Progressives, Meet Your New Hero: Joe Biden

[babylonsister]

Progressives, Meet Your New Hero: Joe Biden
WHO IS THIS GUY?
If the mittens fit, you must admit—with the passage of this relief bill, the president is arguably in FDR and LBJ’s league already.
David Rothkopf
Published Mar. 12, 2021 4:53AM ET

snip//

It is telling that with the passage of the $1.9 trillion relief package, Biden’s White House spokesperson Jen Psaki described the measure as “the most progressive bill in American history.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called it “the most consequential legislation many of us will ever be party to.” But this was not just a case of establishment leaders congratulating themselves.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus, the 93-member voice of the left on the Hill, said: “The American Rescue Plan is a truly progressive and bold package that delivers on its promise to put money directly in people’s pockets and decisively crush the coronavirus’s spread, which is responsible for our economic crisis. Compared to the response to the Great Recession, this package meets the scale of this unprecedented crisis, delivering the equivalent of 7 percent of GDP for the coming year – exactly what economists say is needed to jumpstart our economy and the labor market.

But the bill is more than just a sweeping and urgently needed piece of legislation. It is a watershed in recent American politics. As Chris Hayes said on The Rachel Maddow Show, “(I)t feels like we drove a stake through a certain kind of anti-welfare austerity politics that was incredibly powerful for four to five decades.” The Center for American Progress (CAP) issued a statement saying, “The American Rescue Plan is transformative because it rejects the long-discredited doctrine of trickle-down economics by directing aid to the working and middle-class Americans who not only need it the most, but whose spending will boost the broader economy.”

The CAP statement cited the fact that the plan will reduce overall poverty by nearly a third and cut child poverty in half. Vox’s story on the bill and where it could lead carried the headline “Joe Biden just launched the second war on poverty.”

The comparison with Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty is apt. It also echoes the perception that existed of perhaps the greatest American progressive icon of the past 100 years, Franklin Roosevelt, of whom few expected revolutionary greatness when he entered office. The point in both cases is that while the progressive movement depends on the vision, boldness, and creativity of the likes of Sanders or Elizabeth Warren or in the past of firebrands like Eugene V. Debs or Robert La Follette, the most consequential progressives are often those who find a way to actually get things done.

more...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/progressives-meet-your-new-hero-joe-biden?ref=home

[FM123]

1. Yep, Joe Biden is a hero alright. To ALL Americans.

Thanks Joe!

[Budi]

2. K & R "Thank you President Biden" is really all I want to hear

Thanks for the article

[gab13by13]

3. Yes he is,

[Docreed2003]

4. K&R great piece

Biden has been laser focused on the crises we are facing and this recovery act does so much for so many. Yes there will be more fights ahead, but we won this one in a big way, perhaps even more than the 09 recovery act. I couldn't be happier with the fact that President Biden now sits behind the Resolute desk!

[lagomorph777]

8. Way better than 2009 - a watered-down trickle-down scheme that barely worked.

That whole thing was crafted to appease Republicans, who ended up opposing it completely.

Joe learned from that.

[LaMouffette]

5. "If the mittens fit, you must admit"! Love this nod to Bernie, and love our president!

I wonder when some enterprising soul is going to start selling Bernie mittens? I want some!

And I could not be prouder of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and our House and Senate Democrats and Progressives for getting this relief bill passed, and of all Biden's amazing cabinet appointments. Okay, maybe two of our Dems come to mind that I'm not overly thrilled with at the moment, but wow. Just wow.

[Bettie]

6. I was very surprised to see that he is willing to move to

the left to solve problems.

He is not who I was told he would be and that is a good thing.

Being willing to listen is HUGE and he is willing to listen.

[dansolo]

23. Told by who?

Biden was never as moderate/centrist as the left portrayed him to be.

[Bettie]

24. Told by people right here on DU

over and over.

And they weren't people on the Left.

[lagomorph777]

7. Biden has stunned me every day. I never expected this!

He is amazing.

[LT Barclay]

9. I'll admit he is better than I ever imagined.

I don't believe bernie could have done it any better,
BUT I'm still waiting for SOMEONE to pay attention to some other important environmental issues.
Let's start with stopping the slaughter of wolves.

[Aristus]

10. I would love to find one of those "Joe Biden has to EARN my vote!" fuckwits,

and smack them around a little...

[LT Barclay]

15. Really?

I'm game to let you try.

[Aristus]

16. Oh God, you're not of those, are you?

Since we're on the subject, is he earning your vote?

[LT Barclay]

20. Why not? You're one of them.

Yes. But there are still some critical policy deficits. So I'm glad you stated it as "earning", not "earned".

[Sympthsical]

11. As a progressive in the AOC mold, I agree

I already made an OP of it once, but it bears repeating. Biden's taking some big swings - and succeeding.

Sometimes it makes a nice change to be overwhelmingly happily surprised by a politician. He always campaigned as a moderate. The man is not governing that way.

Right now, I'm in his cheering section.

[Wounded Bear]

12. Well, Joe did give Bernie a shout out at the ceremony today...

[Initech]

13. He's the right person we need right now to end this nightmare!

[XanaDUer2]

14. Proud to have supported him from the start

thank you, Jim Clyburn

[Stuart G]

17. Kick for visability...Thank You for Posting K and R

[Demsrule86]

18. I always thought Joe would surprise some. I posted more than once that Joe was not a moderate

but a liberal. K&R. I knew what he wanted to do...the only question was would he get the Senate and be able to do it...very pleased.

[dansolo]

21. The last sentence is key

The most consequential progressives are often those who find a way to actually get things done.

[Elessar Zappa]

22. I've always figured he would govern as a liberal

but he’s even more progressive than I figured he would be. It’s looking like he’s going to be the one to finally drive a stake through Reaganomics.

[True Blue American]

25. JRB is

Exactly what I expected him to be, a Progressive Democratic President.

Having served 2 terms as VP he learned you have to get out, explain to people what you are doing, what you plan to do! I am pleased I backed him from the start.

Modest, willing to give credit to others, and above all including the American people who make things work. He is now being called, “ A Transactional President, “ like FDR.

[betsuni]

26. So can people stop calling Democrats "neoliberals" "status quo" "corporate" "corrupt" already?