General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBiden is the next FDR.
I'm 50 years old. I've been actively engaged in Democratic Party politics since 1992.
The only Republicon that I ever voted for was in 1990. I immediately saw the error of that choice because the fucker cut state spending on college assistance. Arnie Carlson Rethug gov of Minnesota. He tried to undo Minnesota's high quality of life by undoing our states progressive policies such as high standards of public education, health care, social programs that work etc.
Since that folly in 1990, I have moved far to the left. Today, I consider myself quite far left. Just to give an idea of where I come from on a political scale. IOW I'm an old crotchety left-wing yellow-dog. Kinda scary to look at, but get to know me....
I support left-wing causes because they invoke compassion for our fellow human beings.
I support..
Universal Health Care
A $17 federal minimum living wage
Employee Free Choice Act
Major federal police reforms
Banking regulation
Carbon emission regulation
Environmental protection
Taxation for the super-rich and a taxation on accumulated super-wealth
Balancing our budgets(once we recover from the pandemic)
Cleaner, sustainable energy solutions
A New Deal-like infrastructure rebuilding program
There are so many more progressive topics that I could rant about all day but these are just a few to give an idea of where I come from.
President Joe Biden is fighting for much of what is mentioned above. He's fighting for a $15 minimum wage, albeit implemented slowly, still a major step in the right direction. He's calling for a New Deal-like infrastructure program. He's calling for price-controls on prescription drugs, so very needed. He has a great plan for environmental protection and carbon reduction. His plan to tax the super-rich needs to happen.
In 3 months, Pres Biden has already written an incredible progressive legacy. On par with FDR.
(Fun Fact: The New Deal took several years to implement fully. The New Deal 2 was signed into law by FDR several years after the New deal.)
IOW, give Biden time to heal this nation and the mess left by Trump.
He's the most progressive political leader of my 50 year old lifetime.
In closing, I'm not ranting this OP at fellow DUers, I get it, we're all Biden fans. Just want to chat about my very favorable view of my beloved Pres, Joe.
He's doing a great job in spite of the shit-show he was handed by Trump.
Bayard
(21,805 posts)BTW--you can't claim to be old and crotchety till you hit 60.
The number keeps getting bigger as I get older. Funny how that happens!
Botany
(70,291 posts)Both Joe and FDR liked or likes dogs too.
Lucinda
(31,170 posts)Imallin4Joe
(752 posts)I imagine Joe draws great inspiration from that portrait of FDR.
Thank you for posting these great pics!!
Botany
(70,291 posts)Joe has his goals, has surrounded himself with a really great team, knows that
his window of getting things done is short and so he is going for it, and he knows
the Congress too.
BTW Joe and the K-Bomb are building a new Democratic party that might be a Juggernaut.
FoxNewsSucks
(10,375 posts)and they need to really push to get SB1 passed or people won't be able to vote for a Democrat again, and none of these great things will get done.
wryter2000
(46,016 posts)Tanuki
(14,893 posts)From radio interview with Dolores Huerta:
"MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
...."Chavez dedicated his life to advocating for farmworkers. He pushed for better wages and was one of the founders of the United Farm Workers of America, or UFW. Dolores Huerta, a famed activist in her own right is also a co-founder of the United Farm Workers. She worked alongside Chavez for many years, so we called her to hear her thoughts on this moment. And she is with us now.
Dolores Huerta, welcome back. Thank you so much for talking with us.
DOLORES HUERTA: Well, thank you for inviting me.
MARTIN: So what was your reaction when you heard that President Biden had chosen to honor Cesar Chavez so prominently in the Oval Office?
HUERTA: It's really a very strong message that the strongest person in the whole world, the president of the United States of America, would have a bust of Cesar Chavez, a very simple, humble farmworker, a leader, a person who stood up for gun violence, who dedicated his life to make life better for the poorest of the poor - to me, that was a very strong message. And it really indicated that the president issaying to everybody, I am your servant leader, and I am here to serve you.
MARTIN: And I'm not trying to make you the spokesperson, you know, for all Latinos. But we couldn't think of another Latino leader who has been so honored with a presence in the Oval Office - I mean, that his likeness is there, along with other iconic figures in U.S. history - Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln. And I just wondered, does this - how does this speak to you as a Latino?
HUERTA: Well, a very strong healing moment, I think, for all Latinos, especially when we have been under such vicious attack under the Trump administration. It was an acknowledgment, and it was not only for Latinos. I think it was for all people of color. And it was also a big acknowledgment, I think, for all working people and for labor unions also."...(more)
Imallin4Joe
(752 posts)Incredible workmanship and artistry on that bust. Bobby and JFK were so similar in their brotherly looks so a bust would have to be perfect to distinguish between the two. It's easy to see that the bust is Bobby.
Thanks for bringing up that point!
Nictuku
(3,570 posts)... but he continually surprises me, in a very good way.
He is much more progressive than I thought he would be.
