Politics

Advice for Democrats

Democrats have the presidency and a slim majority in both houses of Congress. They can control the agenda, but they'll need either full cooperation from their own party, or help from across the aisle, if they want to enact any new legislation. The two previous Democratic presidents pushed ahead with an agenda that apppealed to liberals. In both cases Republicans spent two whole years trying to stall or block all legislative progress. And as a result, the Republicans won a majority of seats in the midterm congressional elections.

My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of
       his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call
       me blessed; 
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of
       their hearts. 

Time Magazine has named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris jointly as their Person of the Year for 2020. In one sense, this is not a big surprise; it's the eighth straight time the winner of the U.S. Presidential election won the honor. The presidency is an influetial position, and the winner of the election can expect to be an influential person.

President-elect Joe Biden has called for a time of healing and has pledged to be a unifier. That's not an easy task in a nation as divided as this one, but Biden is in a position few recent president-elects have been, a position that affords him a better opportunity to achieve this goal: His party is not in full control of the Congress. Not since George H.W. Bush took office in 1988 has a president begun his first term with the Senate in the hands of the opposition party.

If ever there was a perfect time to pass the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, now would be it. As daily protests are held around the world to condemn the smothering of George Floyd by a policeman while other police watched, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan legislation 410 to 4.

As we move closer to November with no solution for the global Covid-19 pandemic, several U.S. states are looking to expand access to mail-in voting. This is greatly concerning to U.S. President Donald Trump. "To really vote, and without fraud, you have to go and you have to vote at the polling place," he said while visiting a Ford factory last week.

Sen. Rand Paul, Who Opposed Coronavirus Relief Bill, Tests Positive reads the headline at the Daily Beast. Paul, the only senator to vote against the $8.3 billion coronavirus research bill earlier this month, is the first senator to test positive for the virus.

about tax rates:

reallocation of resources:

and the role of government:

Susan Cain, in this excerpt from her TED talk "The power of introverts", points to a cultural shift that has implications beyond the introvert/ extrovert dichotomy. The United States has moved from being a society that valued character to a society impressed by salesmanship.