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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#343951: Dec 17th 2020 at 11:40:38 PM

It felt like the first slate of appointments were pretty strong, mostly policy wonks/career officials, the second bunch was kind of baffling, and included a couple of political appointees, and now with the third batch things seem to be back on track.

What's wrong with Vilsack? All I know about him is that he's a former Governor of Iowa and was Ag Sec under Obama for 8 years.

Edited by nova92 on Dec 17th 2020 at 11:41:21 AM

Lightysnake Since: May, 2010
#343952: Dec 18th 2020 at 12:00:11 AM

Kind of a checkered record there at best for Vilsack

singularityshot Since: Dec, 2012
#343953: Dec 18th 2020 at 12:15:01 AM

I get the feeling that Vilsack, just because he was Obama's guy, it almost suggests that the Dems don't have anyone better. Which isn't that surprising, as the Dems struggle in those rural communities where the Department of Agriculture has the biggest footprint.

The only exception that jumps out is SNAP, which is administered by the department. But generally only Republicans care about how SNAP is administered, normally carping on about alleged fraud to justify cuts or more stringent eligibility conditions. Dems just want the programme to have enough money to actually feed hungry people, a revolutionary concept in today's world - and that's a fight that takes place in Congress, not at the department.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#343955: Dec 18th 2020 at 12:45:34 AM

Oh, that is a concerning record. I'll hope then, that as a former Ag Sec, Vilsack sticks around long enough to rebuild the Department from the Trump era and then retires so someone better can have the job.

I'm not certain, though, that Fudge would have been an appropriate pick for Agriculture, either. Food stamps aren't the most important part of Ag policy, and picking someone from an urban district isn't great.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#343956: Dec 18th 2020 at 1:00:35 AM

Yeah I feel like the more sensible thing to do there is to move food stamps to another department, probably health and human services (starving is notoriously bad for your health).

Edited by Silasw on Dec 18th 2020 at 9:00:57 AM

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#343957: Dec 18th 2020 at 1:08:34 AM

Pretty sure that this can only be done through Congress, and Democrats won't do it as it makes it much easier for Republicans to try to cut them. So far, the reason why food stamps survive is because rural Republican lawmakers offer them in exchange for urban lawmakers supporting agriculture legislation. I think that moving them between departments might make this deal break down.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#343958: Dec 18th 2020 at 1:11:12 AM

Couldn't the trade off happen even if SNAP benefits (food stamps) were part of HHS? Or does being a part of the Ag Dept. help the deal go along in a way I'm not understanding?

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#343959: Dec 18th 2020 at 1:14:01 AM

Perhaps, but I don't think that anyone is keen on testing this idea other than Tea Partiers who want to Kill the Poor. There is also the administrative issue that SNAP currently is part of Agriculture's remit and bureaucracy thus set up to work under Agriculture, and the practical one that they are food stamps - it's distributing access to food and not to medicine or money.

Edited by SeptimusHeap on Dec 18th 2020 at 10:15:15 AM

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#343960: Dec 18th 2020 at 1:15:58 AM

But it’s not food, it’s vouchers for food. If they were handing out literally food parcels it would make sense, but it’s vouchers and debit cards isn’t it?

I guess the problem is that because the US government gives so few direct benefits (rather than benefits via tax deductions), there’s no department set up to focus just on the administration of government benefits. Well the SSA, but it’s not a normal department.

Edited by Silasw on Dec 18th 2020 at 9:19:16 AM

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Mio Since: Jan, 2001
#343961: Dec 18th 2020 at 4:50:50 AM

[up][up][up]Probably has to do with food stamps having been originally bundled with farm subsidies in order to make them less politically toxic. I don't know if that still holds true today though, but that explains why it is apart of Agriculture.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#343962: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:41:26 AM

Biden seems to believe that Republicans will come around to him, and that he will be able to work with them in the House and Congress.

Given what I hear here, that sounds wildly optimistic.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#343963: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:41:26 AM

Democrats in Georgia: 'Trump is helping our case.' – "It’s the craziest thing I’ve seen. If he keeps it up, it’s good for us.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/18/democrats-georgia-trump-disinformation-447991

     An Excerpt 
President Donald Trump has been waging war on Georgia Republicans the past month, spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories about the Senate runoffs — and Democrats are praying he keeps on talking.

That’s because Republican voters who believe Trump’s claims are growing skeptical of the election. They’re flocking to Facebook, Parler and Gab and they’re threatening to sit this one out — putting Republican’s grasp on the Senate at risk if they follow through on Jan. 5.

Democrats are delighting in the GOP dissension, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to gin up their base. Yes, Trump told voters to elect incumbent Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. But the president is more worked up over a pair of top Georgia Republicans he thinks wronged him in the November election, calling Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “clowns” and amplifying a supporter who said the two “will soon be going to jail.”

“I think Trump wants Loeffler and Perdue to lose so he can blame Kemp. It’s the craziest thing I’ve seen,” said James Carville, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton. “If he keeps it up, it’s good for us.”

