# The Biden Administration - the first 1,500 days \[NOT an Afghanistan discussion\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 8, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057 "2020-11-08T15:09:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/501 "2021-03-21T05:07:41Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > This is Biden’s and Democrats big test on what a humane border policy would look like. What should be done? [One idea was suggested](https://www.npr.org/2021/03/10/975758760/the-border-is-not-open-biden-administration-seeks-foreign-aid-to-slow-migration), > [@](#): > > The Biden administration is making a new push to address the causes of migration from Central America as it faces a surge at the southern border. President Biden wants “explicit commitments” from Central American governments that they are fighting corruption as part of that effort. Therefore, his administration’s proposed $4 billion in U.S. aid to the region wouldn’t go to government leaders if approved by Congress, but to communities and international organizations to address economic opportunity, climate change mitigation, inequality and violence. bolding mine Helping people and getting at the root of a problem seem to be things beyond Republican imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/502 "2021-03-21T17:24:03Z")
They lost their jobs because MJ is illegal under Federal law. Not much Biden could do I’d think. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/503 "2021-03-24T10:52:54Z")
First thing to keep in mind is, [there is no border crisis](https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1374165490696863745). Is there an uptick of border crossings? Yes. It started last summer, and still pales next to the 2019 surge that didn’t make the news. This is a ‘crisis’ the GQP drummed up to distract people from all the good things the Biden Administration is doing. They rolled the ball, and all the networks and other media chased it. There is a problem in that a lot of unaccompanied children are crossing the border. The former guy left Biden a serious humanitarian problem with the way those kids were being warehoused. It would have taken time to find decent places to house these kids, and now more of them are coming over. It’s a humanitarian and a logistical problem, and it’ll probably take time for Biden’s people to deal with it in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![yarblek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yarblek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yarblek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/504 "2021-03-24T11:04:32Z")
If there is no crisis, why did they close the border? > Mayorkas said “the border is closed” and that the U.S. was expelling families and adults… > **[Biden DHS chief says 'border is closed' but U.S. won't expel children](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/21/dhs-mayorkas-border-closed-children-477361)** > > Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas blamed former President Donald Trump for having "dismantled the orderly, humane and efficient way" of dealing with the migrant children. Seems like a crisis to me. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/505 "2021-03-24T11:43:19Z")
> [@yarblek](#): > > Seems like a crisis to me. What would be the dire consequences if they did nothing? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/506 "2021-03-24T11:56:52Z")
Moving on, Manchin and Sinema [are both on board](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/23/democrats-moderates-minimum-wage-477651) for a $11 minimum wage. And from earlier remarks of Manchin’s, and from what Sinema says at the link, it sounds like that would be $11 now or by next year - and the plan for $15 would have raised the minimum to $9.50 immediately, and to $11 next year. So it sounds to me like the Dem leadership ought to take this and run with it. The tipped wage is also a point of dispute. Manchin, Shaheen, and some others only want to take it to 50% of the minimum wage, rather than making it the same minimum wage as everyone else. I’m not happy about that, but $5.50 \> $2.13, so I still think this is one of those ‘you take what you can get’ situations. Improve things for now, hopefully hold the House and pick up a couple of Senate seats in 2022, then finish the job on the minimum wage in 2023. ---
**Author:** ![yarblek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yarblek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yarblek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/507 "2021-03-24T12:26:15Z")
So I guess the answer to my question, which you didn’t answer, is yes? Or in case you missed it: why did they close the border if there is no crisis? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/508 "2021-03-24T12:28:23Z")
> [@yarblek](#): > > So I guess the answer to my question, which you didn’t answer, is yes? What was your yes-or-no question that I didn’t answer? And will you answer mine? Because without dire consequences of doing nothing, THERE IS NO CRISIS. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/509 "2021-03-24T12:28:45Z")
> [@yarblek](#): > > Or in case you missed it: why did they close the border if there is no crisis? Because they’re trying to fix the chaotic mess they were left by the previous administration? ---
**Author:** ![yarblek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yarblek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yarblek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/511 "2021-03-24T12:34:12Z")
Correct. Yet, RTFirefly claimed that “there is no border crisis”, which is false, otherwise, why would they need to close the border? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/512 "2021-03-24T12:44:17Z")
It’s not a “crisis” in the sense that “MASSES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE FLOODING OVER THE BORDER NOW THAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE OPENED IT UP TO EVERYONE” as many right-wing sources are claiming. It’s a “crisis” in the sense that the system for handling asylum seekers has been so utterly fucked up that it needs to be rebuilt before it’s capable of handling the level of traffic it used to, and temporary fixes have had to be implemented in the interim. Or to provide a rough analogy: we’ve discovered that we’ve been driving on a flat tire and are currently using one of those little spares until we can get a new proper tire and check the alignment. But the claims by hysterical idiots that we have been carjacked and the car is now on fire are not accurate. ---
