Biden/Harris Legislative/Policy Discussions - Now with a Republican House starting 2023

[TheGreatBuzz]

So had an idea today that I want to float.  In order to get a handful of GOP support for things like voting rights or infrastructure (probably the former because you can tie it in with “rights”), what if the Dems offered to let non-violent felons get their gun rights back.  From what I understand, Dems in general support restoring felons rights though it is usually focused on voting.  The GOP would get to claim a huge win on one of their cornerstone issues.  Hell, let the GOP even be the ones to introduce that amendment to the original bill.

 

Thoughts?

[bearrock]

2 minutes ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

So had an idea today that I want to float.  In order to get a handful of GOP support for things like voting rights or infrastructure (probably the former because you can tie it in with “rights”), what if the Dems offered to let non-violent felons get their gun rights back.  From what I understand, Dems in general support restoring felons rights though it is usually focused on voting.  The GOP would get to claim a huge win on one of their cornerstone issues.  Hell, let the GOP even be the ones to introduce that amendment to the original bill.

 

Thoughts?

 

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.  And I would even be willing to do it within the context of gun reform, even if for modest measures like universal background check, mandatory waiting period, mandatory training, and nationwide red flag laws.  

[PleaseBlitz]

25 minutes ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

So had an idea today that I want to float.  In order to get a handful of GOP support for things like voting rights or infrastructure (probably the former because you can tie it in with “rights”), what if the Dems offered to let non-violent felons get their gun rights back.  From what I understand, Dems in general support restoring felons rights though it is usually focused on voting.  The GOP would get to claim a huge win on one of their cornerstone issues.  Hell, let the GOP even be the ones to introduce that amendment to the original bill.

 

Thoughts?

I would (as a Dem) support the hell out of that but the GOP cannot support an expansion of voting rights, it will lose all power. 

[TheGreatBuzz]

26 minutes ago, bearrock said:

 

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.  And I would even be willing to do it within the context of gun reform, even if for modest measures like universal background check, mandatory waiting period, mandatory training, and nationwide red flag laws.  

 

I don’t think that would work because then it would be tightening gun control and that goes against their talking point.  My proposal would be “expanding gun rights”.

 

10 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

I would (as a Dem) support the hell out of that but the GOP cannot support an expansion of voting rights, it will lose all power. 

 

Then you hammer them on not voting to expand gun rights.  

[Fergasun]

@TheGreatBuzz

If we had a functioning body politic that took care of things in such a manner, that's a great idea.  Unfortunately, the minority party is always interested in digging heels in the most and slowing process.  

 

You can't start at the solution, you need to dig your heels in and do a kabuki theater dance to act like there's no issue with voting rights and the country has a debt problem.  Then you fund raise for 8 months claiming, "Dems are stealing the election... Dems are taking away the guns... Dems are blowing up the budget and making your grandchildren pay."  And then you manipulate political opinion to be against such a deal... 

 

[bearrock]

15 minutes ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

 

I don’t think that would work because then it would be tightening gun control and that goes against their talking point.  My proposal would be “expanding gun rights”.

 

 

Good point.  I thought GOP might find modest compromise on guns more palatable than expansion of voting rights, but yeah I can see why they'd balk.  If it's an exchange for voting rights, I would definitely support it.  

[tshile]

Is restoring gun rights to felons even a thing the gop wants?

[TheGreatBuzz]

5 minutes ago, tshile said:

Is restoring gun rights to felons even a thing the gop wants?

 

I’m sure they would champion it for all their white collar (and skin) felon friends.

[Larry]

1 hour ago, tshile said:

Is restoring gun rights to felons even a thing the gop wants?

 

They're probably mostly minorities, the way our justice system works.  

 

Although, hopefully, a year or so from now, there will be 100 Trumpers or so who suddenly think it's important.  

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by Larry

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[Larry]

I'm shocked.  Everybody else shocked?  

[The Evil Genius]

 

[visionary]

This seems a little misleading.  From what the article says, it seems like they’re following the law unfortunately.

[PleaseBlitz]

Goddamn Pete is good at that stuff. 

[The Evil Genius]

6 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

Goddamn Pete is good at that stuff. 

 

He'd have made a hell of a press secretary.  But obviously they struck gold with that position too. 

[visionary]

 

[NoCalMike]

It's funny because I don't remember Pete answering questions this well on the campaign trail.  Not that he was bad at it or anything, but the way he dunks on Fox News pundits attempts to corner him into a ridiculous narrative is pretty great.  Not only is he representing democratic values on Fox News to Fox News viewers but he is doing a very good job at it.

[visionary]

 

 

 

 

[Larry]

1 hour ago, NoCalMike said:

It's funny because I don't remember Pete answering questions this well on the campaign trail.