High-profile Democrats, from Julián Castro to Barack Obama to Joe Biden, are converging on Georgia ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff election. The Democratic campaigns and liberal groups alike are pouring millions of dollars into television and radio ads and billboards in hopes of securing a Democratic Senate majority with the same heavy voter turnout that delivered a win for President-elect Joe Biden.

But as they see it, some of the best advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts are coming directly from Trump himself. This week, they plastered Trump's tweets on billboards throughout Georgia, even pulling Arizona into the fray. One Georgia billboard quotes a Trump tweet dissing the Republican governors of both states: "Why vote for Republicans if what you get is Ducey and Kemp?"

“Trump is helping our case,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter. “If he had just taken the loss and just gone into a corner and just been quiet, then people would still just be celebrating the general election.

“But because he's still out there actively trying to steal the election — trying to steal Black votes or discount Black votes — it has basically allowed it to still be a referendum on Trump. Because he hasn’t shut up.”

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#343964: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:42:03 AM

Two posts at exactly the same second. Don't see that very often. grin

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#343965: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:43:32 AM

I wish they would stop making noise about Georgia... that’s going to have the opposite effect.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#343966: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:45:19 AM

Who is "they" in this statement?


     Another fun bit from the Politico article 
Democrats are taking advantage of Republican talking points, spinning them for their own benefit. One group, the ReallyAmerican PAC, has aimed to raise $100,000 for billboards across the state slamming Loeffler and Perdue for their underperformance during the general election. The group has put up a dozen billboards in rural Georgia towns with the message: “Perdue and Loeffler didn’t deliver for Trump. Don’t deliver for them.”

“It just goes to show you how insane some of this rhetoric is about this that the Democrats are just licking their chops — spending money — to repeat the message,” said Brian Robinson, a Georgia GOP strategist and former spokesman for former Gov. Nathan Deal.

Still, Republicans like Robinson say they still expect the GOP-leaning state to elect Perdue and Loeffler, pointing out that more Georgians voted for the Republican candidates in both the Senate races that led to the Jan. 5 runoffs.

In a recent statement, Justin Horwitz, Really American PAC’s executive director, acknowledged it was a “rare twist of fate” to see Trump supporters and those backing Warnock and Ossoff finding consensus: "seeing the two Republicans who failed to deliver a victory for Trump [Loeffler & Perdue], lose.”

Edited by sgamer82 on Dec 18th 2020 at 5:49:04 AM

Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#343967: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:52:58 AM

Democrats, they keep making noise about it and it’s going to counter everything.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#343968: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:58:23 AM

Yeah, the turnout patterns so far indicate that the "MAGA boycott" is nothing but a fantasy.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Mio Since: Jan, 2001
#343969: Dec 18th 2020 at 5:58:55 AM

@Redmess: I'm tempted to say he is being delusional, but I think that "bridging the gap" between the Democrats and Republicans is honestly part of his political project as part of "restoring the soul of America".

The question then becomes how much is he willing to concede in order to accomplish that, but I would not at all be surprised if much of the "Progressive Agenda" and its advocates gets thrown under the bus to accomplish it.

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#343970: Dec 18th 2020 at 6:12:09 AM

If what I've observed this election cycle is any indication, there are basically two groups of Republicans in Congress right now: Those who would work with Biden but feel hamstrung by the base (see also why a lot of them have remained silent on acknowledging Biden as president-elect), and the true believers who refuse to work with Biden out of spite, or flat out denying he's even a legitimate president. Unless the former camp either gets some guts or (even better) defects to the Democratic party, Biden shouldn't be so optimistic.

Like, I get why he would extend an olive branch, that's better than starting off the term on antagonistic terms (that'll just make them dig their heels in even more), I'm just saying he shouldn't be surprised if cooperation doesn't happen.

Edited by speedyboris on Dec 18th 2020 at 6:38:05 AM

ShadowWingLG Since: Dec, 2013
#343971: Dec 18th 2020 at 6:59:36 AM

I get why he wants to try, because the current grid lock in the Senate is not-sustainable eventually the adults in the room will need to put on the big boy and girl pants and get on with you know actually running the country.

DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#343972: Dec 18th 2020 at 7:05:11 AM

Unless they want a perpetual government shutdown they will have no choice but to work with him on the next budget. I mean in terms of acknowledging that he's the president.

Edited by DeMarquis on Dec 18th 2020 at 10:05:53 AM

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#343973: Dec 18th 2020 at 7:12:45 AM

They're Republicans. A perpetual government shutdown is what they want, to prove that the government doesn't actually work.

It's been fun.
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#343974: Dec 18th 2020 at 7:18:11 AM

That generally doesn't work out for them. Republicans are against government handouts of course... until their own government handouts stop coming.

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
ShadowWingLG Since: Dec, 2013
#343975: Dec 18th 2020 at 7:31:58 AM

Last time we had a shut down Mitch was the one who blinked first. If Biden can keep the eyes on Mitch and the Republicans in the Senate then eventually the GOP will cave since the many Red States need the funding more.


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