No, seriously. Have any of y’all read this shit? I can feel my brain leaking out of my ears, I don’t even know where to start. To say that this is some bullshit is such an understatement. In fact, I’m getting so fucking angry even thinking about how insanely bad this shit is, I just keep typing about it while not explaining anything or adding anything meaningful to the discussion. So here, if you want to feel visceral rage, observe the immense amount of bullshit spewing out of this cursed fucking “environmentalism” page: https://joebiden.com/clean-energy/
I’m so sorry Jesus fucking Christ I’m going to blow my fucking brains out in minecraft
Y'know what, I was gonna go through and pick out some dumb stuff to dunk on, but I can't be fucked. Instead I'm gonna see how many times they squeezed "china bad" into this ONE section of his platform:
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, he ignored public health experts, praised the Chinese government
Note that "praising the Chinese government" is just dropped as if it's bad on its own merits - no reason is given why praising them was bad.
[Trump] has held back American workers from leading the world on clean energy, giving China and other countries a free pass to outcompete us
[Trump] has allowed China to race ahead in the competition to lead the auto industry of the future
(This next one is a twofer!)
China is on track to command more than four times the global market share compared to the U.S. in electric vehicle production, even as the Chinese government’s approach threatens to slow down or set back the long-term prospects of clean vehicle innovation.
Biden will vigorously enforce trade rules in response to currency manipulation, overcapacity, and Chinese government abuses in this sector
This isn't his foreign policy platform. It's his "clean energy" platform. And they managed to get six references to China being an evil enemy to be overcome, and that Trump is somehow soft on China, in there.
Because having an incompetent ghoul destroy the American empire is perfect for them.
Yeah, any way this turns out there's going to be massive instability, and for an expansionist empire having the "Sick old man" of the planet balkanizing and clawing at itself is good for you. Power vacuums are delicious.
Jeesus thats som insane bullshit.
even as the Chinese government’s approach threatens to slow down or set back the long-term prospects of clean vehicle innovation.
How? explain how? is it just because china bad? they already outcompeted your insanely corrupt capitalist auto companies, how are they setting back the long term prospects? Fuck america can't even build an EV without pumping billions into some apartheid family's shitty business. And their cars keep exploding!
These are also horrible:
[Trump] has held back American workers from leading the world on clean energy, giving China and other countries a free pass to outcompete us
[Trump] has allowed China to race ahead in the competition to lead the auto industry of the future
You weren't out competed in the last 3 years, this has been going on for decades at least, US auto is constantly getting bailed out, anyone remember the obama years at all? and what less than 4 years later and all the US auto manufactures just got completely played again.
The clean energy remark is just as bad, the entire US political system over the last 2 decades chose to start burning biomass (aka the forrests) instead of really addressing the problem and building actual clean energy like solar and wind. But it's all orange mand bad's fault.
I found this one funny:
Accelerate research on battery technology and support the development of domestic production capabilities. The Chinese government, along with other countries, has used state subsidies and industrial strategies to advance its interests.
:face screaming in fear: How could they? Using public money for renewable energy research and development, that's horrible!
Trying to read this is like trying to grip a lubed up steel ball. My eyes just slide off it. What eldritch centrist horror is this
Has anyone actually read Biden’s policies?
No, but neither has he.
Also I'm laughing so hard at the fact that the first three paragraphs mention Biden once and Trump four times. Beyond parody.
I noticed while reading the first half of this page that a lot of what they were saying was vague, and could easily be a roundabout way of saying "we're going to throw a lot of government money at a bunch of big corporations if they pinky-promise to do some "sustainable" projects".
And then in the second half they just said that again, but explicitly this time.
I was also dismayed to sea that there appear to be no plans included for cleaning up the oceans, because after reading this I have decided I'm going to throw myself in one.
