- cross-posted to:
- politics@kbin.social
- cross-posted to:
- politics@kbin.social
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Man we really needs a president who calls this stuff out. It’s obvious to everyone else that SCOTUS is a blatantly political institution at this point. Biden might not be able to expand the court willy because of the Senate, but he could at least use the bully pulpit to humiliate them and galvanize the base.
The problem with the bully pulpit is that it only works on people who feel shame, and the Republicans gave up all pretense of that in 2016. Any strong arming Biden tries to do will only be met with further obstruction, fantasy “investigations” and impeachment proceedings, and more thinly veiled attempts to stoke anger and inspire acts of violence among the most radical conservatives. We’re well beyond the point of looking to the past for viable political tools when the rules are so different now. What we need is for voters to get Republicans out of power and give Democrats decisive majorities in both houses of Congress and more state legislatures. And we need more people to participate in the primaries so those Democrats aren’t just milquetoasts too. Then and only then can the gloves come off.
The problem with the bully pulpit is that it only works on people who feel shame,
I don’t know that I agree.
The president has the power to call special sessions of Congress under the Constitution. If he started making these legislators cancel vacations they’d be a whole lot more pliable. The problem with the bully pulpit is Biden doesn’t have any intention of using it, and Republicans know this because they’re all owned by the same donors. Just once in my life I’d like to see a president fight just as hard to raise the minimum wage as Trump did to ban Muslims.
Hell, when people told Bernie it was impossible to get a minimum wage increase through congress he gave speeches outside Amazon and Disney, and that act led to a living wage increase (at the time) for more than 200,000 people.
If he started making these legislators cancel vacations they’d be a whole lot more pliable.
Would they? I have seen zero evidence to suggest that.
Hell, when people told Bernie it was impossible to get a minimum wage increase through congress he gave speeches outside Amazon and Disney, and that act led to a living wage increase (at the time) for more than 200,000 people.
That’s an apples-to-oranges comparison. You’re talking about a legislator putting enough attention on private companies that they chose to raise their minimum wage because it became good PR. That’s completely different than an executive trying to pressure legislators into doing something when their voters elected them specifically to always do the opposite of what said executive wants.
That’s an apples-to-oranges comparison. You’re talking about a legislator putting enough attention on private companies that they chose to raise their minimum wage because it became good PR. That’s completely different than an executive trying to pressure legislators into doing something when their voters elected them specifically to always do the opposite of what said executive wants.
100% why I wish people would have voted Bernie. His EO’s alone would have moved us further forward than any president since LBJ. Instead we got another corrupt, incoherent old man who doesn’t care about much of anything beyond keeping his son out of prison and finding shiny new ways to funnel public money to warmongers.
But, the real point here is: it doesn’t matter that you have a bully pulpit if you have no intention of using it.
I know republicans won’t care–it’s more about motivating Democrats and independents. We need someone who at least speaks the truth about what’s going on here. The Supreme Court is becoming dictatorial.
He’s got a hell of a lot more than a pulpit he could use if he really cared to change their course. There are executive orders, the DoJ…hell, he could pull back the tentacles of empire and make them all weep.
The real problem [is that] he understands his job too well. That is, to stand up now and then and issue forth words like this which make it appear his agenda is different from theirs.
Yes, at the very least whip up public support for the idea and detail to the voters how it’s necessary for the advancement of better politics. Don’t just sit there and peddle nonsense about how the political system totally isn’t broken and dysfunctional. It’s really annoying that this bullshit is what we’re stuck with until the boomers are adequately bellcurved.
Ultimately we need a “Roberts has made his decision, now let him enforce it” moment. The supreme court wished all its power into existence, so it only lasts as long as most people are willing to go along with the lie.
On the other hand, the president openly defying the supreme court would be a risky move with voters, so as usual, the buck stops with Us. And here we are.
He doesn’t have the votes to confirm more Justices so it’s moot.
Sounds like a good opportunity to use his massive platform to build up public support for the idea and sell them on its necessity for the advancement of better politics. Too bad he’s not willing to though.
Perhaps for 2024. I suspect polling has told them otherwise. Like it or not, there are too many “white moderates” who aren’t very affected that would see this as over react.
I wouldn’t knock it. The Roe vs. Wade repeal brought big turnout in the 2022 midterm primaries to oppose state level abortion repeal in states you wouldn’t expect it like Kansas (they had something like 50% turnout, which is largely unheard for a midterm primary. Only around 36% turnout was anticipated). Stuff like this could easily be a huge motivator for turnout. Doubt he’ll do it at all though, as he doesn’t seem to support it.
Let’s not gloss over the fact that it’s not a little thing. It is a power grab, even if we can rationalize it various ways. I think we need a bigger buffer in congress before we start talking about a new FDR. Biden isn’t the person for it, but I also don’t see anyone standing there behind him ready to lead us into that kind of era. You need a strong understanding of politics and further left than normal modern politics to get there.
Let’s not gloss over the fact that it’s not a little thing. It is a power grab, even if we can rationalize it various ways.
Play to win or don’t play, bud. The chuds understand this, which is why they get to legislate from the bench.
I think we need a bigger buffer in congress before we start talking about a new FDR. Biden isn’t the person for it, but I also don’t see anyone standing there behind him ready to lead us into that kind of era. You need a strong understanding of politics and further left than normal modern politics to get there.
You’re not going to get there by trying to shut down any attempt to introduce such ideas into the discourse. At best you’re just getting in the way.
The time to play to win was 2016, but too many people didn’t take the threat seriously and refused to vote for Hillary. So instead of a liberal they didn’t like they let that court legislate from the bench.
I’m not getting in the way. There is little movement to expand the court. I’m only pointing out why it’s logistically not feasible. I’m not standing in the way in anyway if it were to happen.
The time to play to win was 2016
The time to play to win is anytime you’re not dead.
2016 primary voters should’ve picked a better candidate, but you can’t turn back time, so the only option is to pack the court.
I’m not getting in the way. There is little movement to expand the court.
You are, because the way to build that movement is to start doing public advocacy for the solution to the problem and on-board the public, which you have spent this entire comment chain arguing against.
Even if he did, he’d pick a Merrick Garland type and it wouldn’t matter all that much.