Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

South Carolina's black voters saved America (and the world) from a second Trump term. It's as simple as that.

A lot of us did.

Even some of the people who were with him all along were wrong to some extent: they thought a non-entity quality about him -- a barely-saying-anything centrism and an inoffensive persona-- was his primary selling point, and that he'd hold to that, both as candidate and president. But he made strikingly strong pronouncements, on race and class, as a candidate (though many seemed to miss them), and he's been anything but shy about pushing a seriously strong agenda and, so far, doing better with it than even supporters expected. He'll never be the guy who pushes slogans that get his most liberal voters delirious, but he might just get better results than any Democratic president since LBJ.

I admit it. I underestimated him.

OscarGuy wrote:Wrong as in it's better or wrong as in it's worse?

Biden is better than I thought he'd be, both as a president and as a campaigner.

Wrong as in it's better or wrong as in it's worse?

Climate reporter David Roberts said on twitter: "I was so completely, utterly wrong about the Biden presidential bid, from the very beginning. I could not possibly have been more wrong."

...

Same.

Biden can't end the filibuster, only the Senate can do that, but at some point Biden will come to realize that it has to be done if he's going to accomplish half of what needs to be done in the next two years and advocate for it.

The only thing holding Schumer back from doing it now is the reluctance of three senators - Manchin and both Arizona senators. Kelly is as much on the fence as Sinema is.

OscarGuy wrote
I don't think he wants to, but if Republicans pull the same bull shit they did under Obama, I bet he pulls the trigger.

They're not already?

I don't think he wants to, but if Republicans pull the same bull shit they did under Obama, I bet he pulls the trigger.

OscarGuy wrote
Something I opined, whether here or elsewhere, was that if they can pass the law to make DC a state, they add two Black Democrats to the senate caucus. They could then pass an end to the filibuster without Manchin. Synema will probably stay in formation since she now has a fellow Dem from her state. That way, Manchin can vote no on any bills that will save his bacon at home while enabling the Dem agenda he no doubt supports, even if not publicly, to go through.

I mean... I would support that. However, is there any reason to believe that Joe Biden wants to end the filibuster?

Something I opined, whether here or elsewhere, was that if they can pass the law to make DC a state, they add two Black Democrats to the senate caucus. They could then pass an end to the filibuster without Manchin. Synema will probably stay in formation since she now has a fellow Dem from her state. That way, Manchin can vote no on any bills that will save his bacon at home while enabling the Dem agenda he no doubt supports, even if not publicly, to go through.

Latest Pod Save America conveys a dire future for the Democrats I didn't entirely grasp

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p ... 003be253c3

Start at 46:55. It’s about redistricting. Long story short: Dems will lose the house 2022. It’s almost guaranteed. The GOP needs six seats and they redistrict in a far more biased fashion than Democrats allow themselves to. Our best advantage to keeping the house is by our increased numbers which is hampered immeasurably by voter suppression that the John Lewis Voting Rights Act would prevent. Losing the House before another Presidential election would result in possible impeachment or a successful coup. We're unlikely to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act without ending the filibuster, and we don't have the votes to end the filibuster which gets into a frustrating conversation about Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin. Krysten Sinema could possibly support ending the filibuster and maintaining her political career in a blue Arizona (I'm from AZ). Joe Manchin probably couldn't and we would lose a seat in West Virginia. That being said, it's possible our gains from ending the filibuster, passing the Voting Rights Act, and continuing our agenda for four years outweigh the need for these people especially considering we have a strong 2022 Senate Map. Which again: doesn't matter a lick to them.

Which means the only thing we can do is pray for duplicating similar 2020/2018 energy in 2022.

At least this time the Democrats are appearing to show some spine:

https://www.vox.com/2021/2/3/22263177/s ... nciliation

Sabin wrote:This is my favorite story of the new year. This will happen again.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/nation ... story.html

Right? I love it. Another explanation for those (ME ME ME) that needed it.

This is my favorite story of the new year. This will happen again.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/nation ... story.html