Progressives look to make early mark on Biden White House

[TexasTowelie]

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Leading progressives are pressuring President-elect Joe Biden to embrace their policy agenda even as more centrist Democrats argue such proposals prevented the party from retaking full control of Congress.

For now, much of the lobbying centers on who Biden should — or should not — appoint to key posts as he builds out the administration that will take office in January.

The left-leaning think tank Progressive Change Institute partnered with more than 40 activist groups and on Friday released a detailed list of 400 progressive policy experts they want Biden to bring on. That follows a separate effort from more than half a dozen progressive groups this week that signed letters urging the president-elect against naming anyone with ties to major corporate interests to key Cabinet posts.

“Now is absolutely the moment to push Biden to do what’s necessary to meet the moment," said David Segel, a former Rhode Island state representative and executive director of Demand Progress, which was among those signing the letters. "And that means a robust economic response, a robust health care response, a willingness to push back against concentrated corporate power that’s fomenting inequality. And he has a mandate to do all of that.”

Read more: https://www.joplinglobe.com/region/progressives-look-to-make-early-mark-on-biden-white-house/article_ba88d825-ef8b-53db-a465-bc28fdf6dd7b.html

[Phoenix61]

1. That all depends on what happens with the GA

runoffs. If McTurtle is able to be his obstructionist self getting progressive legislation through will be difficult.

[elleng]

3. Yes

[herding cats]

10. It will be impossible.

Just to be the realist in the room here. We need those seats desperately!

[elleng]

2. Am I wrong, that 'meeting the moment' now differs (a bit) from a moment that has NOT occurred,

that would include ADDING to House majority and solidly GAINING a majority in the Senate?

I support MANY (if not all) 'progressive' programs, certainly a robust economic response, a robust health care response, a willingness to push back against concentrated corporate power that’s fomenting inequality, but I (think) I am a realist, and damn well don't want to lose any more in Congress, so don't want our new administration to venture too far (whatever that means.)

[still_one]

8. +++

[herding cats]

11. Their timing is far from spot oh here.

You're not wrong at all on that. We lost seats in the House and so far are behind in the Senate. All we won was the Presidential seat. Which is almost toothless without the Senate.

We dearly need to focus. January 5th is around the corner. Let's just focus on that pivotal election first, please?

[elleng]

13. Yes

[questionseverything]

15. Watching msnbc a few minutes ago

I heard only 21 percent of young people voted in the general,which was better than the national average

To me that seems very hopeful that there is a clear path to victory by enlarging the progressive youth vote!

[herding cats]

16. I know! I'm so happy to see that! 😄

You heard polling on their views and opinions? I missed that. Link please?

On edit: when it becomes available, I know there's a delay. I missed it and do want to read up.

[questionseverything]

18. I am embarrassed to say,I don't know how to post a link from my phone

But it was an interview on odonnel with a lady who was active in Georgia

[herding cats]

20. Thank you. ❤️

I'll try and find it. Much appreciated!

[JI7]

4. What is interesting about those who make a big deal of calling themselves progressives

is when you look at their records there is actually very little progress made by them.

[brush]

5. Oh, man. I never heard it put that way but you're exactly rignt.

In fact, too much social democratic and defund the police talk helped us lose several House seat. Hardly progress.

[still_one]

7. Joe a Biden made it very clear he did not support defunding the police, but reform. We want to win

at this time, follow the lead of Jay Clyburn and Stacy Abrams

We need to win the Senate, local legislations, etc.

[betsuni]

9. +1

[questionseverything]

17. Biden was elected promising to lower the age for medicare and provide a public option

Progressives brought those ideas into the mainstream

This article just talks about a list of “asks”

Nothing wrong with that

[betsuni]

19. The 2016 platform was 55 for Medicare and ACA with a public option.

Those were Hillary's policies. Both Hillary and Obama ran in 2008 on a public option.

[questionseverything]

22. Yes which are all progressive ideas

That now seem mainstream

😎

[betsuni]

24. Democrats are the progressive party.

They've been trying for universal health care for decades. The Clinton administration tried in its first two years with Hillary in charge. Hillary got the Children's Health Insurance Program passed. Occupy Wall Street began in 2011, the Fight for Fifteen in 2012 soon became a national movement. Seattle passed a $15 minimum wage in 2014. States legalized marijuana. The ACA became popular and government involvement in health care didn't seem so scary. Same sex marriage passed in states. This is what makes all those things mainstream, grassroots. Bernie said change doesn't come from the top.