Actually, I'm going to add another comment on to this, because it strikes me that the most disconcerting sentence on that page by far is the very last one:
"And, Biden will establish a new Environmental and Climate Justice Division within the Justice Department, as proposed by Governor Inslee, to complement the work of the Environment and Natural Resources Division and hold polluters accountable."
Mainly, because it's literally the only sentence on the entire page that deals with holding polluters accountable. It seems to me that any serious effort to combat climate change while maintaining a capitalist economy (which unfortunately, is probably going to stay around for a while, so we should also seriously consider this subject) should consist of two very difficult endeavours.
The first spans the entirety of the rest of this page, and concerns the creation of a sustainable, green infrastructure, which I'm using as a pretty all-encompassing concept here.
The second, equally important and challenging endeavour is to create a strict set of rules within which any company can operate sustainably, and to find a way to make sure companies actually follow those rules. So far, governments around the world have been trying to do that by imposing fines and to put it bluntly, the effectiveness of that has been fuck all. Companies will either find ways to make more money from breaking rules than the sum of any fines imposed, or simply move their operations to places where the rules are less strict.
If no serious solutions for this second problem are found, it pretty much doesn't matter how good the first half of your plan is (and Biden's plan is NOT good). To Biden's team, finding a way to do this is literally a one-sentence afterthought.
any serious effort to combat climate change while maintaining a capitalist economy (which unfortunately, is probably going to stay around for a while, so we should also seriously consider this subject)
I've thought about that a lot. If we assume a capitalist economy, shouldn't we just push for 100% renewable (+nuke) power generation + having all ICE cars off the road by 2030, and call it a day? I suppose also include something in there about helping the rest of the world achieve the same?
I'm not an expert on climate change but I do have a Bachelor's in mechanical engineering, which gives me some insight into how a lot of industries work. Pretty much the entire materials industry (I.e. production of metals, polymers ceramics for use in other products) is pretty terrible for the environment, and the solution to fix that isn't as clear cut. Recycling helps but the truth is that pretty much every industry pollutes, and the answer to that pollution is rarely as simple as it is when it comes to clean energy production. What's needed is a fundamental shift in how we produce basically everything, and that costs money, and if we want to do it smoothly, that takes time. We do not have that time, so the conclusion to draw here is that a) we should have started decades ago and b) combating climate change cannot be a set policies set to the side, but should rather be the driving force behind our entire economic vision (see also: the Green New Deal).
I'd also like to point out that helping the rest of the world to achieve the same is a rather significant problem to have as an afterthought.
Lol, taking Inslee's lead on holding anyone to account. When he decreed a shutdown of all non-essential businesses some of us wondered what would happen to the employers that just, you know, ignored it. Honor system.
Business closures must happen 48 hours after Inslee signs the order.
. . .
All grocery stores, pharmacies, childcare facilities, gas stations, food supply chains and other things that offer people basic, crucial needs will remain open. Inslee expects businesses and residents to voluntarily comply.
gotta love the incessant sinophobia in a climate change platform
definitely not like trump, nope
The whole zero emissions by 2050 is so fucking vacuous. Vacuous slogan if I ever saw one. You think they did the maths and were like "ahh by my calculations Dec 31st 2050 exactly we will be emission free." not fucking 2049? No?
Like man, the DNC have no responsibility for that Biden is going to be dead in his tenure and the DNC has no responsibility for whatever a senile man said 30 years ago. Even if it isn't just a slogan GOP will be in power half the time and roll it back.
Why not just say "75% of our energy is going to be green by 8 years" that's actually attainable, we can hold that to account on a yearly basis of 12.5% and you can budget that for your tenure.
It's also because the Democrats don't actually want to save the environment. Their donors are the people destroying it.
Compare this to the Green New Deal bill: https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hres109/BILLS-116hres109ih.pdf
At first, these sound pretty similar. They both identify major problems with how we're handling climate change, and have some similar timelines, and are both a bit light on implementation details. Which raises the question, why doesn't Biden just say he supports the Green New Deal?
