Biden's Cabinet.

[madducks]

I wonder how much influence the Vice President has on cabinet picks.

[Bene Futuis]

First daughter Ashley Biden just announced she will not be part of this administration. We will surely miss the unfettered nepotism in which Republicans enabled vacuous bean can posers like Ivanka Trump to represent the U.S. at the G20 or in peace talks due to her experience as uh, the object of her father's forbidden affections or whatever the shit that particular horror was.

[GwynnInTheHall]

What is more important? Eliminating the filibuster or power sharing senate committee chairs?

[chancellor]

What is more important? Eliminating the filibuster or power sharing senate committee chairs?

Tough call, seriously. Senate committee chairs wield a ton of power and leverage; eliminating the filibuster may be important on some bills they can't attach to budget bills/reconciliation. If it were one or the other, I'd personally lean toward the committee chairs and count on Bernie Sanders and his staff's smarts and savvy to get the most out of reconciliation. OTOH, the filibuster has a lot more visibility and will generate a lot more press and likely goodwill among the base. I can see good cases for either, but given the ambitious agenda you and others with similar views have listed, I'd play the long game and take the committee chairs.

[Bene Futuis]

In addition to the first woman Vice President in our country's history, we now also have our nation's first openly LBGTQ Cabinet member in Pete Buttigieg, our new Secretary of Transportation. Very cool. Representation is extremely important. Seeing progress again is very heartening.

[heyelander]

Marketplace and Dessa's Janet Yellen Rap.

https://soundcloud.com/doomtree/whos-yellen-now

[Bene Futuis]

In addition to the first woman Vice President in our country's history, we now also have our nation's first openly LBGTQ Cabinet member in Pete Buttigieg, our new Secretary of Transportation. Very cool. Representation is extremely important. Seeing progress again is very heartening.

The Senate just confirmed the first transgender federal official, Rachel Levine, in US history. Representation is important. Another great sign of progress.

[Teenwolf]

The Senate just confirmed the first transgender federal official, Rachel Levine, in US history. Representation is important. Another great sign of progress.

Representation is a placeholder for real progress. It's the same in Canada with Trudeau's gender balanced cabinet and hyping up minorities in positions of power. Pure pablum.

In other news, did you see Biden culled all the people in his administration who had admitted to smoking pot in the past, with the notable exception of Kamala Harris, big time smoker who blazed listening to 2Pac and Biggie? Despite the last 4 presidents admitting to using it, despite his own VP claiming she used it recreationally in college, despite it being legal in more than half the country, despite some of the people being fired having done so LEGALLY.... its still worth selectively screening and firing everyone who admitted to it in his admin who isn't his own VP? That's hypocritical and completely asinine. Why do you have to have a President living in the 1980's and pushing the war on drugs? Get a fucking clue, Joe!

Even the most conservative mainstream lefty news source agrees with me. Here's an article from MSNBC about it.

Biden's White House is Firing Staffers for Past Marijuana Use. That's a Mistake.

[Sour Masher]

In other news, did you see Biden culled all the people in his administration who had admitted to smoking pot in the past, with the notable exception of Kamala Harris, big time smoker who blazed listening to 2Pac and Biggie? Despite the last 4 presidents admitting to using it, despite his own VP claiming she used it recreationally in college, despite it being legal in more than half the country, despite some of the people being fired having done so LEGALLY.... its still worth selectively screening and firing everyone who admitted to it in his admin who isn't his own VP? That's hypocritical and completely asinine. Why do you have to have a President living in the 1980's and pushing the war on drugs? Get a fucking clue, Joe!

Even the most conservative mainstream lefty news source agrees with me. Here's an article from MSNBC about it.

Biden's White House is Firing Staffers for Past Marijuana Use. That's a Mistake.

I agree, but this is also entirely expected from Biden. Biden has been behind the times on this for a long time. It is a shame. Legalization and taxation for pot at this point seems like a total non-brainer.