[questionseverything]

25. I agree with all those points!

Sometimes it takes a while but progressives bend the arc of justice in the correct direction 😉

[still_one]

6. We can debate this after the Georgia runoffs and inauguration. Right now we need to be united

until after the Georgia runoffs

[herding cats]

12. I just said similar above.

The true fight isn't over until January 5th. Please, let's stay focused for just a tiny bit more.

[still_one]

26. You are right. We need to focus

[Cha]

14. Joe Biden & Kamala Harris Are Progressive!

Last edited Sat Nov 14, 2020, 03:00 AM - Edit history (1)

Segal needs to get up to Speed!

Right now the Biden TEAM is out there on the Front Lines Fighting the Attempted trump COUP.

That's what Joe Biden is DOING!! & We're helping Jon Ossoff & Rev Warnock Get Elected in Georgia so we have a chance at getting Biden's Progressive AGENDA PASSED.

What are they doing?

[betsuni]

21. They are progressives who get things done!

[Cha]

23. Yes they are.. Action! They have a

mandate of 78 Million Voters so far.. someone predicted it would go up to "80 Million".. we'll see.

[Karma13612]

27. This is a great article

Highlighting the case for progressives.

From MSNBC:

[link:https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/democrats-keep-worrying-about-what-gop-wants-they-need-stop-n1247538?icid=msd_topgrid|

[Hortensis]

28. Sounds good, but we all know that behind the political label "Progressive," as

Last edited Sat Nov 14, 2020, 09:24 AM - Edit history (1)

opposed to what progressive actually means, are hostility and determination to obstruct America's progressive party.

Democratic voters are progressive and want progressive government. They don't want what those calling themselves "Progressives" do. They voted 3 into the house last time, and I think 5 for next term, which is a huge clue to the lack of support for the "Progressives" agenda. Trying to sucker people about what socialism and capitalism are isn't working. Loose but nevertheless accurate example from Sanders: "Socialism's really just roads and schools, which we already have". Constant attempts to deceive.

Their largest tactic for overcoming rejection by Democratic voters is to deny what the party is and instead claim that for themselves. They named themselves "Progressives" to claim Democrats are not.

On the plus side, America's progressives are on it. We hold the house, many state governments, and next year the presidency. Two years of very important liberal progressive legislation is backlogged in congress, but if we can get a majority, even a tie, in the senate in January, congress is going to accomplish big things. And strong support and good ideas from progressive groups have always been extremely important to the progressive party. Of course. They are us.

We can easily determine which of these groups are genuinely sincere in wanting strong advances within the framework of our capitalism-based democracy by whether they identify with progressives with power to make change happen or with the Progressives' anti- Democratic agenda.

Btw, just a few hostile and dishonest smears grabbed from a WaPo interview with Ocasio-Cortez the other day that help illustrate why:

Cortez's "macro takeaway" during discussion of the 2020 election and the Democratic Party:

"Well, I think the central one is that we aren’t in a free fall to hell anymore. But whether we’re going to pick ourselves up or not is the lingering question. We paused this precipitous descent. And the question is if and how we will build ourselves back up." (In the context of discussion about the Democratic Party.)

"So I need my colleagues to understand that we are not the enemy. And that their base is not the enemy. That the Movement for Black Lives is not the enemy, that Medicare for all is not the enemy. This isn’t even just about winning an argument. It’s that if they keep going after the wrong thing, I mean, they’re just setting up their own obsolescence." (We're not us. None of us are. Only them.)

"It’s just, the history of the party tends to be that we get really excited about the grass roots to get elected. And then those communities are promptly abandoned right after an election." The usual. But socialism can save the nation from the hopelessly corrupt Democratic Party.

"If the party believes after 94 percent of Detroit went to Biden, after Black organizers just doubled and tripled turnout down in Georgia, after so many people organized Philadelphia, the signal from the Democratic Party is the John Kasich won us this election? I mean, I can’t even describe how dangerous that is." (Oh, come on! Kasich?!)

"Externally, there’s been a ton of support, but internally, it’s been extremely hostile to anything that even smells progressive." (Standard 180-degree lie, constantly repeated. Their version of the Republicans claiming we're all socialists determined to destroy democracy.)

More in the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/07/us/politics/aoc-biden-progressives.html

[betsuni]

29. "They named themselves 'Progressives' to claim Democrats are not."

THANK YOU.