 

Low information voter here.  But pretty much the only thing I remember from the Dem primaries was seeing Pete on Meet the Press, twice.  And both times, I thought he was a fantastic candidate.  I thought he was handed relatively tough questions.  And he answered them (as opposed to dodging), and showed judgement in his answers.  

 

For example, I remember Chuck Todd asking him about his plans for the economy.  (And remember, this was pre- or early-Covid).  And Pete stated that he was not going to be making any big, flaming, promises about the economy that he was going to guarantee.  Because he pointed out that whoever took over was going to inherit a dumpster fire from Trump.  

 

I thought it showed pragmatism and judgement.  A political candidate, literally being asked to make big Campaign Promises, pointing out that it would be irresponsible to do so.  

 

I became a huge Mayor Pete fan, based just on those two interviews.  

 

Edit:  

 

Here's one from a year ago.  I don't think it's one of the ones I saw.  Apparently this was his first appearance on the show.  You tell me how well you think he handles being interviewed, as a candidate.  

 

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Larry

[NoCalMike]

1 hour ago, Larry said:

 

Low information voter here.  But pretty much the only thing I remember from the Dem primaries was seeing Pete on Meet the Press, twice.  And both times, I thought he was a fantastic candidate.  I thought he was handed relatively tough questions.  And he answered them (as opposed to dodging), and showed judgement in his answers.  

 

For example, I remember Chuck Todd asking him about his plans for the economy.  (And remember, this was pre- or early-Covid).  And Pete stated that he was not going to be making any big, flaming, promises about the economy that he was going to guarantee.  Because he pointed out that whoever took over was going to inherit a dumpster fire from Trump.  

 

I thought it showed pragmatism and judgement.  A political candidate, literally being asked to make big Campaign Promises, pointing out that it would be irresponsible to do so.  

 

I became a huge Mayor Pete fan, based just on those two interviews.  

 

Edit:  

 

Here's one from a year ago.  I don't think it's one of the ones I saw.  Apparently this was his first appearance on the show.  You tell me how well you think he handles being interviewed, as a candidate.  

 

 

 

I think Mayor Pete started as a great candidate but seemed to slightly waffle between wanting to be the next young progressive and then realizing he should instead compete with the more centrist candidates once Biden seemed to struggle gaining traction early on.  I would have been happy to vote for him had he won the nomination and I am glad he is in Biden's cabinet and can continue to make a name for himself.  Time & experience is likely to  help his case.  

[CousinsCowgirl84]

On 4/3/2021 at 6:24 PM, TheGreatBuzz said:

So had an idea today that I want to float.  In order to get a handful of GOP support for things like voting rights or infrastructure (probably the former because you can tie it in with “rights”), what if the Dems offered to let non-violent felons get their gun rights back.  From what I understand, Dems in general support restoring felons rights though it is usually focused on voting.  The GOP would get to claim a huge win on one of their cornerstone issues.  Hell, let the GOP even be the ones to introduce that amendment to the original bill.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

I was unaware that Republicans wanted felons to get guns back? Now that is interesting since they don’t want them getting voting rights....

[TheGreatBuzz]

1 minute ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

 

 

I was unaware that Republicans wanted felons to get guns back? Now that is interesting since they don’t want them getting voting rights....

 

To be clear, I haven’t specifically heard anything about that.  But they usually are all for expanding access to guns and some GOP reps have said taking felon’s gun rights away is wrong because it isn’t in the constitution.  But I haven’t anyone specifically say “I want to give felons their guns back!”  So I thought this might give them cover to support a bigger bill.

[goskins10]

3 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

 

To be clear, I haven’t specifically heard anything about that.  But they usually are all for expanding access to guns and some GOP reps have said taking felon’s gun rights away is wrong because it isn’t in the constitution.  But I haven’t anyone specifically say “I want to give felons their guns back!”  So I thought this might give them cover to support a bigger bill.

 

So this would be  good idea but most states already have laws that allow felons to regain the right to purchase guns once they have been out for X amount of tie, most of the time 5 yrs. Here is a state by state breakdown. 

 

https://ccresourcecenter.org/state-restoration-profiles/chart-1-loss-and-restoration-of-civil-rights-and-firearms-privileges/

 

Having said that - @CousinsCowgirl84 - You can see that 2nd Amendment rights activists want to strike down the federal law that prohibits all felons, including non-violent felons from owning guns.  

 

https://www.firearmspolicy.org/nonviolent_felons_have_2a_rights

Edited April 6, 2021 by goskins10

[Jumbo]

watching biden's new presser on jobs plan/infrastructure...cannot believe how impressed i've become with this guy

 

if he keeps doing this kind of talk and gets enough of the less full-on crazy fox/rw eyeballs onh him, i could see him even making sense on at least some things to many of them

 

even if not, his 'patter' right now is as rational middle of the road as anyone out there but with a forward vision, spoken in plain terms 

[visionary]