The US Politics Thread

[McLewis]

Starting a new thread since the election is over and Trump is now truly irrelevant.

Kicking this one off with Biden's announcement of his $1.9 trillion dollar COVID relief plan.

Other aspects:

- Boosts the Child Tax Credit to $3,600

- Extends the 15% increase in food stamp benefits through September

- Extends the federal eviction moratorium to September 30

- $20 billion in a national vaccination program

More: https://t.co/84UdxVjKhS

— Dan Merica (@merica) January 14, 2021

This is far better than what we saw from Trump and its a good start. Yet it is not enough.

Biden promised $2000 checks and now has played chicanery with that statement by simply adding $1400 more to the $600 that was just sent out a week or so ago. That may add up to $2000, but it is not what he promised. That type of political sleight of hand is part of the "normalcy" so many have wanted us to return to after the chaos of Trump.

On top of that, it's a one-time payment so while it's great that he beefed up his plan by adding funding for rental assistance and funding at the state and local levels, there is still going to be a lot of pain felt between now and then. And he'll be in the hot seat for that. He won't be able to pawn that pain off on Trump, though he'll do so anyway.

Monthly checks should be going out until this pandemic is under control. It's the only way people are going to get from under the massive amounts of debt they're in right now. For those that are food insecure, struggling to pay rent and medical bills due to covid, their jobs are clearly not enough and even the supplemental funding to unemployment benefits has proven to be not enough. They need way more help than this plan offers. The 15/hr minimum wage helps a lot with that, but when will that be implemented? Will it come in time for much needed, immediate relief? I truly don't think so.

This is a bold plan, but Biden has got to go even bolder than this. This will face challenges getting through a far more narrow Dem House majority and will likely face challenges from Centrist Dems in the Senate, but this is why Biden needs to keep his eye to his left as much as to the center. Progressives will hold him accountable when plans like this don't meet the mark. We'll be accused of not leaving well enough alone and holding him to too high a standard, but that type of lethargy is what got us Trump in the first place. Progressive must continue to push Biden as much as possible to get as much help for the working poor as possible.

[McLewis]

The 2nd major announcement Biden made was that Jaime Harrison, who narrowly lost to Lindsey Graham in a very close Senate race, will takeover leadership of the Democratic National Committee (The DNC) from the outgoing Tom Perez.

I give the Democrats a ton of grief on here and elsewhere, but Harrison is truly one of the best they have. He is a Stacey Abrams-level big thinker. If there's anyone that can take this party forward in a more progressive direction without alienating Centrists, it's him.

Would've preferred to see him as a Senator, but as one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, he can do just as much to ensure the GOP do not taste power again for some time.

[Myesyats]

I always thought the $600 and $2000 werent separate but instead always to be rounded up. I don't necessarily believe Biden is falling short with regards to what he promised. And of course that is not to say that American need or don't need more, not for me to judge.

Many people on reddit are saying noone thought they were getting $2,600 total

[BarrileteCosmico]

@McLewis 600 a week in UI benefits doesn't seem like enough help to you (on top of the rest)? I know some people who were making that earlier in the year, and between that and state assistance they were actually making more than at their regular job. IMO improving Trump's 300 a week to Biden's 600 a week will be very beneficial, and far more important than the 2k one time payment since it goes to people that actually need it. (Even though I agree it's very slimy to call the 1400 payment a '2000' one).

[Myesyats]

wait you're getting $600 a week? consistently every week?

[BarrileteCosmico]

It's 600 a week (before taxes), on top of the regular (State-handled) unemployment insurance (typically somewhere between 200-550 a week). If it works anything like it did back in March:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/25/politics/senate-stimulus-unemployment-benefits-coronavirus/index.html

So an average person could be conceivably making 1000 a week (pre-tax) in unemployment benefits, which I'd say should definitely help cover rent, groceries & credit card debt for most people.

