Biden transition hoping for victory but bracing for defeat in Georgia

[DonViejo]

The president-elect’s team won’t change their legislative priorities. But the runoff results could force them to scale back significantly.

By TYLER PAGER and MEGAN CASSELLA

01/05/2021 04:30 AM EST

Joe Biden is eyeing a more ambitious agenda for the first 100 days of his presidency — if, that is, Democrats can win twin upsets in a pair of Georgia Senate runoffs on Tuesday.

But Biden’s advisers are privately skeptical about Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock’s chances, Democrats say. And though confidants say that the incoming team’s core priorities for that 100-day agenda will remain the same regardless of the outcome — the pandemic, the recession, climate change and racial inequality — they concede that the scale of their plans could change dramatically come Tuesday evening.

Biden himself underscored the stakes of the runoffs in a stop in Georgia on Monday when he made the case for the two Democratic challengers by tying the success of his agenda to their candidacies.

“By electing Jon and the Reverend, you can make an immediate difference in your own lives, the lives of people all across the country, because their election will put an end to the block in Washington on that $2,000 stimulus check,” Biden said at a rally in Atlanta. “That money will go out the door immediately."

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https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/05/biden-transition-georgia-senate-454928

[North Shore Chicago]

1. I am optimistic

that Stacey Abrams and her team of hardworking patriots will get out the vote! When people vote and those votes are counted, Democrats are nearly always favored to win.

[Joedog]

4. I am optimistic too

As long as our folks don't get kneecapped.

[uponit7771]

6. +1, I don't care how Raffsberfer is acting he's still a republican

[beachbumbob]

2. too have 2 runoffs is already a victory for democrats in Georgia.

Will be a HUGE AND unexpected victory to win one and a miracle if we win 2. Its Georgia.

[Strelnikov_]

8. Agree n/t

[catbyte]

3. I concur.

I'm thinking that Warnock has a real chance but his victory won't be enough to stop McConnell. Perdue beat Ossoff by 88K in the Atlanta suburbs that went for Biden by around 70%. That's a lot to make up. If we can pull that off, that'll be awesome. I guess I'm just too cynical given the margins the likes of Collins and Graham won by to hold out a lot of hope that Americans will do the right thing.

[uponit7771]

5. Good, Be prepared

[Politicub]

7. I am cautiously optimistic.

I’m accustomed to having political dreams dashed, especially in Georgia. I cling to those moments when I have been pleasantly surprised, though.

[BlueTsunami2018]

9. I hope to be surprised.

I really don’t expect Georgia to come through for decency. It’s possible, I just think it’s unlikely.

I hope I’m wrong.

[shrike3]

14. Sadly, I agree.

[colsohlibgal]

11. Hard To Be Seriously Optimistic

It is Georgia after all. I give Warnock a better shot than Ossoff but if somehow we take both I will be ecstatic. Now one is better than neither.....it just mean we need one less of the usual Republicans, like Murkowski, Romney or the usually concerned Susan Collins to join us.

[greenjar_01]

12. Agreed...it's unlikely that we'll win both seats

It's unlikely that we'll win one seat, TBH.

[kcr]

15. If we win one, we'll win the other

I think it's more likely we win neither, but it's not impossible.

[SoonerPride]

13. I have long given up hope that we could actually win the senate seats in Georgia

I would be over the moon to be proven wrong.

[LizBeth]

16. It seems whenever Democrats aren't confident, it means there is a reason. They are -pretty good

knowing. Fingers crossed.