Hotter, Badder, and Unpopularer Takes

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

In all of the discussions of the failures of Sanders and Warren (but especially Sanders) Atlas hasn't spent nearly enough time discussing how the 2020 primaries have been an absolute vindication of IceSpear's/Mizzouian's (RIP FF)/TrendsAreReal's mockery of the " populist" narrative.

What happened to IceSpear anyways? I miss him

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Unity in this country isn't going to happen anytime soon, and the only solution (arguably, from either side's perspective) is total political domination for a generation or more, until the opposition spends so much time in the majority's shadow that they stop bitterly contesting every single election as if their lives depended on it. I'm not saying it's possible for either side right now, just that it needs to happen for things to cool down. It feels weird to say but, American elections are too competitive. The closeness of so many elections, most importantly the presidency, means each party believes if they just "fight harder," they can win. For the GOP, a party that has been embracing anti-democratic principles for years now, that also means pulling up the ladders as they climb, making sure that their power is locked in, even if that means engaging in tactics that are tantamount to rigging elections. That shouldn't be that surprising though, considering conservatives have a long and storied history of subverting democracy to cling to power.

I get that Biden or any other sane president has to make some sort of appeal to the idea of unity and coming together, because many people believe or at least want to believe that we can just "come together." But the fact is, Republicans literally think Biden stole an election from them, and they believe this despite there not being any evidence. They literally just stormed the Capitol building to actually try and steal the election for Trump. A disturbingly large minority of conservatives also believe some or all of the Q conspiracy that Democrats and the elite are cannibal pedophiles who are eating children. Exactly what is there here that gives one even the slightest impression that "unity" is possible? Or even more, what makes anyone think "bipartisanship" is ever going to be a thing over the next decade? McConnell is already back to full-blown obstruction and we are just two days in. It's never going to happen. There is not going to be any holding hands singing Kumbaya at the end of this story.

Biden must reach out to conservatives on some concrete policy issues otherwise he will disappoint some of his voters. I did not vote for Joe Biden for him to be the most leftwing President ever on every issue. There are some leftwing policy proposals I like, and some I do not. I don't hold some conservative policy positions because I "hate the country" or "want to rule the country" or "want to hurt people"... I hold them because I think they would genuinely make America better if they were to be implemented.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Unity in this country isn't going to happen anytime soon, and the only solution (arguably, from either side's perspective) is total political domination for a generation or more, until the opposition spends so much time in the majority's shadow that they stop bitterly contesting every single election as if their lives depended on it. I'm not saying it's possible for either side right now, just that it needs to happen for things to cool down. It feels weird to say but, American elections are too competitive. The closeness of so many elections, most importantly the presidency, means each party believes if they just "fight harder," they can win. For the GOP, a party that has been embracing anti-democratic principles for years now, that also means pulling up the ladders as they climb, making sure that their power is locked in, even if that means engaging in tactics that are tantamount to rigging elections. That shouldn't be that surprising though, considering conservatives have a long and storied history of subverting democracy to cling to power.

I get that Biden or any other sane president has to make some sort of appeal to the idea of unity and coming together, because many people believe or at least want to believe that we can just "come together." But the fact is, Republicans literally think Biden stole an election from them, and they believe this despite there not being any evidence. They literally just stormed the Capitol building to actually try and steal the election for Trump. A disturbingly large minority of conservatives also believe some or all of the Q conspiracy that Democrats and the elite are cannibal pedophiles who are eating children. Exactly what is there here that gives one even the slightest impression that "unity" is possible? Or even more, what makes anyone think "bipartisanship" is ever going to be a thing over the next decade? McConnell is already back to full-blown obstruction and we are just two days in. It's never going to happen. There is not going to be any holding hands singing Kumbaya at the end of this story.

Biden must reach out to conservatives on some concrete policy issues otherwise he will disappoint some of his voters. I did not vote for Joe Biden for him to be the most leftwing President ever on every issue. There are some leftwing policy proposals I like, and some I do not. I don't hold some conservative policy positions because I "hate the country" or "want to rule the country" or "want to hurt people"... I hold them because I think they would genuinely make America better if they were to be implemented.

What conservative policy position would make America better? Genuinely curious. America is as close to a conservative wet dream of a country as you could possibly want, and in many regards this renders it unfunctional.

This is a mix of economic conservative and socially conservative policies that I think would make America better:

- Deregulate housing and zoning laws (especially in states like California)
- Change regulations for who get the vaccines; stop making it so restrictive for people to get vaccines. If people want to get a vaccine, let them get it through a lottery system. California has thrown away 55% of its vaccines because they are wasting time trying to give it to the "right people" (vulnerable populations)
- End a lot of COVID regulations that shut down businesses. Most spread happens elsewhere
- End the federal student loan program and completely privatize it, it completely sucks as a government run program
- Start to slightly reduce military spending
- Weaken police unions
- Weaken teacher unions in states like NJ/CA. End tenure
- Reduce education spending in California / New Jersey / New York until they reopen schools
- Regulate social media like a drug; it's harming society
- Protect gun rights
- Protect churches from being shut down by discriminatory measures https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/covid-restrictions-religious-institutions-were-discriminatory-supreme-court-did-its-ncna1251492
- Additional tariffs on China
- Keeping out of the WHO until it has new leadership
- Occupational licensing reform