's
EAT MICKEY D's
EAT MICKEY D's
EAT MICKEY D's
EAT MICKEY D's
See that enough and you will actually stop and eat that shit....

I mean, how hard can it be, DUH !!!

[BlueIdaho]

24. Full speed ahead!

The GQP is not and has never been interested in the plight of ordinary Americans.

[not fooled]

26. Hahahahaha

This is great. The only response pukes have is "govt is evil...therefore everything govt does is bad...so just crawl off alone and die of Covid."

[BobTheSubgenius]

28. Accomplishments and even a decent PR campaign to show what lunatics the GOP have become will...

...buck the trend of mid-term elections punishing the party in power.

Damn it. Accidental alliteration makes the previous phrase look like a slogan.

[peggysue2]

29. Good to know

It means we've learned from the Obama Administration's mistake of not letting the American people know where the help was coming from, as in the tax relief that automatically showed up in paychecks with few realizing the source of that relief.

Scream it to the heavens, overwhelm the airways, plaster the highways with billboards: this comes to you directly from the Democratic Party, the Biden Administration.

Because we care about what happens to America and our fellow citizens, all of our citizens.