The law passed in Christmas had this again for 300 for 14 weeks. This is why I hated it, because dems made a big deal about the 600 payment to everyone not being enough, but actually agreed to pay those who had lost their jobs less than back in March and didn't seem to have a problem with that. Twisted priorities.

[Myesyats]

the US is so intense

When aliens come, we need to send this guy as representation

[McLewis]

@McLewis 600 a week in UI benefits doesn't seem like enough help to you (on top of the rest)? I know some people who were making that earlier in the year, and between that and state assistance they were actually making more than at their regular job. IMO improving Trump's 300 a week to Biden's 600 a week will be very beneficial, and far more important than the 2k one time payment since it goes to people that actually need it. (Even though I agree it's very slimy to call the 1400 payment a '2000' one).

It's 600 a week (before taxes), on top of the regular (State-handled) unemployment insurance (typically somewhere between 200-550 a week). If it works anything like it did back in March:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/25/politics/senate-stimulus-unemployment-benefits-coronavirus/index.html

So an average person could be conceivably making 1000 a week (pre-tax) in unemployment benefits, which I'd say should definitely help cover rent, groceries & credit card debt for most people.

The law passed in Christmas had this again for 300 for 14 weeks. This is why I hated it, because dems made a big deal about the 600 payment to everyone not being enough, but actually agreed to pay those who had lost their jobs less than back in March and didn't seem to have a problem with that. Twisted priorities.

I think my biggest problem is that there are families that are months behind on rent (as well as mortgages), car payments, and for some, medical bills. That's on top of expenses for food (more expensive if they're staying safe by ordering groceries online and having them delivered or are picking them up after an online order).  

Even with income that is more than what they normally make, simultaneously digging themselves out of these giant holes of debt, while also keeping up with the stuff they are caught up on, is going to stretch thin, even with prudent budgeting of this extra money. That's why I don't think this is enough. As I said, it's somewhere between " a good start" and better than nothing, but even more is needed.

I'm realistic enough to know this is probably as good as it gets nonetheless.

[Young Kaz]

I have no dog in the game as I make WELL above the income limit to where I would not get a single dime in stimulus money, but for the record during the GA General election and runoff they made it seem like it would be 2k checks if we voted for democrats.

[Hapless_Hans]

WELL above, bold and all caps?

not just WELL above, all caps

or well above, bold?

On a scale of 1 to 10 how well do you do?

do you consider yourself middle class?

[Young Kaz]

WELL above, bold and all caps?

not just WELL above, all caps

or well above, bold?

On a scale of 1 to 10 how well do you do?

do you consider yourself middle class?

Well above was accented because as a single, non head of household income earner my 2019(and 2020) earnings even with MAGI deductions puts me a heft number above the limit.

I am solidly middle class. I work for a salaried position. Only a top surgeon is a 10 in an Asian household. I rate myself an 8.

[BarrileteCosmico]

How can you be "solidly" middle class and also be "well above" a bonus package aimed at helping the middle class & lower?

[McLewis]

I think what would lend clarity to this topic would be some eligibility guidelines from the Biden admin about who's eligible for the relief and what each income bracket can expect to receive. So far, we only know broad, vague eligibility expansions compared to the previous packages.

I am not (as an assumption) as well off as Betty, but I am well off enough to not have received the full amount of both of the previous 2 packages. I expect the same outcome with this one. None of that is an issue to me. I think we'll know more once those details are released.

[Babun]

FBI conducting vast security sweep as Sunday’s protests see law enforcement and media outnumber members of ‘Boogaloo Bois’

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/17/us-capitol-statehouses-boogaloo-bois

I have no dog in the game as I make WELL above the income limit to where I would not get a single dime in stimulus money, but for the record during the GA General election and runoff they made it seem like it would be 2k checks if we voted for democrats.

Enough for good asian Mushu?

[Myesyats]

The Democrats are looking to make an example of this dynamite freshman GOP class.

These attacks aren’t unique to me. They are straight out of the Democrat playbook.

