I watched Biden's inauguration yesterday. And I believed Biden.
I am under no illusions. I know how the Democrats are captured. I know neither he or Kamala Harris are radicals.
But for four years we have had toxic, populist corruption and outright lying from the Whitehouse. And yesterday Biden did things that mattered on the environment, healthcare, international relations, migration, inequality and the abuse of natural resources. All change the direction of travel in ways that I welcome.
But the delivery of the inaugural poem by Amanda Gorman was the centrepiece. Why? Because it happened. Because of the fact that it symbolised the embrace of diversity as much as the appointment of Vice-President Harris did. And because of the words Amanda Gorman chose.
I don't buy the American dream. But Amanda Gorman adapted it and made it live in a new way, with a new delivery, and with an implicit rebuttal of the toxicity of Trump and all that he stood for without ever mentioning him, as was the theme of the day. That has to deliver some hope.
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To see the American dream do you need to be asleep?
On Trump. One door closes – the White House as another opens – Rikers Island!
Yes that is the kind of place he can look forward to. Personally I think rather than inflict him any of his fellow criminals I would reopen Alcatraz specially for him, but Rikers Island or Sing Sing would do fine.
Why not Guantanamo Bay? The matching orange suit and face would make him stand out in the throng.
I must say as a bit of a sceptic of the Democratic Party as being too right wing I was very impressed by Bidens’s speech. He seemed sincere and if he can only achieve part of what he aspires to this will be a tremendous shift in a positive direction for US and the world.
Ditto
Almost by definition the Democratic party is more right wing than its European equivalents but that reflects US politics and the voters preferences. As a European they can be very hard to comprehend but any time spent in the South or even the mid-West will expose attitudes that a way further right than anything we find in the UK.
Im finding Obama’s book very insightful as to the frustrations and limitations of real world politics. Its a reminder that he came from a very different background from most politicians and worked in communities for many years and understood those problems. There is a little doubt about his ambitions for example around healthcare. However, getting them through the political system is another matter especially when it as polarised as the US has been for a long time now and with the complexities of their system. Unless you support a Trumpian approach of ignoring the political democratic process altogether.
It’s the nature of FPTP systems that winner takes all and can if they choose railroad things through as we are seeing with Johnson and co. Obama and Biden come from a more consultative tradition as Biden’s speech illustrated, the opposite of Trump and the Republicans. Or today’s Conservatives. At least in PR systems, that tend to allow for a wider range of parties, they have to compromise and to recognise at least to some extent, the views of the opposition.
That lack of courage and any major difference with the Republicans is going to have to be dealt with by Democrats if Trumpism is NOT to return the Whitehouse.
In a way, it is possibly the only positive thing to come out of Trump – that by being so bad he kicked the Democrats up the arse. Liberals and progressives (even the Left) have to up their game – there has to be a differentiation in people’s lives or we’ll have more of the same in a never ending cycle.
Mind you, look at the Republicans? I mean, as a comparator to the Democrats – it’s not a quality field is it? I mean in terms of philosophy they are so close.
And what happened to the devil incarnate himself – Paul Ryan? Watch him. He’ll be back.
I can only hope that AOC and Saunders get a voice in the Democratic melee.
Yes, there is hope – not just a return to normalcy but maybe a prospect of so much more. And maybe some republicans will be willing to cooperate to help pass good reforms.
If US can shift on some GND, jobs, healthcare, climate issues, then it does very much help UK also. Johnson and his ultra right wing chums will be more isolated in little england with both EU and USA heading to the centre ground.
I wonder if any Green New Deal will be discussed?
Commenters with more knowledge than me may be able to answer this:
How much oil does America consume each year, and how much does it produce?
If America made heavy investments in green technology and power, could it end it’s reliance on overseas oil and eventually, its own?
Are there to many vested interests for this to happen?
Will it simply be the case that Joe Biden will continue with Neo-liberalism?
There is certainly pressure for it to be discussed….
It seems to me, given the ‘America First’ mindset of many of the population something that reduces its dependence on imported oil might play well if handled right
John Boxhall.
But doesn’t the US actually control much of the world’s oil? That’s why it has been so involved in the Middle East for all these years.
They struck the deal ahead of Britain, with Saudi Arabia back in the 1930’s.
I think the US is happy for the world to remain dependent on oil.
Robin Stafford writes “At least in PR systems, that tend to allow for a wider range of parties, they have to compromise and to recognise at least to some extent, the views of the opposition.” This is a rarely acknowledged factor in Scotland’s growing rift with Westminster governance. Scottish voters are familiar with a PR system for Holyrood and see the distortions of representation caused by FPTP in Westminster for what they are: distortions of democracy. Indeed the current SNP Government is a minority government, so we are well used to seeing inter-party negotiations to get legislation adopted and, as a result, there is a view that the current lack of scrutiny and government by diktat in Westminster is something we’d be better off out of.
Very good point, wholly unappreciated outside Scotland
I heard a commentator on some YouTube channel say he believes that, in return for promising to go quietly, Trump has been assured behind the scenes that he and his noxious family won’t be prosecuted or investigated too thoroughly. He based his comments on Trump’s fairly downbeat and almost conciliatory farewell speech, plus Joe Biden’s stress on the need for unity in his inaugural speech. I hope he’s wrong.
He has an impeachment first
And Federal promise cannot bind states
Look to New York for the prosecutions, I suggest