One of my concerns about Biden is that he seems to be coasting, policy-wise

[brooklynite]

I don't mean that he's going for mainstream strategies (vs Warren and Sanders); I mean that he hasn't announced anything truly unique, that stands out as a hallmark of his campaign. His policy planks largely seem to be restoring or building on the elements people remember from President Obama. That may be a tactical choice to try to win back Obama voters who switched to Trump in 2012, but I think he's going to need to come up with something that truly frames himself as a candidate.

[NYMinute]

1. This is not a policy election.

When the house has been in shambles after hurricane Trump, one wants to rebuild it first before deciding on paint and furniture.

[LakeArenal]

2. Thanks. Nice

[BlueMTexpat]

3. Let's agree to

disagree.

The old house was pretty rickety even before Trump. Without Prez Obama, it would have been in complete shambles much earlier.

Policy is indeed important.

[msongs]

4. replacing repubs with dems top to bottom would be a helpful first step nt

[BlueMTexpat]

5. Agreed indeed! eom

[bluewater]

8. um, policies are the architectural plans, the foundation you rebuild on, not "paint"

That's why Elizabeth Warren continues to gain support.

[NYMinute]

15. History tells differently

The Colonials overthrew the crown first and then wrote the constitution.

They didn't write the constitution before the American Revolution.

[bluewater]

17. Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence...

History says you are simply wrong.

From 1774 to 1789, the Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States. The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to the Coercive Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government on the colonies in response to their resistance to new taxes. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened after the American Revolutionary War (1775-83) had already begun. In 1776, it took the momentous step of declaring America’s independence from Britain. Five years later, the Congress ratified the first national constitution, the Articles of Confederation, under which the country would be governed until 1789, when it was replaced by the current U.S. Constitution.

Plans and policies are the foundations on which lasting institutions are built.

[NYMinute]

25. That is not the same nt

[Thekaspervote]

11. Agree!! I like your analogy. I see his trajectory on RCP is back up to 10.5 avg

[highplainsdem]

21. +1,000,000

[guillaumeb]

28. But policy should drive politics.

Policy is not paint and furniture, it is the foundation.

[NYMinute]

33. Winning comes first -- then policy

Defeating Trump is the prime directive at the moment. Everything else can be sorted out later.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

30. +1. N/t

[BeyondGeography]

6. You're not alone

Biden allies: Warren is taking a bite out of his electability argument

...She’s rocking and rolling,” the donor said. “She’s taking from [Sen.] Kamala [Harris (D-Calif.)], she’s taking from Bernie [Sanders] and she could eventually take from Biden.”

A Biden supporter who worked as an aide to former President Obama said Biden can’t just argue he’s the most electable Democrat if he hopes to fend off the challenge from Warren.

“He needs to offer more. He can’t simply say, ‘I’m the only one who can beat Trump,’ ” the ex-Obama aide said.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/462078-biden-allies-warren-is-taking-a-bite-out-of-his-electability-argument

[JI7]

7. he isn't running on policy

[bluewater]

9. some say he's running on empty

Joking. Mostly.

Running on being President Obama's VP is a plan after all, but will that be enough?

[cwydro]

10. Agree. nt

[George II]

12. I don't have that concern.

[beastie boy]

13. Biden's strength is his vast contributions to the success of the Obama administration.

This is fondly remembered by millions of Americans. As most other Democratic candidates compete for the "most progressive" title, it makes no sense for Biden to jump into that crowded pool. Proudly owning the label of "moderate incrementalist", despite the negative connotations that it carries in the more radical progressive circles, is what makes his campaign stand out and truly unique. And poll after poll shows that most Democrats support his position. The only candidate who is gaining on Biden is Warren, who is arguably the next least revolutionary candidate in the race.

It seems to me that Biden, considering his background and popularity, has positioned himself perfectly for the long run.

[honest.abe]

14. Not sure he needs to do that.

In fact he might be better off not to do that. If he gets to too specific or too extreme he might lose the centrist vote.

[emmaverybo]

16. He has come up with something that transcends policies--a vision for America, a call to our better

angels, a call to unify in a “struggle for the soul of America.” It’s poetry, not a plan in every pot.

Skip this part for if you know Joe’s many policies:

He’s got a strong education plan, which takes children from pre-K through college, the most broadly appealing health plan, a plan to abolish the death penalty, end cash bail, get rid of cocaine sentencing disparities, eliminate mandatory minimum sentences, eliminate private prisons, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, expand/fix existing student debt-relief programs, boost teacher pay, end unlimited spending in politics, support developing new nuclear technologies as part of an effort to fight climate change, end new oil and gas leases on federal land and end offshore drilling, tax carbon emissions, strengthen enforcement on farm economy, pay farmers to carry out climate-friendly practices, implement a voluntary assault weapons buy back program, conduct universal background checks, build on ACA, negotiate for Medicare drug prices and international reference pricing, expand Medicare coverage, give citizenship to dreamers, boost infrastructure spending, decriminalize marijuana, boost defense spending, keep troops deployed, increase capital gains taxes, raise corporate taxes, make changes to USMCA, stop using tariffs to pressure countries, join
CPTPP...
And invest in cancer research, protect Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid (all threatened), Roe vs. Wade(threatened), triple funding for low-income schools, rejoin Paris climate accords...also has four middle class building policies involving worker protections, Major infrastructure investments, incentives for venture capitalists...
—————————————————————————
End polices (almost)
————————————————————————-
Not spending enough money?

