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17 votes
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Just give kids school lunch
34 votes -
What we know about the Washington State man arrested near Barack Obama’s home with hundreds of rounds of ammo
34 votes -
US Supreme Court rejects bid to give lawmakers unchecked power over elections
67 votes -
US Democrats and Republicans share core values but still distrust each other
27 votes -
Alabama town gets first Black mayor, but the previous one won't leave
46 votes -
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg appears likely to stay on as allies struggle to find a replacement for him
10 votes -
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will meet US President Joe Biden, amid speculation that the White House vet her as the first female NATO Secretary-General
10 votes -
Chinese spy balloon flies over the United States: Pentagon
16 votes -
Year of public service, proposal by MD Governor Wes Moore
6 votes -
New Jersey requiring students to learn 'media literacy' to fight 'disinformation'
15 votes -
Pew Research Center's US political typology
7 votes -
The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review: Arms control subdued by military rivalry
10 votes -
California first US state to offer free meals to all public school students
24 votes -
Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in, becomes first Black woman on US Supreme Court
19 votes -
Joe Biden to nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson for US Supreme Court
16 votes -
A funny thing happened on the way to the gerrymander - Democrats may actually gain 2-3 seats on net rather than losing
8 votes -
California’s overflowing coffers hand Gavin Newsom ‘every politician’s dream’
8 votes -
What ‘The Squad’ tells us about progressives’ ability to win voters of color
10 votes -
Biden nearly ended the drone war, and nobody noticed
24 votes -
Congress passes $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, delivering an important part of Joe Biden's congressional agenda to Americans
16 votes -
When I ran for US President, it messed with my head
13 votes -
US President Joe Biden condemns Border Patrol treatment of Haitian migrants, vows agents will face consequences
4 votes -
Gov. Gavin Newsom abolishes most single-family zoning in California
21 votes -
Gavin Newsom signs bills aimed at creating more affordable housing in California
12 votes -
California Governor Gavin Newsom beats back GOP-led recall
29 votes -
New York governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after investigation finds he sexually harassed multiple women
16 votes -
New vote totals show tighter Democratic race for New York City mayor
5 votes -
Far from gone: The evolution of extremism in the first 100 days of the Biden Administration
10 votes -
NYC snow days: Dismay as school snow days cancelled
12 votes -
James Carville on the state of Democratic politics
12 votes -
Walter Mondale, US Vice President of the Jimmy Carter administration and 1984 Democratic candidate for president dies at 93
8 votes -
The US military will fully leave Afghanistan on September 11, twenty years after the 9/11 attacks
16 votes -
Andrew Yang’s Asian American superpower
11 votes -
US and allies to build 'China-free' tech supply chain
9 votes -
Andrew Yang is running for Mayor of New York City
26 votes -
Democratic Sen. Manchin casts doubts on $2,000 direct payments, potentially jeopardizing passage
5 votes -
In Georgia Runoff Elections, (D) Warnock wins vs (R) Loeffler, (D) Ossof very likely wins vs (R) Purdue
Text post because the big news companies are cowards playing it safe and not calling Ossof yet, though it's basically over Warnock makes history with Senate win as Dems near majority (AP News) My...
Text post because the big news companies are
cowardsplaying it safe and not calling Ossof yet, though it's basically overWarnock makes history with Senate win as Dems near majority (AP News)
My takes below:
What does this mean?
This gives Democrats a thin majority in the senate. Does it mean they have free reign? No, the party is not that unified. In particular, as you probably have heard his name many many times now, Manchin, the "conservative Democrat" from WV is likely to be the kingmaker in votes. So it's not like just anything can get passed, and Manchin will not eliminate the filibuster easily.
So is it pointless?
ABSOLUTELY NOT
It's a huge victory nonetheless for Democrats. Remember, with control of the Senate, Chuck Schumer will be Senate Majority Leader, who controls what legislation the senate votes on. Even bipartisan bills were consistently torpedoed by McConnell who would refuse to even have a vote on it. Now, there is politics that can be done - deals, compromise, whatever. If you can't vote on something, nothing can be done. Things that are overall popular like increased stimulus are also going to pass.
Additionally, perhaps an even bigger deal, Biden can get his nominations through for cabinet and judges. There's an insane amount of unfilled heads of state departments right now, and the rest are filled with people absolutely unfit for the job. Having a real human being be the head of the EPA, or Department of Education, or the Department of Energy, and so forth is a big deal.
It also means that Justice Breyer can safely retire and have another "liberal" Justice take his place.
It's not sweeping control over the government, but it's a immensely superior political situation to McConnell stone walling anything he doesn't want, and Biden having to haggle with McConnell over how incompetent his cabinet needs to be.
48 votes -
Stop worrying about upper-class suburbanites
14 votes -
Trump took a wrecking ball to media credibility—can Biden repair it?
7 votes -
Andrew Yang files paperwork to run for New York City mayor
26 votes -
Warnock and Ossoff are testing a new strategy for Democrats in the US south
8 votes -
Dianne Feinstein’s missteps raise a painful age question among US Senate Democrats
15 votes -
Who was American politician Ross Perot, and what if he won in 1992?
11 votes -
The Trump administration is clearing the way for the start of President-elect Joe Biden's transition, despite Donald Trump vowing to keep up election fight
30 votes -
Why former US President Barack Obama fears for our democracy
11 votes -
Joe Biden's apt US speech
8 votes -
Biden wins — pretty convincingly in the end
46 votes -
As Joe Biden wins the US election and transitions to president-elect, US allies and other nations react to the shift
17 votes -
FBI busts militia 'plot' to abduct Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
38 votes