Ever since I can remember every new president has always used the guide post of the “First 100 Days” as some sort of challenge they must meet.
And as I think about it I cannot remember any of them actually succeeding in their promises for those first days.
I am sure that the Biden/Harris team will be NO different…..but let’s look at what the Center for American Progress has called for in those first 100 days….
- Rebuilding and Rebalancing Our National Security Tools and Institutions
- Living Our Democratic Values
- Ending the Wars Responsibly
- Recalibrating U.S. Global Relationships
- Tackling Global Challenges
- The First 100 Days During a Global Health Crisis
- Important National Security Dates: 2020–2021
- Partnering With Congress
- Travel and Foreign Engagement
Read the entire plan for yourself…..
There are a few parts that I do not see going anywhere…..partnering with Congress….the Senate is out of the question…..
I do not see the endless wars ever ending under the Biden administration…..too many M-IC influencers in his cabinet…..
Good ideas…but they will fall way short of success….
Why am I so pessimistic?
Biden’s actual mandate begins with the fact that most of the people who voted for him were primarily voting not for him but against Donald Trump. This is because Trump is the only candidate of the two who ran on an actual belief-based agenda: a weird mixture of narcissism, white supremacy, corporate interests and God knows what. This agenda was rejected. The people energizing the Biden campaign were the same people who have taken to the streets throughout 2020, demanding justice, sanity, and a dismantling — at last — of the country’s racist infrastructure.
Yes, there’s powerful opposition to this. The Republicans want to keep the racism but dismantle democracy itself, and in the process make sure Trump remains in the White House. This is all the more reason why Biden and the Democrats should put principles first and rally the nation around a serious vision: an agenda not simply to “restore the soul of America” but to expand that soul, make this country a true global leader as Planet Earth faces its treacherous future.
One thing that I would point to as the only thing that will possibly help this country during those 100 days…..
ven when he becomes president in January, Joe Biden won’t have the authority to order Americans to wear masks. But he will make it a request on Day One, the Hill reports. “Just 100 days to mask, not forever,” Biden said Thursday. “100 days.” Biden made the comments in a CNN interview. He said he will issue a mask mandate for places where the president has authority to do so, such as in federal buildings and in interstate transportation, including airplanes and buses. The president-elect has been an advocate of wearing a face mask to slow the spread of the coronavirus throughout the pandemic, and he’s been mocked by President Trump for it.
Biden said he thinks that if more people wear masks as the first round of vaccinations takes place, the combination will “drive down the numbers considerably,” per the BBC. And he and Vice President Kamala Harris will set an example by masking up, he said. Biden has asked Americans to get past the politics of masks and other pandemic restrictions. “It’s time to end the politicization of basic, responsible public health steps like mask wearing and social distancing,” he said last month. “A mask is not a political statement, but it is a good way to start pulling the country together.”
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
I think we can all agree after seeing Trump as President is that when a president opens his mouth someone will believe it or act upon it. The bulk of Americans actually WANT to be led and will listen to a leader they “think” is leading them. Biden doesn’t need “authority” to compel everyone to wear a mask for 100 days. The majority WILL do that simply because he will be respected as a president… and he will be able to sell his confidence to most people. A major lesson from Trump is that the power of the bully pulpit is pretty formidable on its own.
Doug, as a bye the bye, your comments boxes are not appearing, and the ‘leave a comment’ link doesn’t work either.
You seemed to have had that trouble with the last blog I had. Hey, chuq.. you seeing (or not seeing) the same thing there?
Doug if you mean comments here then yes I see them good….chuq
No I mean on my new blog.
Doug do not have a link for new blog…please send and I will help out chuq
Ether just click on my avatar to get there.. or.. randompontifications.com. I did manage to fix my “comments” problem.
Doug I still get a “Coming Soon” page chuq
Let’s try again… randompontifications.com I get there all the time.
I finally got past the problems…..I will try to get caught up in a couple of days…..good luck with the new site….chuq
When I use the link…I get a security warning chuq
Oh damn.. Pete is right! My comments on my blog have vanished! Time to fix!
Doug all I get is a “Coming soon” page chuq
“Bully” is the best word. chuq
The BBC had a special team working on Trump’s first 100 days. No doubt they will do something similar when Biden takes over. I think it would take more like 100 years for any huge changes in the way America is governed.
Best wishes, Pete.
THe media here does that for every president….like there is something magical about the first 100 days….chuq