# Joe Biden would be an ineffective president who would accomplish very little, if anything. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 8, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102 "2020-03-08T14:09:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/81 "2020-03-09T19:08:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The only president I can think of that Biden (or Sanders) needs to not follow is the one by Johnson when he pardoned Nixon. But I do not see anyone who isn’t a Republican pardoning Trump. president ≠ precedent Lyndon Johnson ≠ Gerald Ford HTH. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/82 "2020-03-09T19:21:13Z")
> [@2ManyTacos](#): > > I am dubious about that. The GOP stole a SCOTUS seat and were rewarded with total government control a year later. Similarly, they confirmed a credibly accused sexual assaulter to SCOTUS and were rewarded with an expanded Senate majority in the 2018 midterms. No SCOTUS seats were stolen. Keeping beating that dead horse, that will certainly help. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/83 "2020-03-09T19:29:01Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > No SCOTUS seats were stolen. Keeping beating that dead horse, that will certainly help. Mitch? Mitch, is that you, you old so-and-so…!! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/84 "2020-03-09T19:38:46Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > No SCOTUS seats were stolen. Keeping beating that dead horse, that will certainly help. _Technically_ correct. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/85 "2020-03-09T19:48:02Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > The difference this time around is that we are running out of time to turn the climate change trend around and we’re getting awfully close to passing the point of no return, which means many of us are dealing with the reality that our great grandkids are likely to die screaming on a burning planet and yeah, that does tend to reduce our civility just a tad. The Firebug would be 93 when the 22nd century begins, so I’m not thinking about my great-grandkids (if any should come to pass); I’m thinking about my **son**. Necessary conditions for the Dems to actually DO something about climate change: 1. Win the Presidency 2. Win the Senate 3. Kill the filibuster Maryland doesn’t have its primary until April 28. I will vote for whichever of these two bozos says something equivalent to, “As President, I will send Congress an aggressive plan to combat global warming. If the Democrats win the Senate this fall, and Mitch McConnell filibusters our climate legislation, I’ll work with Sen. Schumer to convince his caucus that the filibuster must end - that we must not be prevented from saving the planet from global warming by an arcane Senate tradition.” As far as I can tell, NEITHER of these two bozos has said anything like that. If that remains the case, I’ll be voting for Warren, and I don’t care that she’s dropped out, because **it won’t fucking matter** which of these bozos wins the nomination, even if the winner is guaranteed to win the Presidency. Excuse me, I’ve got to go work for another 45 minutes, then I can go get drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/86 "2020-03-09T20:13:47Z")
It’s vanishingly unlikely that Democrats will have 50 votes to abolish the filibuster regardless of the position of the President. The filibuster does need to be abolished but it will happen when Democrats have a substantial buffer of at least 5-6 seats and also a President who strongly opposes the filibuster and who has won by fairly large margin and is popular in purple states. At best Republican obstructionism will intensify Democratic opposition to the filibuster so that if/when they win like 2008 they will be in a position to do something. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/87 "2020-03-09T20:27:55Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Necessary conditions for the Dems to actually DO something about climate change: > > 1. Win the Presidency > 2. Win the Senate > 3. Kill the filibuster You forgot the least likely step of all - 1. Start building a lot of new nuclear energy plants. Elizabeth Warren isn’t going to do that, Bernie Sanders isn’t going to do that, and Joe Biden only mentions nuclear energy once in his plan - calling for “small modular nuclear reactors at half the construction cost of today’s reactors”. There are none under construction in the US, none under planning, and > [@](#): > > A 2009 assessment by the IAEA under its Innovative Nuclear Power Reactors & Fuel Cycle (INPRO) programme concluded that there could be 96 small modular reactors (SMRs) in operation around the world by 2030 in its ‘high’ case, and 43 units in the ‘low’ case, [none of them in the USA](https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/small-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx). Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/88 "2020-03-09T20:41:36Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > It’s vanishingly unlikely that Democrats will have 50 votes to abolish the filibuster regardless of the position of the President. The filibuster does need to be abolished but it will happen when Democrats have a substantial buffer of at least 5-6 seats and also a President who strongly opposes the filibuster and who has won by fairly large margin and is popular in purple states. At best Republican obstructionism will intensify Democratic opposition to the filibuster so that if/when they win like 2008 they will be in a position to do something. I am going to hope this turns out to be false. If not, we’re screwed if the Dems win in 2020, end of story: they win in 2020, don’t get anything done, 2022 is another 2010/1994-style wipeout, and there goes the decade. One reason I’m strongly leaning towards Biden is that, IF he comes to his senses, he’s more likely than Bernie to be able to persuade the 50th most liberal Senator to vote to kill the filibuster. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/89 "2020-03-09T20:54:08Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > 1. Start building a lot of new nuclear energy plants. You’re confusing “necessary condition for doing something about climate change” with “what to do about climate change once the necessary conditions are met.” Now that that’s out of the way, I **strongly** agree with you that we ought to be doing exactly that, and it’s really my only major objection to Warren’s proposed policies. Every objection to nuclear power I’ve ever heard of pales before the threat of runaway global warming. And we can get to carbon-free electricity a lot faster with nuclear power than without it. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/90 "2020-03-09T21:35:12Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > What an incredibly bad plan! We will elect President Placeholder until we can come up with a stronger future candidate and some kind of actual program plans. > … > Out of a large pool of Democratic candidates we now have the most senior, old white guy of the party, who doesn’t even seem to know why he is running. > > That is just a great strategy. “President Placeholder” is the only option if you elect somebody with no chance of a second term. That applies to Biden and Sanders, and Trump will only have one more term if he wins, unless he really flips out and declares himself El Presidente for life. I decline to speculate on that possibility. But where is this “large pool of Democratic candidates?” Better yet, a pool of viable candidates who might get elected. Post-Obama, the Democrats have been unable to find anyone with experience, charisma and principles. Instead, in 2016 they put up Hillary, who is clearly not that popular with the electorate, and this time round it is pretty much down to the old folks home. So add to the wish list a candidate young enough to reliably last two terms. Or is is the preference for old men due to Chinese influence? One possibility is that the USA is now in for two or even three one-term presidents. The scenario; the Democrats win, the geriatric POTUS staggers on the end of his term before nature takes his course, but after a lackluster term a Republican gets in for 2024. Rinse and repeat in 2028 when the Democrats somehow rustle up a passable candidate who gets the nod. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/91 "2020-03-09T22:12:39Z")
