Helluva headline day for Biden.

[Drunken Irishman]

Frankly, as much as many activists probably don't want to hear it, having Biden say he doesn't support defunding the police is probably the best optics at the moment of either candidate. I think there's merit to the message of reallocating funds - but if you're having to explain that defunding the police doesn't mean abolishing the police, the slogan isn't a seller.

But I think there's merit there.

The good news is that Biden has walked this line really favorable and it's going to be difficult for the Trump campaign to get him mixed up in it.

But Biden can still advance a pretty proactive police reform agenda without getting bogged down in trying to defend the semantics.



I do like the idea of settling in on de-militarize the police.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Jill will explain it to him.

He's my President now and I await normalcy in our Executive Branch. And a minority Republican Party in the Senate. And a whole new perspective of organized crime in the DOJ. Every Republican judicial appointment must be reviewed to see if Kompromat is in play. If so, gotta resign,

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. +1

[SheltieLover]

13. Well stated!

[DarthDem]

2. I Agree

He's handled this - and pretty much everything else - very, very well. Frankly his campaign is doing a masterful job.

[Cha]

3. & as someone posted.. BLOTUS is "defunding the police" by Not

giving a Stimulus Package to the States.

[SheltieLover]

14. Someone should make an ad!

[crickets]

16. Great point! nt

[soothsayer]

4. Yup. I was confident he'd handle it

Wasn’t his gaffe (not that it’s a gaffe, just clumsy).

And I still think it’s useful in that it’s creating all this dialogue.

Maybe we can stop fretting over the phrase now.

[BannonsLiver]

5. Indeed. A clear and concise response.

I’m starting to really like how his staff maneuvers through these little traps.

[Budi]

9. Indeed +. It's impressive & quite reassuring.

💙 2020

[OrlandoDem2]

6. Biden comes off as the reasonable moderate here between Trump and the Left.

All he has to do is say he is against defunding the police.

Trump is an extremist on one side and there are those who call for “defunding the police” on the other. Nevermind the nuance of the phrase which most don’t understand.

[OAITW r.2.0]

17. Joe won't let Trump own simple phrases.

Both are against defunding.

But scratch the goddam surface.

[Budi]

7. Biden has the assist of The Congressional Black Caucus

They are already on it & they are leading the way to reform.
Those who say Defund the Police without saynig what they'll replace it with is foolish.

Biden & his CBC will define it for us.
He will allow them to set the base standard of this sorely needed policy reform.

I trust our Democrats on this one.



https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13564486

[Tarheel_Dem]

8. I'm glad Biden is making this distinction, not that it will matter to his opponents. There's a....

reason why Biden has demonstrated an ability to attract voters of many stripes, it's because he's not viewed as extreme. And let's face it, Biden's foes aren't going to take the time to distinguish between "defund the police" and "abolish the police".

[Gothmog]

10. I like this one

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. This is so misnamed. It's reimagining or reengineering

That Biden or his campaign doesn't realize that is scary. If so, he definitely needs new campaign blood.

[OAITW r.2.0]

15. Here's the crazy thing. Joe is the caretaker. Watch who he picks as VP.

That will be the Insider for Democratic President in 2024.

The point is, under Biden, a Democratic House and Senate are going to pass mind blowing legislation.

DEA and CPB are going to flatline.

DOJ is going to go after Organized Crime. Interior is going after BS exploitation contracts. There's going to be a shitload of new transparency. A factory of DOJ lawyers will need to be established.

Oh, and fix the voting problem....every vote counts.

[murielm99]

18. The whole trouble will be with

the Supreme Court. A lot of that mind blowing legislation will be sent to the SC, time after time. I hope it can survive this politicized branch of government.

[OAITW r.2.0]

19. There are remedies.....nt

[DFW]

20. If we take the Senate, much will be riding on Clarence Thomas

RBG will retire and be replaced by a Justice of (hopefully!!) equal views and stature. Breyer might decide to go the same route. But that will only continue the status quo. To flip the ideological tilt of the Court to the left, at least ONE of the right wing Justices must depart and make way for a more decent replacement.

Roberts, Alito, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh aren't going anywhere, and only Roberts has shown the slightest bit of flexibility in the face of rigid right wing ideology. In the face of a more liberal majority, this tendency will either be encouraged or (just as possible) nudge him back into his right-wing comfort zone. Clarence Thomas has been around a long while. I have no idea how his health is, but maybe he will some day decide to step down. Of course, he will do so knowing perfectly well that his departure will alter the court's balance, so he may decide to follow RBG's example and hold on by sheer will power. Or he could do so in the next few months, thereby eliminating Biden's chances of replacing him. In that case, McTurtle will shamelessly immediately confirm whoever "Trump (more likely, Leonard Leo)" nominates, tossing his grudge argument on Merrick Garland out the window for political expediency.

Always beware of Opus Dei. Alito and Thomas are members. If Roberts is or not, I couldn't find a definitive reference, but check them out: scary stuff! These are NOT nice people.

http://churchandstate.org.uk/2019/03/opus-deis-influence-on-the-u-s-judiciary/

[brush]

21. De-militarize the police is good, as is reform the police,...

or police the police. Defund the police most certainly plays into the hands of trump and the repugs—gives them too much ammo for ads.

[brer cat]

22. Demilitarizing the police, weeding out the racists and bigots,

putting more funding into the community, etc. are all good steps. Defunding the police is a terrible slogan, easy to turn against us, and I'm glad Biden is moving away from it.