They don’t want anyone to know ordinary, God-fearing Americans can come to DC and be effective.

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 18, 2021

I hope they throw this absolute cuntbag into jail. She gave a bunch of MAGAs a tour of the capitol and during the attack she tweeted Pelosi's whereabouts. How do these people get elected ffs? She's so trashy

[Young Kaz]

How can you be "solidly" middle class and also be "well above" a bonus package aimed at helping the middle class & lower?

Because the bonus package was a cheap copout made by a bunch of rich people who dont know what the middle class is. It starts to phase out at 75k, which is more than the average household makes, but absolutely bare minimum in large parts of the country where high paying jobs are located.

75k is king of the world in middle America. 75K is also paycheck to paycheck existence if you have a family in a major city. Add in the student loans it took to get that 75k salary, saving for retirement, and rising prices of everything else and its meh.

[BarrileteCosmico]

It's 75k for individual, 150k for household (iirc). Complete face-out at 99k for individual, 198k for household. Those are not paycheck to paycheck numbers, unless you have a million kids, or are a single parent.

[Young Kaz]

It's 75k for individual, 150k for household (iirc). Complete face-out at 99k for individual, 198k for household. Those are not paycheck to paycheck numbers, unless you have a million kids, or are a single parent.

Those incomes for a single person with student loans to get that salary trying to rent in a major city and not have a bunch of roommates or live on a street where people literally shit outside is getting pretty close to paycheck to paycheck. Hell, the bay area is full of people with higher incomes than 75k-99k forced to live with 2-3 people just to have rent that is doable.

[BarrileteCosmico]

The unfortunate truth is that a 1 bedroom apartment in Manhattan or San Fran is out of reach for a single individual in the middle class, but these are also the 2 most expensive places in the US so it's a bit of a reach to use it as the barometer for what is "middle class" across the entire country.

[FennecFox7]

The Democrats are looking to make an example of this dynamite freshman GOP class.

These attacks aren’t unique to me. They are straight out of the Democrat playbook.

They don’t want anyone to know ordinary, God-fearing Americans can come to DC and be effective.

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 18, 2021

I hope they throw this absolute cuntbag into jail. She gave a bunch of MAGAs a tour of the capitol and during the attack she tweeted Pelosi's whereabouts. How do these people get elected ffs? She's so trashy

Quite frankly I hope this spells the end of the republican party.. MY idea vision would be a conservative party, progressive party, libertarian party, and a centrist party, and lobbying made illegal. Ranked choice voting introduced. This is why I vote progressive even though I'm a libertarian (a right leaning one at that); (although in local elections i vote L) the best chances I have of getting these things is with the democratic party, even though they still suck. I'll never forget what they did to Bernie..

[Young Kaz]

The unfortunate truth is that a 1 bedroom apartment in Manhattan or San Fran is out of reach for a single individual in the middle class, but these are also the 2 most expensive places in the US so it's a bit of a reach to use it as the barometer for what is "middle class" across the entire country.

but they are also the places where incomes for single people being past the stimulus limit is relevant. The number of single people being over the limit in middle america is minuscule because it takes longer to get past that level there. In big cities where that limit isnt that high its more likely for someone to be at that level before marriage.

[VivaStPauli]

Just came in here to check how much money Betty makes, never mind me.

[Young Kaz]

When minorities do bad why do Europeans always seem so gleeful with their dicks in their hand jacking off at the thought that their nations treat minorities better(which they dont), but when minorities do well for themselves the patronizing and in their feelings happen?

[Myesyats]

Dude that makes no sense. Are people not allowed to ridicule you just because you're a minority? You shit on whites at every turn but god forbid someone makes fun of you flaunting your wealth which isnt even racially motivated. Am i missing something? I like you but you've changed man, maybe it's the money thats at fault here actually

[Pedram]

Sounds cliche but anyone who brags about his wealth at every turn is probably very insecure, has serious doubts about his sense of self worth and is overcompensating.

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