I only hope that we are able to get these important things done, and don't lose control of the houses in 2022. Republicans are very good at being the opposition party.
I'm so sick of the lies from the right. I'd like to tattoo a large L on the forehead of every politician who lies while representing their office.
RKP5637
(67,032 posts)RegularJam
(914 posts)If I would have read your op one year ago I would have laughed about him possibly being FDR like.
I've never had a politician exceed my expectations like this. I sure didn't expect it.
I happily voted for Biden for many reasons. It was not a difficult vote in the least. Not one of those reasons was that I thought he was going to be a progressive champion.
I've never been big on speaking bad about Biden. Even with his past warts he brings so much humanity to the table. I don't look for my idea of perfection in people.
From the agenda he is pushing to the people he is putting in place, I'm beyond happy.
It will soon be our turn to make sure it's built upon. To show him we have his back. We have to get people out in the next two election cycles.
Scottie Mom
(5,812 posts)FDR was my first childhood hero. I absolutely LOVED Fala and begged my parents over and over for a "Fala dog." When I was in the sixth grade, sure enough, they gave in and I got the first of my seven Scottish Terriers that have graced my life and homes. My wee lassie of nearly 4 years is with me today and sitting close by as I write this.
Yes, IMO, President Biden will go down as another FDR. The workingman's President and the President who brought people out of poverty. Biden's love of those who labor and those who are unfortunate, is wonderful to see. Especially after the cruelty, hate and anger that was displayed in the prior Administration. His love for children, his family and his dogs...brings a smile to my face quite often. Then there is First Lady Dr. Jill. What an awesome human being in her own right...and what a breath of fresh air as First Lady.
Then, of course, there is VP Kamala Harris. I adore her and I believe some day she will be the first female and second POC to grace the Office of POTUS.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)PatSeg
(46,804 posts)I think a lot of people are feeling that way as well. Biden was my first choice and I had a hunch he might be an FDR-style leader, but he has gone above and beyond anything I had expected or hoped for. Oh yes, I too got more than what I voted for and every day he surprises me. He is truly the antidote for Trumpism.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)Ha!
PETRUS
(3,678 posts)I wouldn't call that a left-wing cause, although perhaps you weren't meaning to imply that you see it that way. Are you willing to explain why that's on your list?
pazzyanne
(6,518 posts)Balanced budgets are good politics. Every U.S. state other than Vermont has some form of balanced budget provision that applies to its operating budget. Republicans, even though conservative, are not good at balanced budgets. They focus their budgets on increasing military spending and protections for corporations but cut social programs that benefit citizens. Bush, Jr and tRump being examples. Democrats, on the other hand, often step into large deficits and finacial messes. They most often pay down their inherited deficits and manage to increase social program spending through budgets and fiscal management. Examples are Bill Clinton and Obama. In Minnesota, Gov. Mark Dayton took over after years of fiscal mismanagement by Tim Pawlenty and Jesse Ventura. He managed to pay down the accumulated debt and left a surplus as well as sound social programs.
Gaugamela
(2,486 posts)As economist Stephanie Kelton points out, the US balanced the federal budget 7 times in its history, and each time it led to either a major recession or a depression. Thats because federal deficits seed the economy and create growth. Balanced budgets are a fetish of the right because its used as justification for slashing safety nets and other federal spending the rich dont want to pay for. Right now the country and the world are facing converging existential crises. The only way out is through massive change that will require massive spending.
https://smile.amazon.com/Deficit-Myth-Monetary-Peoples-Economy/dp/1541736192/ref=sr_1_3?crid=22LBTPEX7CGE3&dchild=1&keywords=stephanie+kelton&qid=1619199854&s=books&sprefix=Stephanie+%2Cstripbooks%2C379&sr=1-3
PETRUS
(3,678 posts)I don't know what you mean by that, but I can say definitively that it's not good economics. The Federal government issues our currency, and can never run out. (The states are different - they are users of the currency, and have to tax or borrow in order to spend. That's not really the case with the Federal government.) Literally anything that is possible to do (i.e., if the know-how, labor, and natural resources are available), the Federal government can afford to do. Insisting on balancing the Federal budget (or reducing deficits) generally hurts the most vulnerable (poorest) people. To take your most recent example (the years Obama was in office), the Federal government's failure to make up for the lost demand following the collapse of the housing bubble (i.e., we could have - and I would say should have - run larger deficits) cost millions of jobs and left a lot of people (and their children) worse off than they needed to be.
There are potential pitfalls associated with persistent large Federal deficits (inflation), but we'd all be better off with good infrastructure, education, healthcare, plentiful jobs, and a big Federal debt than we would be with the inverse.
wendyb-NC
(3,250 posts)I am very pleased by what he is doing, as our President. He's doing his job, and doing all he can, to get us out of the pandemic and mitigate the scourge of the last 4 years.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)were "FDR," and it was the voters of that day who put and kept them in power made the New Deal possible.
