The Biden-Harris Era

[Big Magilla]

It was nice while it lasted.

In less than a week, a Trump appointed federal judge in Texas has blocked Biden's 120 day pause on deportations.

The Republicans forced a vote today on finding the pending trial of a former president unconstitutional. It was defeated 55-45, but that is less than will be needed to convict.

On top of all that, Senator Leahy has been hospitalized out of an abundance of precaution because the Vermont Senator and president pro tem of the Senate was not feeling well. If he has to drop out due to his health, he will likely be replaced by a Republican as the governor of his state is a Republican.

[Big Magilla]

How consequential was yesterday? When we woke up pre-Inauguration, Nancy Pelosi was the only Democrat in the long line of presidential succession. By late afternoon, with the flip of the Senate, and pending Cabinet confirmations, there will be ZERO Republicans in that line, with Biden/Harris sworn in and Pat Leahy elevated to president pro tem of the Senate.

Also, for the first time, there will be not a single Protestant in leadership of the major branches of government: Biden, Pelosi, and John Roberts at the Court are all Catholics, and Schumer is Jewish.

ElectoralVote.com has expounded on this:

Biden's Cabinet Does Not Look Like Cabinets Past

For most of the nation's history, straight white Anglo-Saxon Protestant men ran the show. Yes, there were sometimes variations, like white Irish Catholic men who served as mayor of Boston, but in national politics it was largely straight male WASPs. Or, at least, straight male WWEPs (white, western European Protestants). Indeed, until Joe Biden was elected, only a few presidents failed to fit the model (Jack Kennedy was Catholic, Barack Obama was Black, and James Buchanan was probably gay, even if few people knew that in real time). Boy, are things different now. Here are the cabinet nominees.

Department
Agriculture Tom Vilsack Orphan-American, Catholic
Attorney General Merrick Garland Jewish
Commerce Gina Raimondo Italian Catholic woman
Defense Lloyd Austin Black
Education Miguel Cardona Latino
Energy Jennifer Granholm Canadian-American woman
Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra Latino
Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas Latino, Jewish
Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge Black woman
Interior Deb Haaland Native American woman
Labor Marty Walsh Irish Catholic
State Antony Blinken Jewish
Transportation Pete Buttigieg Gay
Treasury Janet Yellen Jewish woman
Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough Irish Catholic

To start with, a third of the cabinet is female. Six members are non-Hispanic white men, of whom four are Jewish, three are Catholic, and the only Protestant (Pete Buttigieg, an Episcopalian) was baptized Catholic as an infant and educated at Catholic schools. Three cabinet members are Latino. Two are Black. Throw in a Native American woman and you have a cabinet that looks a lot more like America than previous ones.

So have the straight WASP men at least gotten the top-level appointments that are not in the line of succession? Well, not exactly. Chief of Staff Ron Klain is Jewish. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is an Asian-American woman. DNI Avril Haines is a Jewish woman. EPA administrator Michael Regan is Black. SBA administrator Isabel Guzman is a Latina. OMB director Neera Tanden is an Asian-American woman. UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is a Black woman. Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Cecilia Rouse is a Black woman. Science adviser Eric Lander is Jewish. That covers the entirety of the cabinet, and cabinet-level positions. The highest-ranking WASP in the administration is probably FBI Director Chris Wray, and Biden inherited him from the previous, WASP-heavy administration. As Bob Dylan once pointed out, the times, they are a changin'. (V)

[Sabin]

Mister Tee wrote
There's some thought that Ryan's seat may be redistricted out of existence, or at least made tougher, which would leave him with less to lose. He's got something of the same profile as Sherrod Brown, and could be a strong candidate, especially if the ongoing rightward move of the GOP leads to an unacceptably bonkers candidate -- say, Jim Jordan? (Not being from Ohio, I have no idea how likely that is.)

Ohio had five members of the Treason Caucus in the House. That's a lot. This could be a mess of a primary between Treason Caucus-ers and old school GOP-ers, especially considering that the Trump family will still be around to make endorsements. Maybe some Ohioans end up feeling butt-hurt that their chosen crazy lost and stay home in the general? Oh, I hope.

Apparently, J.D. Vance is being speculated for a run.

Anyway, go Tim Ryan. If he wins in 2022, he'll be up again in 2028. At that point, perhaps the GOP will have regrouped enough to take back the White House. I'm fine with worrying about his re-election chances then.

[Mister Tee]

Rob Portman is retiring. The GOP’s shitty 2022 senate map just got even shittier now that they have to defend Ohio as well.

