Big ideas in this primary are great. What's missing is how things get done if Congress won't act

[bigtree]

Last edited Tue Jul 16, 2019, 01:49 PM - Edit history (2)

Topher Spiro @TopherSpiro 1h
The big ideas in this primary are great. What's missing is any sense of how to get things done if the makeup of Congress is unfavorable. Kamala Harris has distinguished herself in proposing extremely aggressive executive actions on issues.

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[loyalsister]

1. We're in a tricky spot

Since we are currently seeing the importance of the separation of powers, it's not the best time to lean on executive orders as a way of getting things done.
We really need to get a Democratic Senate and return to functional governing.

[bigtree]

2. I'm sure the Senator agrees

...hers is a carrot-stick approach, challenging Congress to act, giving them reasonable time, and then moving precipitously to protect people in this country from harm.

[Demsrule86]

6. Really and how would she do that? EO's? Promise you the courts will put an end to that ...so what

can she do unless she wins the Senate and keeps the house...the answer is ...stop GOP shit from getting though...her policies will go nowhere without the Senate.

[bigtree]

8. EOs by president

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[marylandblue]

12. A simple count of EOs tells us nothing. Many of them cover routine administrative issues or

have little impact outside the government itself.

Obama pushed the envelope by using EOs in place of legislative action, such as for DACA. Sounds like Harris will push it even further.

[Demsrule86]

17. Meaningless...you won't get big policy until you have a working majority and maybe we shouldn't...I

do not like legislation via EO's...also the courts will not be friendly towards us...so don't expect to get much done with EO's. The fact is we need to win the Senate...and it is a tough thing to do this time and next time...we need to look at where we are realistically and it isn't a good place in regards to any of the branches of government...courts will allow a gerrymander by GOP types ( new ruling)...places house in jeopardy. The Senate is pretty much un-winnable if you look at the numbers in 18 and beyond...we have no way forward to win the white house without re-building the blue wall or taking states we have not won in decades.

Our best shot is a moderate presidential nominee and then pray they have coattails for the Senate as the seats we need are in red and purple states...you nominate someone like EW (whom I like) and we will lose the presidency, fail to get the senate and might lose the house as well. And the idea that Trump is so...beatable is simply not true...and the issues I describe are not just because of Trump but due to weaknesses in our electoral strategies which do not use the electoral college effectively and a failure to go after state government offices in order to stop the gerrymandering....we need a 50 state strategy yesterday and must recognize we live in a center left country. If we want to elect a progressive majority...we need to win over red and purple states. Also midterms and state elections are at least equally important to presidential elections and must be accorded the same amount of effort.

[marylandblue]

13. Looking at her proposed EOs for pharmaceuticals, and dropping anything that would be challenged

in court, like price setting, the drug companies ought to be scared to death. She will investigate their pricing practices, compare prices to other countries, then sue them for price gouging. All well within executive power. And it's not that the lawsuit will definitely succeed, but we will all know exactly how much they overcharge and be asking our insurance companies why they are paying that then charging higher premiums.

[Demsrule86]

7. We lost three seats in 18...going to be very hard to win a majority...and not just this year. We

need a 50 state strategy akin to Howard Dean's ...

[marylandblue]

15. The Senate map looks much better for Democrats in 2020 than in 2018.

Republicans are defending a lot more seats this time and at least four of them are in vulnerable to a flip. If we win all of those vulnerable seats and lose Alabama, we get the Senate.

[Demsrule86]

16. Name the seats you think we can win. We had no chance in 18 and don't have much of a chance

in 20. We lost three senate seat in 18 and can expect to lose Alabama in 20...so where are our wins? This is not an 18 or 20 problem...we have very little chance of taking the Senate for the foreseeable future. We have to win red state or purple state Senate elections.
And there is a rumor that Joe Manchin will run for governor;we won't win another seat in WVA anytime soon. We purified our party right out of a senate majority...and now what?

[MarcA]

14. Never fail to use a device in support of what you believe

simply because someone else may use the same device in
support of something with which you disagree.

[DesertRat]

3. k&r

[TCJ70]

4. The "How you gonna do it?" isn't a question limited to big ideas only...

...since the GOP has made it their mission to stonewall absolutely anything Dems want to do.

[Demsrule86]

5. You don't get things done...the courts will intervene if we use EO's...and that is why

I don't care what the policies are...getting rid of Trump and no more judges and the other monstrous shit will be enough..we need the Senate.

[bigtree]

10. Carter pioneered the initiative via executive order

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[Demsrule86]

18. The courts are not on our side...and will not allow big policy to be 'legislated' by the

executive branch...they are friendly to Trump and other Republicans...us not so much. Face facts...we need to win the senate and the means losing the purity aspect and electing moderates or even conservative Democrats in red states...you won't get the all the legislation desired but you will get some. We get nothing with McConnell in as leader.

[Andy823]

20. Well

You do know that Biden will have the same problem, right? How will he these things done?

Whoever gets the nomination, and wins the general, will have to deal with the same things. Now I know Biden claims he can "work with republicans", but that just isn't going to happen, especially if Mitch is till in charge in the Senate.

So please tell me what Biden will do.

[Demsrule86]

21. I don't expect much will get done unless we take the Senate...I don't have unrealistic expectations.

What we will get will be some EO's to tweak health care...maybe health care as the GOP may realize it is a losing issue for them. But we will stop the most dangerous president of my lifetime....and no more judges for them. Also, everyone of Trump's EO's can be undone.

[Andy823]

23. I agree

We have to make sure trump is unemployed in January 2021, that has to happen for anything to change.

It will be hard to take the senate, but stranger things have happened, like trump becoming president. Yes we can get rid of trump's EO's, and that will be a start. It will take a long time to undo all the terrible things trump and his gang of thieves did to our country, but I have hope and faith that it will happen.

[Demsrule86]

24. I have faith also...and I agree with everything you wrote.

[wyldwolf]

9. .

[bigtree]

11. history is fantasy?

...hardly.

Not My America @LeslieEscoto2 4h4 hours ago
President Obama signed 276 EOs due to necessity to get us out of the depression GW got us into. Clinton signed approx 360 dealing with a hostile Congress and we ended his tenure with a huge budget surplus. EOs have their place and at times are critical to making us stronger.

[Demsrule86]

19. And none really were about policy. And we lost in court in several instances for dreamers...the

senate is hard but in order to get anything done, we must figure out a way to win.

[Demsrule86]

22. We ended his tenure with few policy accomplishments other than health care which came before the

loss of the house ...and the only other thing is the dreamers...which was successfully challenged in court and did not go far enough. If we don't get the Senate, we get very little...so we should be thinking of strategies to win. We also need to win more state governments. The fact is Trump has power because the GOP won in 16 and we have to win in 20 to take it away. I would say that those Democrats who abandoned Obama in 10 and those who didn't vote for Hillary (special fuck you to Stein supporters) are why the GOP gets more done than we do...their voters support them. I in no way blame Pres. Obama ...nope...I blame those who let him down because they didn't get single payer or a public option...imagine if we had kept the house house in 10.