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Yeah, I get it, people don’t credit the president for good economic news. That’s a separate political issue. How much credit do the president and his corrupt cronies deserve? That’s a whole ’nuther conversation.

Pros:

- The infrastructure bill.

- Covid emergency cash for all. This was huge. Could have been the start of universal income.

- Covid halt on Medicaid disenrollment. Huge. Could have stepped us toward universal healthcare.

- Scattering crumbs toward student debt relief.

Cons:

- Ending Covid cash - very painful. Many people left bitter.

- Medicaid “unwinding”. Even more bitter. Poverty rising.

- Crushed expectations of broader student debt relief.

- STILL hasn’t ended Trump tax breaks for billionaires.

Plus: Gaza GENOCIDE continuing every day.

Biden is a walking nightmare. The only thing worse? Trump.

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I hear you. For what I do I must be not only be pragmatic but go above and beyond my basak instincts to ensure a forward moving outcome. Look, Biden is a neoliberal. But progressives have been able to use his neoliberal bona fides to "coerce" more progressive policies since Roosvelt. Yes, the stimuli proved that some form of UBI can have a material effect on poverty. I could go on and on. But the president does not exist in a vacuum. We have to do the work to compel him to act. The Progressive Caucus is doing a good job, but we need the numbers to get there. At this time in this cycle, Biden will have to be the vehicle. We have to mitigate competing interests. I hate his Israel policy which no different than ANY other American president. But like pre-crash a parent must place the mask on themselves before they put it on their kid to ensure the survival of both, we must figuratively do the same with our politics.

So, I will be posting a vote Biden and for the most progressive candidates. The work will begin thereafter to force his hands and all politicians on the take.

Peace, my brother,

Egberto

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Thanks for this piece about an encouraging jobs report. As you know, many people don’t read past a headline and subhead. Your subhead says ‘the president received a solid jobs report’. I regret this framing. The American people get a good jobs report, well and good. But IMO, framing everything around the president promotes an unhealthy view of what’s important. ‘The president receives’, trains people to think in really unproductive ways. It’s a kissin’ cousin to horserace journalism. In the future, please don’t spotlight “the president” when the news is not explicitly about the president. Thank you!

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