> [@2ManyTacos](#): > > It absolutely comes down to whether a Biden administration could induce a Democratic reclaiming of the Senate, which I am dubious about because a Biden-led ticket will inspire less enthusiasm from younger voters. Biden voters are more dependable because they don’t need to work up enthusiasm in order to vote. They just go out and vote on schedule. It’s something you do like getting your oil changed. ---
**Author:** ![2ManyTacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/3da27b/32.png) [@2ManyTacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ManyTacos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/92 "2020-03-09T22:29:14Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I don’t know how you can be so sure about what Biden will fail to do, but I’m willing to grant it, for the sake of argument. > > Is it your position then, that Sanders will have more success in down ballot elections? Based on what evidence? What is Sanders’ record in helping down ballot Democratic candidates? Compare and contrast it to that of Biden. I mean, the polls until Biden’s recent surge were all in rough agreement that he and Bernie were both equally likely to beat Trump. Whether those likelihoods translate into a better chance for Biden to produce superior general election Democratic coattails is debatable. This thread isn’t meant to handicap the ‘electability’ debate, but I just think that there are real vulnerabilities to candidate Biden (just look at his track record on supporting Social Security cuts!) that many Democrats are papering over right now. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/93 "2020-03-09T22:33:09Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > _Technically_ correct. Technically incorrect. No President (or political Party) is owed a seat on the SCOTUS. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/94 "2020-03-09T22:45:50Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > So we will see: > > His taxes, in full. What makes you believe this? The only way this happens is if the new administration illegally leaks the information. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/95 "2020-03-09T22:48:09Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Technically incorrect. No President (or political Party) is owed a seat on the SCOTUS. The President gets mentioned in the constitution as the person who nominates supreme court justices. But you nailed it with the political parties bit. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/96 "2020-03-09T22:57:05Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > The President gets mentioned in the constitution as the person who nominates supreme court justices. But you nailed it with the political parties bit. Nominates, yes. Garland wasn’t confirmed. Nothing incorrect about that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/97 "2020-03-09T23:21:19Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > No SCOTUS seats were stolen. Keeping beating that dead horse, that will certainly help. True. Mitch did insult the Constitution and the Democratic party, for sure, but the GOP had enough votes anyway to kill the nomination. Mitch just wanted to show how powerful he was. Payback is a bitch, Mitch. Just remember that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/98 "2020-03-09T23:26:55Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > … If that remains the case, I’ll be voting for Warren, and I don’t care that she’s dropped out, because **it won’t fucking matter** which of these bozos wins the nomination, even if the winner is guaranteed to win the Presidency. > > … Yes it will matter, since at least the Dems agree that Global warming is a problem and we have to do _something_, whereas the GOP “doesnt believe in it”- like it’s something that will go away if you close your eyes and wish hard. Before we can do anything about global warming we must: 1. Win the Presidency 2. Win the Senate There is no step 3 without steps 1&2. A dem candidate can promise anything, but job 1 is the first step. We can do NOTHING without a democrat in the White House. To some extent, with executive orders the president can at least do something. So, if you care about Global warming, then\*\* Job 1\*\*. Nothing else matters. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/99 "2020-03-09T23:32:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes it will matter, since at least the Dems agree that Global warming is a problem and we have to do _something_, whereas the GOP “doesnt believe in it”- like it’s something that will go away if you close your eyes and wish hard. I think he means between Biden and Sanders, not between either one of them and Trump. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102/100 "2020-03-09T23:39:57Z")
> [@Brayne\_Ded](#): > > … > But where is this “large pool of Democratic candidates?” Better yet, a pool of viable candidates who might get elected. Post-Obama, the Democrats have been unable to find anyone with experience, charisma and principles. Instead, in 2016 they put up Hillary, who is clearly not that popular with the electorate, and this time round it is pretty much down to the old folks home. … Beto: 48 Gabbard: 38 Buttigieg: 38 Gillibrand:53 Harris: 56 Stacey Abrams: 47 (very likely Bidens Veep) And at the start of her run, Hillary was quite popular, it was only after ceaseless attacks by the GOP, Kremlin and Bernie Bros that she dropped so much. > **[Stacey Abrams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacey_Abrams)** > > Stacey Yvonne Abrams (/ˈeɪbrəmz/; born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, serving as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Abrams founded Fair Fight Action, an organization to address voter suppression, in 2018. Her efforts have been widely credited with boosting voter turnout in Georgia, including in the 2020 presidential election, whe Abra... and it aint "_the democrats’_ it’s the \*voters. \* The voters seem to want age this time. Hell, remember trump is 73. We dont hear the GOP saying “old folks home”, for some reason it’s only people who allege to be liberal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-biden-would-be-an-ineffective-president-who-would-accomplish-very-little-if-anything/849102.md?page=6)