**Author:** ![yarblek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yarblek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yarblek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/513 "2021-03-24T12:51:17Z")
Seems like they are not doing much. > [@](#): > > Local officials and community leaders along the border say their main message to Washington is: Less politics, more actual change. So far this time, they say, they’ve managed to hold chaos at bay. But they worry the situation is getting out of control as the number of migrants swells and conditions worsen accordingly at U.S. Border Patrol facilities. They insist it’s way past time for leaders in Washington to come up with long-term solutions that will help create better conditions in the migrants’ home countries and allow those that still want to come to the U.S. to enter via a smooth and fair process. > > “There’s no question Donald Trump’s strategy was inhumane, brutal and un-American,” said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), who represents a border district. “ **But what we’re doing now is also a failure**.” > **[‘The crisis is in Washington’: Overwhelmed border officials urge D.C. to act](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/20/us-mexico-border-immigration-crisis-477277)** > > There’s a surge of migrants at the border. Local officials are holding back the chaos. But, they say, Washington needs to do something bold. Now. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/514 "2021-03-24T13:01:54Z")
covid has closed both borders. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/515 "2021-03-24T16:15:52Z")
> [@yarblek](#): > > They insist it’s way past time for leaders in Washington to come up with long-term solutions that will help create better conditions in the migrants’ home countries and allow those that still want to come to the U.S. to enter via a smooth and fair process. (Quoted by yarblek, not said by yarblek.) That’s certainly true. But “long-term solutions”, even if not blocked by Republicans, will take some time to put into effect. Being furious at Biden for not having fixed the situation instantly seems likely to be counterproductive. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/516 "2021-03-25T02:32:48Z")
OMG, socialism is here. > **[Opinion | Biden Plots a Revolution for America’s Children (Published 2021)](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/opinion/biden-child-poverty.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage)** > > National pre-K and affordable day care don’t have to be a dream. They’ll have to wear state-issued diapers and have numbers tattooed on their arms-- FROM BIRTH. They’ll be taken from their parents and raised by Bill Gates’s robots in group homes. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/517 "2021-03-25T14:39:09Z")
> **[Biden’s closest Senate ally emerges as a shadow secretary of state](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/24/chris-coons-biden-foreign-policy-477789)** > > The president dispatched Sen. Chris Coons to Ethiopia recently for an urgent diplomatic mission. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/518 "2021-03-25T16:29:34Z")
Biden getting ready for his first live press conference… I’m in a zoom class, not available to watch. Anyone who cares to, please give a review. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/519 "2021-03-26T02:31:33Z")
> **[Opinion | Biden excels at his first news conference. The media embarrass...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/25/biden-excels-his-first-news-conference-media-embarrass-themselves/)** > > Reporters have shown why these events are an utter waste of the president’s time. > … > Try as they might to seem “tough,” the media did not succeed in knocking Biden off message. Biden spoke in great detail and length to show not only his mastery of the issues but also to suck tension and conflict out of the room. > … > > The media did not distinguish themselves. By asking about immigration multiple times and echoing the false narrative that Biden had created a “surge," they showed they were more interested in sound bites than actual news. Their failure to ask about the pandemic, the recession, anti-Asian violence, climate change or even infrastructure (Biden had to bring it up himself) was nothing short of irresponsible. They pleaded for a news conference and then showed themselves to be unserious. They never laid a glove on Biden; they did, however, make the case for why these events are an utter waste of the president’s time. This columnist seems to think that the goal of a Presidential press conference is to bully the President into embarrassing himself or at least catch him in a Big Lie. If they don’t try to do that, they’re failing at their jobs. Another columnist somewhere complained that there was nothing especially newsworthy at this presser. Uh, maybe that’s because the Biden administration has been holding DAILY briefings and keeping the media informed? Nah, it’s no fun being a reporter unless the President is insulting another head of state, getting into a pissing match with someone, or pulling the US out of an international organization. Biden is doing what I wanted: making the Presidency boring again. (Not that the issues facing him are boring-- far from it. But he is not sensationalizing them to feed his own ego.) ETA: like this– > **[Opinion | The most impressive part of Biden’s news conference? He has a plan...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/25/bidens-news-conference-was-pretty-boring-thats-just-fine/)** > > The president has a plan, and he intends to stick with it. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/520 "2021-03-26T03:49:32Z")
There have been numerous days over the past two months where I haven’t thought about Biden at all. Man, does that feel good after the previous four years. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057/521 "2021-03-26T04:45:33Z")
There was a moment in the press conference where he said something like “I’m going to say something crazy” followed by him saying something that didn’t sound crazy at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057.md?page=27)