[Teenwolf]

I agree, but this is also entirely expected from Biden. Biden has been behind the times on this for a long time. It is a shame. Legalization and taxation for pot at this point seems like a total non-brainer.

He STILL claims that Marijuana is a "gateway drug" FFS.

If he would have drop-kicked Kamala Harris into the ocean for smoking pot, I would have supported it. But this selective firing stuff is garbage.

I'm sure everyone will celebrate when the pot smokers are replaced with Black transgender Muslims or whatever, because that's what progress looks like.

[Bene Futuis]

The Senate just confirmed the first transgender federal official, Rachel Levine, in US history. Representation is important. Another great sign of progress.

Deb Haaland confirmed as Interior Secretary, becoming the most powerful Native American politician in our country’s history. Absolutely amazing to have a Native American at the helm of the cabinet that has historically done so much damage to Indian rights and people. Representation is important.

Her story is pretty neat: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...st/4358588001/

[Teenwolf]

Deb Haaland confirmed as Interior Secretary, becoming the most powerful Native American politician in our country’s history. Absolutely amazing to have a Native American at the helm of the cabinet that has historically done so much damage to Indian rights and people. Representation is important.

Her story is pretty neat: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...st/4358588001/

If you want to signal your wokeness, try not using the term "Indian" when discussing Native Americans (alternatively, Indigenous people). These two terms have been widely used as the politically correct ones for identifying this group starting around the late 90's.

It's a pretty insulting thing to care so little about a group of people as to flippantly call them "Native American" in one sentence and "Indian" in the next.

The only people that actually think they're getting progress with something like Haaland's appointment are people that don't need for anything to actually progress, and fools. The two groups are not mutually exclusive.

[Ken]

If you want to signal your wokeness, try not using the term "Indian" when discussing Native Americans (alternatively, Indigenous people). These two terms have been widely used as the politically correct ones for identifying this group starting around the late 90's.

It's a pretty insulting thing to care so little about a group of people as to flippantly call them "Native American" in one sentence and "Indian" in the next.

The only people that actually think they're getting progress with something like Haaland's appointment are people that don't need for anything to actually progress, and fools. The two groups are not mutually exclusive.

IMO this is the type of criticism that allows the GOP to continue winning elections it should not. Criticizing a celebration of racial diversity because it's not "woke enough" is misguided.

Additionally applying local norms in a more widely spread audience makes no sense. The use of the term "Indian" is looked at differently in the US than it is in Canada. There are some groups in the US who prefer the term Indian over Native American. Russell Means, an American Indian activist (yes Indian, that's what he wanted to be called), famous for his role in The Last of the Mohicans, was one of them.

[Teenwolf]

IMO this is the type of criticism that allows the GOP to continue winning elections it should not. Criticizing a celebration of racial diversity because it's not "woke enough" is misguided.

Additionally applying local norms in a more widely spread audience makes no sense. The use of the term "Indian" is looked at differently in the US than it is in Canada. There are some groups who prefer the term Indian over Native American.

"Local norms"? Read the article he posted about Haaland. She refers to herself as "Native American". Unless you belong to a particular minority group, I think it's important to refer to those groups in the most respectful terms possible.

Bene Futuis used both the term "Native American" and "Indian". If you know what the respectful term is, stick with it. If you actually care about Indigenous people, and aren't simply using this as a reason to celebrate the blue team, then use the appropriate terms that show the respect you believe they deserve. Simple stuff.

[Ken]

"Local norms"? Read the article he posted about Haaland. She refers to herself as "Native American". Unless you belong to a particular minority group, I think it's important to refer to those groups in the most respectful terms possible.

Yes local norms - the rest of what I wrote explained it. Use of the word "Indian" in Canada is different than use in the US.

https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/deb-haaland-swearing-in-details-announced

Indian Country Today. Are you going to go tell them they should stop calling themselves Indians?

Bene Futuis used both the term "Native American" and "Indian". If you know what the respectful term is, stick with it.

You are applying your own local norms to someone who doesn't live in Canada. It doesn't work like that.