I thought you might be interested in Daniel Henninger’s thoughts on the likelihood of a return to normalcy in the event of Joe Biden’s election to the presidency. From his most recent Wall Street Journal column:
While the case against Mr. Trump is that people can’t take more disruption, the Democratic agenda itself has grown so disruptive that the idea of a Biden return to normalcy is nonsense.
The Floyd-related events have put unexpectedly complex political forces in motion for the Democrats. It was remarkable that no one at the Democratic convention mentioned the post-Floyd protests, looting or shootings, often in black neighborhoods. How hard would it have been for Chicago-born Michelle Obama to say something useful? Instead, Team Biden decided it was in their interest to pretend a major political event doesn’t exist.
And maybe that calculation was right. Back during the pre-pandemic, pre-protest primaries, the general-election difficulties posed to a Democratic presidential candidacy by Bernie Sanders and the other progressives were already evident. Improvising a solution, the Democratic elders (literally) decided only Mr. Biden could soft-soap these “transformative†policies—now codified in the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force—while purporting that the election is entirely about Mr. Trump’s Twitter -sodden persona.
In normal circumstances, Mr. Biden and his convention might have been able to get away with conjuring “10 million well-paying jobs†after his party has banned fossil fuels in 15 years. But in the three-month George Floyd aftermath, the party has moved way past even this platform.
At the same moment the country is struggling through a pandemic of personal and economic uncertainty, the Democratic agenda has stretched to include their intention to overturn a pervasive, irredeemably racist American social structure. And without Joe Biden having to say it, that party to-do list includes truly novel ideas such as defunding big-city police departments.
Add in the Pelosi multi-trillion virus-spending blowout. Surely some sense is growing among suburban swing voters that this Wizard-of-Oz spending can’t go on.
This is the party running on making the U.S. normal again?
Presumably, the new normal will not closely resemble the old normal. As the Turks say it ürür, kervan yürür.
It won’t be normal because the Democratic party is changing. The influence of the Clintons and third-way neoliberalism is almost gone. The only thing holding the Democrats together is opposition to Trump and once he is dispatched, I think it will be very difficult for Democrats to coalesce around a coherent and unified agenda. That will cause a lot of infighting. It result will probably be similar to what’s happened to the GoP – only able to agree on tax cuts and not much else.
And you saw a bit of this with the ACA and the troubles the Democrats had in passing a bill within their own caucus despite control of the House and a filibuster-proof Senate majority.
Agree with Andy. A few spending programs get passed but nothing major. Wont get much past the Senate.
“Add in the Pelosi multi-trillion virus-spending blowout.”
Yet another author who failed to notice that Trump increased deficit spending. Its not just Pelosi.
Steve
‘I think it will be very difficult for Democrats to coalesce around a coherent and unified agenda. That will cause a lot of infighting.’
I don’t think it will be very difficult at all. IMO it will happen very quickly. Any non-woke Democrat either bend the knee to avoid the wrath of the mob or be forced to bend the knee. The mob will then turn its attention to the Senate. Once that half of Congress is secured, it’ll be off to the races for the Marxist Utopia, starting with Supreme Court packing, impeachment of any judges that aren’t in tune with current woke thinking, followed by enactment of the Green New Steal, by decree if not by law. What will follow afterwards who knows. Calamity Harris has promised she’ll rule by decree if she deems it necessary and to hell with the Constitution, and I take her at her word.
Calm down Tars. The good news for you guys is that we are going to be so busy with our pediophilia and forcing you guys to do deep knee bends that we really wont have time to pass much legislation. Plus, do you have any idea how time and effort it takes to keep your sickle sharpened? Just awful.
Steve
Maybe it’s me; but Democrats have an agenda. Look to California for it.
Whether there is an agenda vs if it is a politically viable or a sensical and beneficial agenda are two different questions.
In any case; Ms Pelosi will be the prime driver of the policy agenda in a Biden Presidency, and she will get a significant portion of her desires passed – given (a) The upcoming term is close to her final one in Congress, so she will want to establish a legacy (b) the filibuster is a goner given Senate Democrats desire to abolish it.
I think it’s past time to dox arrested rioters in the news like they do child molesters.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/protesters-lapd-chiefs-house-anti-police-posters