President Biden Goes to Work: Clean Up on Aisle 45
Four years with Trumpism as a governing philosophy has done a lot of damage. The racism, the grifting, the wanton disregard for the planet, and --most of all-- the ineptitude have caused harm and weakened the institutions of governance.
Now, the Biden/Harris administration has to pick up the pieces. In all this chaos, there is opportunity, and I hope they’ll seize upon it to get the country to a much better place.
Change #1 is about optics. Determination rather than reactionary anger. A call for unity not burdened with a blind eye toward those whose only goal is obstruction. And, yes, creating a sense of calm where frenzy was considered desirable.
From the Guardian:
The idea that the US could – or should – get back to norms after a tumultuous year defined by a deadly pandemic and a racial reckoning has been rightly met with dismay by activists, journalists, and many Americans who contend that normal wasn’t working.
“In the norms and notions of what just is, isn’t always justice,” poet Amanda Gorman said at the inauguration.
But at the very least, Biden is reinstating some traditions – small and big. He’s bringing dogs back to the White House after his predecessor became the first president in a century to refuse a presidential pet. He had his executive orders fully vetted by the Office of Legal Counsel, as presidents are meant to.
On his first day, the newly sworn in President signed 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations yesterday, swiftly reversing course on a number of Donald Trump’s signature moves. “I”s were dotted, “T”s were crossed.
The reality of just how bad things are/were is now upon the new administration.
First and foremost, they’ve learned that there was literally no plan at the federal level for oversight and coordination of COVID-19 distribution.
From CNN:
The Biden administration has promised to try to turn the Covid-19 pandemic around and drastically speed up the pace of vaccinating Americans against the virus. But in the immediate hours following Biden being sworn into office on Wednesday, sources with direct knowledge of the new administration's Covid-related work told CNN one of the biggest shocks that the Biden team had to digest during the transition period was what they saw as a complete lack of a vaccine distribution strategy under former President Donald Trump, even weeks after multiple vaccines were approved for use in the United States.
"There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch," one source said.
Another source described the moment that it became clear the Biden administration would have to essentially start from "square one" because there simply was no plan as: "Wow, just further affirmation of complete incompetence."
Speaking of not having a plan, impeachment proceedings for former President Trump are poised to move forward.
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1352261634899779585?s=20
From CNBC:
Ex-President Donald Trump is not prepared for his Senate impeachment trial despite the fact that it could begin as early as next week.
Trump, who is charged with inciting the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by a mob of his supporters, still has not assembled a group of lawyers to defend him at what will be his second impeachment trial, NBC News reported.
He also has no clear legal strategy for the trial, according to NBC. Democratic senators, and likely a number of Republican ones, hope to convict Trump and then vote to bar him from becoming president ever again.
The failure to prepare for the trial is consistent with Trump’s behavior this month, where he did little actual work related to the presidency.
There are political considerations to be considered before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi actually forwards charges to the Senate. A power sharing deal between Republicans and Democrats is reportedly being held up because Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is demanding that Democrats not consider eliminating the filibuster.
Democrats have made it clear that they intend to move forward with a trial while simultaneously reserving part of their schedule for taking care of regular business.
Given the “no witnesses” precedent set by Republicans at Trump’s first impeachment trial and the fact of the crimes being considered taking place in front of legislators, once things get started they could move very quickly.
Trying former President Trump after his term of office is over, besides it’s symbolic value, is a move designed to allow a vote to prevent him from serving in office in the future.
Another wrinkle in the aftermath of the insurrection at the Capitol involves Arizona GOP Congressmen Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs reportedly asked former President Donald Trump for pardons relating to their involvement in the events leading up to the Jan. 6 terrorist attack on the Capitol.
From CNN:
The fear of legal exposure is not limited to Republicans who promoted or spoke at the rally, including Reps. Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Paul Gosar. Those who participated, organized and fundraised for it are also concerned, sources told CNN, including his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, who both spoke at the rally.
Top figures associated with the groups that helped organize it -- including Women for America First and Turning Point Action, the political action committee arm of Turning Point USA -- have also voiced private concern about legal repercussions, a person familiar tells CNN.
Several of Trump's closest advisers have also urged him not to grant clemency to anyone who breached the US Capitol, despite Trump's initial stance that those involved had done nothing wrong.
https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1352294994040778759?s=20
Blowback on the first day of the new administration from the right has come via various conservatives trying to portray themselves as victims after hearing denunciations of white supremacy during Biden’s inaugural speech.
Hey guys, if the shoe fits….
Here’s Philip Bump at the Washington Post:
“If you read his speech and listen to it carefully, much of it is thinly veiled innuendo,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said during an interview on Fox News, “calling us white supremacists, calling us racists, calling us every name in the book.”
Paul also apparently objected to Biden’s saying that “there is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit.”
“Calling us people who don’t tell the truth,” Paul continued. “ ‘And going forward we’re not going to have manufactured or manipulated truth.’ That’s another way of saying ‘All of my opponents manufacture or manipulate the truth and are liars.’ ”
In that last sentence, Paul does explicitly what he did implicitly on the issue of race: conflate Biden’s constrained criticism with a broad attack on Republicans generally. Biden never specifically mentioned who was telling those lies, although the focus was obvious. He never even called out the extremism he was targeting as being right-wing. But for Paul, the implication was clear: Biden thinks Republicans are racist liars.
https://twitter.com/MattGertz/status/1352286365388595210?s=20
Big prediction: in addition to conservatives suddenly becoming concerned about deficit spending, look for the denunciations over the “Biden” tax increase.
https://twitter.com/ThmsHoward/status/1352265875198537729?s=20
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