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Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 11:54 AM Jan 2021

Some thoughts, one unpleasant to some.

Now that we have apparent control of the Federal Government again, we should play like republicans, use any tool available to us to get our way, and be bloodthirsty MFs in doing so.

Justice Stephen Breyer should retire as soon as Schumer become Senate Majority Leader and we should induce him to do so if he is hesitant. We need a much younger, healthy progressive Justice in his seat. Ageism, yes, fuck it, this situation is war. We need to start reshaping the Courts NOW and we have ostensibly two years to do it, but, we never know what Democratic Senator may vacate office, so we need to shape the Courts with younger, healthy progressives ASAP. Sorry Merrick Garland, you were screwed by McConnell, but you are too old and need to be passed over for a much younger person. We should see whether we can nudge Roberts into retiring, I believe he sees the risk and may be open to being replaced under Biden. We should hope every day that Thomas and/or Alito have to quit for whatever reason, use your own imagination.

There are at least 45 vacancies in lower Federal Courts. We need to fill them forthwith and not only that, pressure old lower Court Justices that are over 70 to retire, even some that are sane conservatives and don’t want to see a Trump clone replace them down the line.

On social policy, we need to push to the very limit that a Joe Manchin will allow and massage him to the left, he is a morally decent man, I believe he realizes the urgency of the coming months. Get every fucking liberal dream policy in place that we can, screw what republicans think. Do the policy so that it will withstand Constitutional challenges.

We can’t sit back and say we have 2022. We have a lot of old Senators, we need to make haste as soon as the Georgia Senators are seated. We can plan for 2022, but the future is NOW!!!!!

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The Velveteen Ocelot

(122,689 posts)
3. How, exactly, do you propose to "induce" Justice Breyer to retire?
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 12:00 PM
Jan 2021

He has a lifetime appointment and he doesn't have to retire if he doesn't want to. What would the "inducement" be? Do you want it to be as dodgy as Anthony Kennedy's retirement? https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/donald-trump-justice-anthony-kennedy-retirement

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
14. Some will charge ageism.
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 06:32 PM
Jan 2021

I am now past sixty, I would not run for an important public office, and if I had the required legal training and experience, would not serve as a Judge past my 70th birthday.

Stallion

(6,615 posts)
10. We Need a West Virginia Marshall Plan
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 12:15 PM
Jan 2021

if we are going to be be held hostage we might as well spend money on something of value and ween West Virginia off their coal industry

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
15. High level economic development is poison for the modern Republican Party.
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 07:05 PM
Jan 2021

Georgia is now a purple state because of economic development around it’s largest cities and Athens. The bluest parts of my state of Florida have big time economic growth going on.

What we should do is push or improve hi speed commuter rail all across Virginia and deep into West Virginia. The government should build state of the art broadband into those areas That would allow educated people to stay and live in those areas, while having access to high paying jobs. We will lose some of those educated people to rightwing lunacy, but my argument is that we retain a large enough number of them to win elections consistently.

West Virginia is a beautiful state, it can support environmental tourism easily, city people getting away for a few days to B&Bs, Inns and conference centers that support their every need, while supplying business opportunities and jobs to locals, and tax revenue to local governments. The climate there is well suited for growing high profit margin produce.

We would need to care economically for miners that are too sick to work, or two old to make retraining practical.

All of the items that I pointed out can also be done and must be done in inner cities, with some changes that are unique to inner cities (like restoring and again using cultural places like old bars, music venues, old theaters, old restaurants, ect. Give business people opportunities, while developing jobs for locals and tax revenue for local governments.

Stallion

(6,615 posts)
16. Yeah Pretty Much What I Had in Mind
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 08:07 PM
Jan 2021

I kind of analogize it to Detroit. We used the automobile industry to build America and when the industry was no longer sustainable at the same level then an attempt should be made to help that city to transition its economy. Same with coal from Appalachia which fueled the country's economy for generations but now is economically no longer viable

Blue_true

(31,261 posts)
17. Detroit picked itself up under the current Mayor.
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 08:16 PM
Jan 2021

He was the Auditor for the city. Once he won the Mayor’s job, he focused on tearing down abandoned houses that could not be fixed and fixing the ones that could be, so that people that needed homes could move in. He also recruited young hi-tech people and offered them free space in the abandoned office and industrial buildings. As a result, Detroit is well on it’s way back, in fact, a while back one DU person who lived in or near there says that it has a pretty vibrant economy now.

Vogon_Glory

(9,671 posts)
11. I agree. We need to start playing more hardball.
Wed Jan 6, 2021, 12:17 PM
Jan 2021

We Democrats really need to play more hardball. I loved Obama’s presidency, but one of the few things I fault him for was that he was too nice. He acted like a gentleman and assumed that the Rethuglies would play by the rules. As we know all too well, they didn’t.

Put in younger liberal and moderate jurists. Investigate, indict and prosecute corrupt Republican pols and PACs. Bust up right-wing hate organizations and spotlight so-called “mainstream” Republican politicians’ ties to these outfits.

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