Oh and Joe Biden has substantial and sound ideas on foreign policy, which no other candidate has much knowledge of or experience in.

He will probably revive the VAWA.

I hope he will address our historically high deficit!

He wants to study reparations.

His plans are do-able and should, in addition to rebuilding the physical infrastructure of the nation, and making the whole administration work again, take at least a term to accomplish, or two. It is true other candidates have proposed plans that could only be realized, if ever, in about ten terms, but then Joe knows enough about the job to know that.

I love Joe’s message from launch to Iowa, as he expresses who we are and can be in living up to our distinctly American ideals. Policy details don’t really inspire me. In this, I think I have company.

Just Remember This:
From Biden in Iowa after El Paso Massacre

What this president doesn’t understand is that unlike every other nation on earth, we're unable to define what constitutes "American" by religion, by ethnicity, or by tribe; you can't do it.
America is an idea. An idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant. It gives hope to the most desperate people on earth….

The most powerful idea in the history of the world I think beats in the hearts of the people of this country. And it beats in all of us. No matter your race, your ethnicity. No matter your gender identity, your sexual orientation. No matter your faith. It beats in the heart of rich and poor alike. It unites America -- whether your ancestors were Native to these shores or they were brought here forcibly and enslaved, whether they were immigrants generations back, like my family from Ireland, or those coming today looking to build a better life for your family.

The American creed – that we are all created equal –was written long-ago. But the genius of every generation of Americans has opened it wider and wider and wider, to include those who have been excluded in a previous generation. That’s why it has never gathered dust in the history books.

—————————————————————

[Gothmog]

18. I'll protect and build on Obamacare to ensure every American receives the health care they deserve

Link to tweet

[5starlib]

19. I'm a Biden supporter, but would love to see more policies that are doable

I don't wanna see a bunch of free stuff like Sanders and Warren are offering, but he should come out with something unique that he can hang his hat on. I don't wanna see him compete with how much free stuff he can give out though.

[emmaverybo]

20. I'm still looking. Cancer cure? That was widely panned and he only says now boosting research

investment. I agree—a signature plan, but not endless prizes.

[JI7]

22. most of the policy he talks about is foreign policy

[JackFrost]

23. "Free stuff" is a pure right-wing talking point...

It has as absolutely no place anywhere near the fight for better conditions for the majority of struggling people in this country. It is the language of the owners and the corporations who have ravaged and pillaged the working class and the poor people of this country. The levels of income inequality have reached levels of obscenity.

[highplainsdem]

24. He's running to be president, not an ad exec with new ideas for commercials.

He's offering experience and leadership, not policy novelties.

But he is offering improvements on existing programs. Like the public option.

He isn't just offering restoration without improvements.

[Cha]

31. "He isn't just offering restoration without improvements."

Exactly, highplainsdem.. anyone who claims that hasn't been paying attention.

[pertello]

26. Biden reminds me of the Rat Pack

— like Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin who just casually stroll onto a stage and the audience bursts out in applause because they remember what a great performer this old geezer used to be. That’s Biden. Except in this scenario he’s Joey Bishop. Someone who wasn’t the most talented but got to share the limelight with the cool guy who was.

[brooklynite]

27. In fairness, Sinatra was at his (acting) prime in the Rat Pack days...

[Cha]

32. Sorry, you have no idea what you're talking

about.

[beachbumbob]

29. picking up where Obama admin left off seems pretty smart to me

especially when trump and GOP have blown most of it up

[Justice]

35. Agreed

[Gothmog]

34. Biden's Electability Advantage Will Be Hard to Shake Among Risk-Averse Democrats

Link to tweet

The most obvious is Biden’s consistent strength in head-to-head polls against Trump. You can remind people all day long that these are unreliable indicators of how a general-election campaign will actually play out, but they won’t be able to ignore them. And Biden’s advantage here is significant. There is not a single poll in the RealClearPolitics database of 2020 trial heats between Biden and Trump in which Biden does not lead. His current lead in RCP’s polling averages is an enormous 11.5 percent (Sanders’s is 7.0 percent, and Warren’s is 5.2 percent, but both have trailed Trump in some surveys).

A second factor making Biden Mr. Electable is the widespread belief among pundits and voters alike that, all things being equal, proximity to the political “center” is a general-election asset. The more we approach a three-candidate nominating contest in which Biden’s only real challenge comes from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the more Biden’s relative “moderation” will become evident. That may hurt him with some primary voters, but it could at the same time enhance his perceived electability.

A third factor some analysts focus on is the practical ability to win voters the party lost in 2016 — either to Trump or to third parties or to the living-room couch. There’s at best limited evidence that Biden is more popular than other Democrats in the much-chewed-over white working-class demographic (especially Obama-Trump voters). But he certainly talks about his focus on these voters a lot, which enhances the perception they are his people. And he certainly has conspicuous strength among African-American voters, whose fall-off in turnout was a big problem for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Biden does not look like a good bet to energize younger voters, but Trump might well do that for him...…

“Risk-averse” is probably the most important term to remember in assessing Democratic voters heading toward 2020. They still don’t entirely understand how Hillary Clinton managed to lose to Donald Trump in 2016, but they aren’t inclined to take anything for granted this time around. And that will make it difficult for candidates other than Biden to convince Democrats their other qualities are worth taking a bit of a risk on. Sure, Biden could in theory blow himself up with some high-profile gaffe that undermines the very premise of his candidacy. But that’s not within anyone else’s control.