Tim Ryan has officially said he appreciates the outpouring of support but he hasn’t made up his mind. Normally, I would question this but we have a slim majority in Congress and Ryan’s seat is pretty secure, although he only won with 52% in 2020. Dems also have to secure Marcia Fudge’s seat. All in a state turning steadily more and more red. Portman’s seat hasn’t gone blue since John Glenn in 1992 but Sherrod Brown has consistently pulled rabbits out of his hat so who knows?

There's some thought that Ryan's seat may be redistricted out of existence, or at least made tougher, which would leave him with less to lose. He's got something of the same profile as Sherrod Brown, and could be a strong candidate, especially if the ongoing rightward move of the GOP leads to an unacceptably bonkers candidate -- say, Jim Jordan? (Not being from Ohio, I have no idea how likely that is.)

The standard take on the upcoming midterm is, the presidential party loses seats, therefore the GOP will retake the Senate. But, as you note, the GOP have a tough field to defend, because this was a class (2016) where Dems won only one of the competitive seats (NH), while losing several swing states (WI, PA, NC) -- at least two of which (pending Ron Johnson's call on running) will now be open seats. It's worth recalling the GOP picked up seats in 2018 in an otherwise very bad environment, because the right states (OH, IN, ND) were involved.

We're also going to find out if GOP turnout plummets with Trump no longer literally or figuratively on the ballot. The seeming far-right swing of such states as OH & IA may be largely due to the outsized rural turnout Trump -- and so far only Trump -- has engendered. If those "I'm not a Republican/I'm a Trumper" voters slip back out of the electorate, the landscape in several states like that could look quite different.

[Greg]

Also, for the first time, there will be not a single Protestant in leadership of the major branches of government: Biden, Pelosi, and John Roberts at the Court are all Catholics, and Schumer is Jewish.

Continuing this theme, does anyone know how from 1 to 5 of the U.S. Presidents could be considered non-Christians?

In case anyone is interested, Thomas Jefferson was a deist, believing God created the universe; but, was not involved after that. He was the one U.S. President who was clearly not a Christian. John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore, and William Taft were Unitarians, which is a denomination that grew out of the Protestant Reformation; but, has many members who do not believe in the divinity of Christ.

[Sabin]

Rob Portman is retiring. The GOP’s shitty 2022 senate map just got even shittier now that they have to defend Ohio as well.

Tim Ryan has officially said he appreciates the outpouring of support but he hasn’t made up his mind. Normally, I would question this but we have a slim majority in Congress and Ryan’s seat is pretty secure, although he only won with 52% in 2020. Dems also have to secure Marcia Fudge’s seat. All in a state turning steadily more and more red. Portman’s seat hasn’t gone blue since John Glenn in 1992 but Sherrod Brown has consistently pulled rabbits out of his hat so who knows?

[Greg]

Also, for the first time, there will be not a single Protestant in leadership of the major branches of government: Biden, Pelosi, and John Roberts at the Court are all Catholics, and Schumer is Jewish.

Continuing this theme, does anyone know how from 1 to 5 of the U.S. Presidents could be considered non-Christians?

[danfrank]

Also, for the first time, there will be not a single Protestant in leadership of the major branches of government: Biden, Pelosi, and John Roberts at the Court are all Catholics, and Schumer is Jewish.

Funny that this ascension of Catholics in power (there are a big bunch of them on SCOTUS) is happening at a time when the proportion of Catholics in this country is declining. I look forward to the day when there are more non-religious folks at high levels of power. We unaffiliated are a fast-growing group!

[Mister Tee]

How consequential was yesterday? When we woke up pre-Inauguration, Nancy Pelosi was the only Democrat in the long line of presidential succession. By late afternoon, with the flip of the Senate, and pending Cabinet confirmations, there will be ZERO Republicans in that line, with Biden/Harris sworn in and Pat Leahy elevated to president pro tem of the Senate.

Also, for the first time, there will be not a single Protestant in leadership of the major branches of government: Biden, Pelosi, and John Roberts at the Court are all Catholics, and Schumer is Jewish.

[OscarGuy]

Err-a and ear-a are both accepted pronunciations of the word.

[Big Magilla]

That's ear-a, not error. TV talking heads have got to get the pronunciation right. The Trump era was an error, this one won't be.

It has, though, gotten off to a running start.

Biden's executive orders have already taken hold. Dr. Fauci will be attending today's Paris Agreement meeting via teleconference.

The most important thing he has to do is fix the Covid-19 vaccine distribution mess. It has been mishandled from the get-go by the federal government, the states, and the counties. Enough of this trickle down nonsense where appointments are canceled wholesale because localities aren't getting their promised doses. Distribution has to be given to the pharmacies who know how to manage such things. Until it is, the frustration will continue.