Also the conservative incompetence and corruption that dragged our nation to the brink both times, forcing the electorate to turn to the liberals to save them. Gotta thank the conservatives for making it possible.
Democrats in the WH and congress are once again called on to rescue our nation, and it will happen if THE ELECTORATE gives us enough power to do it.
FakeNoose
(32,351 posts)However the work that needs to be done is going to take longer than 2 years.
Can we maintain Democratic control of the House after next year? I sure hope so but there's no guarantee. Can we win Democratic control of the Senate? It doesn't seem likely right now, but maybe something really good will happen by next year.
We can be hopeful, and we should give him all the help he needs. But let's not count chickens before the eggs have even been laid.
Polybius
(15,238 posts)Passing a New Deal 2 will need lots of liberals in Congress.
soothsayer
(38,601 posts)Maybe well rock the midterms. Things that are repressed/suppressed (ability to vote) come back 10 times stronger, as we saw in November.
THEN he can rock and roll and ensure a government that serves the people.
Imallin4Joe
(752 posts)Imallin4Joe
(752 posts)gab13by13
(20,864 posts)The right wing personal attacks have had zero effect. Congress needs to follow suit.
Imallin4Joe
(752 posts)no right-wing attacks, nothing. Biden stands tall through their fascist BS.
Fiendish Thingy
(15,367 posts)wryter2000
(46,016 posts)Biden will be as great or better if we can get around the filibuster.
Kahuna
(27,310 posts)AllaN01Bear
(17,377 posts)BobTheSubgenius
(11,535 posts)I cast my first vote for a party of avowed socialists (the NDP, or New Democratic Party) which actually won that election in the first year I was eligible to vote, 1972. It is a pretty Lite brand of socialism, but it has prevailed in other elections since, and is currently our provincial government.
This govt has done a pretty damned good job of managing the pandemic, and that was largely the lever that got the reelected last year.
dlk
(11,435 posts)I like your ideas and in order to implement them, the dark money has to go. It has polluted our politics and government in endless ways. Biden has been doing an outstanding job, especially in light of the enormous cesspool that was left to clean up. We're on the right track and must do everything we can to keep the momentum going.
Imallin4Joe
(752 posts)I know that sounds like something from Lord of the Rings but sadly its the state we find our nation in right now.
You're 100% right about getting dark money out of politics!
dlk
(11,435 posts)It buys speech. We must find a way remove the corruption.
Paladin
(28,202 posts)1.) A piece-of-shit predecessor like trump; and
2.) Low expectations from the media and from the party he has served so well.
I love what he's accomplished, so far. So nice to see this country strike it lucky, after so many dark years.
Gaugamela
(2,486 posts)100 days . . .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_100_days_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt%27s_presidency
Moreover, Biden opposes Medicare for All, only wants to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt, and is reluctant to expand the Supreme Court (FDR pushed for it when SCOTUS got in his way). And he favors returning to a talking filibuster, rather than eliminating it altogether. Why is Louis Dejoy still postmaster general? And why isnt Biden waiving the patent rights on the COVID vaccines, which he has the authority to do under federal law, and which taxpayer money developed? The WHO, many countries, world leaders and Nobel laureates are all calling for it, and 60% of Americans favor it.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/21/it-about-saving-lives-doctors-without-borders-calls-us-eu-stop-blocking-vaccine
Of course FDR was working with a congress fully controlled by the Democrats, so the comparison isnt really fair. And I think Biden is doing a great job. But as for being the new FDR, I think the case is yet to be made.
Demsrule86
(68,351 posts)The GOP actually gave a crap back then...not anymore. They are content to do nothing ...they have done nothing since 2008. Biden need more Democrats in congress.
'During the long administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 to 1945), the Democratic Party controlled both houses of Congress. As a result, the Democrats obtained 60 of the 96 existing Senate seats and 318 of the existing 435 House seats; hence the party now controlled two-thirds of Congress.'
We had a 60 vote majority in the Senate and held 318 seats out 435 in the House. You want a liberal president,give him a strong majority in Congress...but you have to ask yourself is that even possible today? We need a few more to get rid of the filibuster for sure...and getting that first piece of legislation was a BFD.
Gaugamela
(2,486 posts)the mat and threatened to expand the court. The court relented and he was able to pass necessary legislation. FDR was a fighter. Also, there are things I mentioned that Biden could be doing without congress. Namely get rid of Dejoy and and waive the patent rights on the vaccine. Waving the patent rights and funding the worldwide distribution of the vaccine would be like a new Marshall Plan and reassert our position in the world. As I said, Biden has the potential to be a new FDR.
Demsrule86
(68,351 posts)legislation was Lyndon B Johnson. He was great president...vastly underrated.
rebe303
(143 posts)I couldn't agree more; absolutely wickedly awesome! I was for my Senator/Professor Elizabeth Warren but couldn't be happier than am with Joe.