Biden will also nominate Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general, Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general, and Kristen Clarke as assistant attorney general for civil rights... Monaco served as Obama’s homeland security adviser and has been heavily involved in Biden’s transition. Gupta worked as U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Obama administration and is currently the president of the leadership conference on civil and human rights. Clarke is the president of the civil rights group, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and previously ran the civil rights bureau in the New York State Office of the Attorney General. A big turn around in the focus of the DOJ, and needed!
When trump supporters were asking "what harm does waiting a few more days/weeks?", here one answer...
republicans holding up Biden's cabinet nominees... because they object to doing hearing virtually? My gosh, with both COVID-19 and the trump incited attack on the capitol, they object to virtual meetings???? In doing so, they further risk the safety of all Americans. Confirmation hearing for Biden's spy chief nominee postponed One congressional source said the delay was due to a committee Republican objecting to holding the session virtually. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/...mation-national-intelligence-postponed-459570
Looks like the senate will not approve Biden's choice for OMB. Odd they approved trump's choices that had way less experience and sketchy pasts (including tweets). The fact the candidate they are blocking is a qualified woman of color will be raised. btw, more offensive is the blocking of Deb Haaland, a congresswoman who is the first Native American Interior nominee.
Had a minute to tune into the Merrick Garland confirmation hearing, and in that minute wasn't shocked to see the GOP's wonder boy Tom Cotton gaslight White people by implying that Biden's "Racial Equity" initiative is actually racist and discriminates against White People. Garland didn't take the bait, but I really wished that he would have called it out and said "So... you are implying with your question that White People are discriminated against, and Americans of Color are given special Treatment???" White Nationalism continues to be the GOP MO.
Manchin says he really is about bipartisan. She was the Democrat President's choice. Last I heard he was the Democrat Senator from West Virginia.
murkowski is salty she lost her leverage on getting more money for Alaska (she had no real intention to vote to confirm). Hopefully Biden moves forward with an equally if not more liberal nominee that doesn't have any mean tweets in their background. And since Biden will place Tanden in a different admin position (that doesn't require confirmation), seems the only thing rethuglicans get out of this is the claim they blocked a nominee.
Yeah I am looking side eye at Manchin for this I would like him to explain exactly why he is not voting these people in, especially considering how he voted on Trumps appointees.
Manchin must have gotten his rocks off blocking Tanden (and in the process, showed his independence), as he has since changed his mind... Interesting he made sure to point out her commitment to bipartisanship. An excuse for his Tanden position I am sure.
It's all ridiculous, but Manchin is a fairly smart politician, and while he's hardly a Democrat at this point, he has been fairly reliable at pulling the Dem card on the issues that really do matter in the end. If Manchin is making an example out of Neera for OMB in order for him to have something in his back pocket when he ultimately votes for HR1, or a public option, or whatever else people actually care about, I'll be okay with Tandin being the sacrificial lamb. I don't think Democratic voters really care that much about Neera Tandin and the OMB. The big question though is the Filibuster. If it looks like in May or June that the Democratic agenda for Health care, HR1, etc. etc. is dead in the water because of the Filibuster, this guy and maybe Kirsten Senima will be viewed as everything voters hate about DC, and it could cost the Democrats both the House & Senate in 2022, as well as the presidency in 2024 because American independent voters, the far left, and especially Republican voters have mostly given up on Washington DC, and Democracy in general. We will be in a very very dark place in 2024 when there will be a major push for an Authoritarian takeover of government. Also... that Autocratic takeover push will be coming from the left as well. The left is just as pissed as the right about DC, but for slightly different reasons. One side wants an autocratic takeover because of Mr. Potato head while the other side just wants health care. Joe Manchin at least must understand this at some level. He doesn't have to commit to the Filibuster right now at this moment, but he has to know that the Republicans he so desperately wants to show that he works well with, are INCENTIVIZED in government failure, and in turn failure of our Democracy. Manchin knows how important he is, and he's definitely flexing those muscles right now either strategically, or just to be an ass. Hopefully it's strategy.
I agree with a lot of this and him being a power broker is probably his true aim. I don't agree that he is the fulcrum that the election will turn on and I am starting to think the 2022 election is the boogieman that progressives are rallying around. I am surprised you acknowledge that some progressives want an authoritarian, that really scares me because there is a lane for somebody to unite progressives and Trump voters.
I don't think it's necessarily the left wanting an autocrat as much as it is that progressives on the left are losing or have lost faith in our system of governance, and see DC as a system of the status quo for the elites. I don't think progressives will by any means be drawn to violence at all. That's just not the American left no matter how little faith they have... but I absolutely think that disregarding the Constitution and the norms of Democracy is something they'd be open to in order to bring about justice to the people. I could see a Left president who disregards a court order from the right wing controlled Supreme Court, and has an AG who abides on something like Womens rights where the Supreme Court overturns Roe, states try and shut down all abortion clinics, and the President, and AG intervene to surround and protect abortion clinics... or whatever. Stuff like that. Federal overreach that is stuff that if you polled FoxNews watchers they think Obama already did but he didn't really. While a lefty autocrat certainly doesn't sound as bad of course, having that kind of power where checks and balances are over ruled even by popular presidents in every other country always leads to taint, and corruption, and even violence. See Fidel Castro as the example a Conservative would use in order to show how Left wing autocracy can go violent in a worst case scenario. However the biggest threat is a Lefty President disregarding some of the checks and balances in a way that opens the door for a Donald Trump to come back in power and blow a hole through the door that was creaked open.
We agree here but you seem to have sympathy for progressives that want to do it. It's a terrible idea either way. In a Democracy you don't get everything you want so leaning autocratic for the case of good is no excuse.
To be fair I have some sympathy to some who voted for Trump in 2016 (in 2020 hell no) who voted for Trump just because they were sick of DC and used it as a protest vote. They were wrong of course but I’m sympathetic to anyone who loses faith in our system of government and realize how dire the situation is for our Democracy because it’s more real than the MSM admits.