( C ) providing resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all people of the United States, with a focus on frontline and vulnerable communities, so that all people of the United States may be full and equal participants in the Green New Deal mobilization;
Oh
( H ) guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States;
Oh I think I found why he doesn't support it you guys
I read all the candidate's policy pages back during the primary. It's nice sometimes to daydream about a world where considered analysis of policy platforms are how we make decisions.
Biden's platform has always been particularly light on actually standing for or saying anything. Back during the primary he said "union jobs" a lot (Fun fact! This is literally the only good thing about Biden), but apparently that's grown to the point of self-parody now. Wow look at how many times he says union on this page. Also, I'd like to point out that every time Biden says "union job" it's in the context of someone you can imagine having to wash an oil stain out of their clothes. Like, those are the only jobs that can unionize I guess.
I don't know if you got all the way to the actual policy portion of the page you linked, but his green energy plan involves creating new jobs in the US auto industry. So read that to die instantly I guess.
If you really cared about union jobs, you would abolish the right to work and anti union laws Joe.
Yeah, when I said "says union jobs" is the only good thing about Biden, I really meant it. Mentioning unions and implying they're good is a good thing. If he was going to actually do something about it then he might even get two whole good things.
Also the word "union" does not instantly make something good, cops have unions, the AFL-CIO exists.
All he's saying is "I'll make sure your manufacturing jobs have an optional union by giving tax credits to your employer!"
I assume it's all lies so I haven't bothered. I'm not sure I could take anything he says in good faith.
Technically a lot of it is so vague that it's nearly impossible for it to be a lie. "We will endeavour to begin to transform the economy towards a greener paradigm by the year 2050" is pretty unfalsifiable, and 90% of the page is roughly that vague.
Why would anyone read anything a politcian says about anything?
Politicians do pop culture. Donors do politics. John Malone is our president.
Why do they keep saying the plan will be "setting us on an irreversible course"? Has that phrase ever been followed by anything positive?
if there's anything I know about capitalism and electoralism, it's that a 15-year plan for the future is DEFINITELY AND COMPLETELY REVERSIBLE
joe biden's clone (the other biden) will rise to power immediately following biden's inaugural/death term
the other biden is programmed not to rest until, in his own words, "these curious celestials are dealt with"
He’s referencing his use of the f word that accidentally was caught on mic. But given his mental gaffes recently, that’s not a great lead.
Biden will make sure that America has the cleanest, safest, and fastest rail system in the world — for both passengers and freight. His rail revolution will...
Biden's a train gang vanguardist, TIL. Anyway, obviously the website only exists to point to and say, "Look! We're the most progressive candidates ever!" And when the time comes, we'll dutifully wag our fingers at those darned Republicans and blame them when we get nothing done. We'll have tried our best, but we have a robust system of checks and balances in this country that inexplicably only functions when we're the ones in power.
And, as called for in his plan to strengthen worker organizing, collective bargaining, and unions, Biden will require that companies receiving procurement contracts are using taxpayer dollars to support good American jobs, including a commitment to pay at least $15 per hour, provide paid leave, maintain fair overtime and scheduling practices, and guarantee a choice to join a union and bargain collectively.
As part of his historic commitment to increasing procurement investments, Biden will make a major federal commitment to purchase clean vehicles for federal, state, tribal, postal, and local fleets, making sure that we retain the critical union jobs involved in running and maintaining these fleets. By providing an immediate, clear, and stable source of demand, this procurement commitment will help to dramatically accelerate American industrial capacity to produce clean vehicles and components, while accelerating the upgrade of the 3 million vehicles in these fleets.
So the government is going to buy shit from private corporations and tell those corporations to pay their employers at least $15 an hour and "guarantee a choice to join a union." Also implies he won't support a national $15 minimum wage. Everything else is just a bunch of vague nonsense that means nothing.
Listen here, Jacker. I don't need policy to know what my gut tells me.
