Category Archives: Joe Biden

Immigration is key to Biden’s green agenda

by Robert Huntington | 2 Comments

Politico: “President Joe Biden’s plan for greening the economy relies on a simple pitch: It will create good-paying jobs for Americans.

“The problem is there might not be enough Americans to fill them. That reality is pressuring the Biden administration to wrestle with the nation’s immigration system to avoid squandering its biggest legislative achievements.”

No avoiding it now: Immigration issues threaten Biden?s climate program
No avoiding it now: Immigration issues threaten Biden?s climate program
Congress has directed a record amount of money at boosting green jobs the U.S. workforce currently doesn?t appear equipped to fill.
www.politico.com

Joe Biden’s impotence on inflation

by Robert Huntington | 1 Comment

“Inflation has a unique power to kneecap a presidency. Incumbent presidents and their parties do not do well at all when inflation (and attempts to cure it) are on voters’ minds come election time. The gas pump, the supermarket check-out counter, the heating bill, the sticker on the windshield, provide — or seem to provide — powerful indictments against the party in charge.

“If that’s not enough to unsettle the White House and its allies, consider this: Presidents have almost no power to ease the pain of inflation, and the voting public cuts presidents no slack at all because of that impotence. Look into the toolbox of our country’s chief executive and you’ll find it empty of effective tools, filled instead with devices now obsolete or laughable or meaningless or politically destructive.”

Opinion | Joe Biden?s Empty Inflation Toolbox
Opinion | Joe Biden?s Empty Inflation Toolbox
Presidents have little power to bring down rising prices. History shows the public doesn?t care.
www.politico.com

How to avoid disaster in the midterms

by Robert Huntington | 2 Comments

“The trick, says Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, will be lowering the expectations of an impatient Democratic base that is eager to press the party’s slim advantage by forcing votes on issues like Medicare for All or by making structural changes that could secure the party’s power. Booker says there aren’t enough votes to pass statehood for Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico right now, nor for expanding the Supreme Court. He’s taking his own lesson from the early Obama years.”

How Biden Plans to Beat Republican Obstructionism
How Biden Plans to Beat Republican Obstructionism
History suggests that Joe Biden and the Democrats are going to have a tough two years and a disaster in the midterms. Here?s their plan to avoid that.
www.theatlantic.com

Much needs to be done

by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment

No word here on how Biden plans to deal with the immigration court backlog or whether he plans to give the immigration courts independence (e.g., by attaching them to the federal courts just like the bankruptcy courts).

What a Biden-Harris Administration Means for U.S. Immigration Policy
What a Biden-Harris Administration Means for U.S. Immigration Policy
President-elect Joe Biden has promised to undo most, if not all of President Trump's changes to immigration, but when and how will be complicated.
time.com

The case for Bidencare

by Robert Huntington | Leave a comment

Paul Krugman in the NYT: “But while Biden is indeed proposing incremental change rather than Medicare for All, we’re talking about some big increments. Independent estimates suggest that under Biden’s plan, 15 million to 20 million Americans would gain health insurance. And premiums would fall sharply, especially for middle-class families. …

“None of this [Biden’s proposals] amounts to revolutionary change — in contrast to Trump’s efforts to kill Obamacare, which would drastically change American health care, for the worse. But Bidencare would still be, as Biden didn’t quite say when President Barack Obama signed the A.C.A. into law, a pretty big deal.

“True, America would still fall somewhat short of achieving what every other advanced country has — universal health care. But we’d get a lot closer, and many who currently have insurance coverage would see their costs fall and the quality of coverage improve.”

Opinion | Bidencare Would Be a Big Deal (Published 2020)
Opinion | Bidencare Would Be a Big Deal (Published 2020)
Don?t dismiss it because it isn?t Medicare for All.
www.nytimes.com

Bidenomics?? How about Biden’s economic proposals?

by Robert Huntington | 1 Comment

Paul Krugman in the NYT:”But if you’re trying to assess the candidates’ economic claims, you should know that Trump’s predictions of a Biden bust lack credibility, not just because Trump lies about everything, but because Republicans always predict disaster from progressive policy, and have never yet been right.

“And you should also know that Biden’s assertions that his plan would give the economy a significant boost are well grounded in mainstream economics and supported by independent, nonpartisan analyses.

“So Biden’s economic claims are, in fact, credible; Trump’s aren’t.”

Opinion | The Very Strong Case for Bidenomics (Published 2020)
Opinion | The Very Strong Case for Bidenomics (Published 2020)
The former vice president?s tax and spending claims are credible; Trump?s aren?t.
www.nytimes.com