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Biden signed 30 executive orders his first week in office. In everything from climate change to the pandemic. Not sure anyone remembers but that was a big deal

Biden signed 30 executive orders his first week in office. In everything from climate change to the pandemic. Not sure anyone remembers but that was a big deal back in 2021. We’ve wanted this for 50 years, Biden getting it done in under 2 years isn’t too shabby. Was it for political reasons? I hope so! It would be nice for the politically expedient thing to start lining up with what’s actually right and what people want for a change. As Milton Friedman used to say, “I do not believe that the solution to our problem is simply to elect the right people. The important thing is to establish a political climate of opinion which will make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing.”

perihelions 4y ago
- latch 4y ago
  Honest question: isn't it a stroke of the pen that then must be executed? The proclamation is a very short read and what I got from it is that now things need to be "administered" and "developed" and "reviewed". Maybe these things require a little more coordination, planning and capacity than you're suggesting?
- tolmasky 4y ago
  > It's a stroke of a pen. There's no process or negotiation involved; he just methodically slow-walked it for electoral considerations. Right, my point is that while you bemoan what this says about Biden, I am encouraged about what this says about the electorate. Who would have thought that this would be a politically savvy move 10 years ago? I will gladly take every other October becoming “get rid of laws we should have gotten rid of 50 years ago” month. I cannot wait until someone says that future President X doesn’t really believe in copyright and patent reform, and that they’re only strengthening fair use protections and eliminating software patents because it’ll help them in the future election.
  - perihelions 4y ago
    My comments got upvoted, while yours got greyed-out; but your perspective seems a lot wiser and more reflective than my own. I'm glad I read it. (I would still prefer virtuous leaders, though. If such things exist. It's very unsatisfying to settle for "wrong people doing the right thing").
- rgbrenner 4y ago
  "It's a stroke of a pen." False. If you look at his student loan forgiveness plan, it was immediately challenged in the courts. And when he tried to suspend family separation at the border, it was challenged in the courts. And he's been fighting to change DACA rules for 2 years straight, in the courts. Biden can't just write whatever he wants.. He needs to get legal opinions, and structure the order so it complies with existing law, to ensure it withstands challenges. The idea that he can just waltz into the oval office and start writing his wish list on paper.. and have everything completed the first week of his presidency is a simplistic and naive view of how the presidency works, and the restrictions we place on the office. It contributes to the erroneous view that some have, that the president is some sort of king.
  - perihelions 4y ago
    Federal criminal pardons are a plenary power of the executive and aren't judicially reviewable. It's a specific constitutional provision and unlike executive orders.
    - rgbrenner 4y ago
      I think you missed the rest of his actions. The pardon was one part. The other is to review it's classification under the Controlled Substances Act.
      - perihelions 4y ago
        You're right, that part is reviewable. (I was only thinking about the pardons).
        hiyer 4y ago
        I don't get it - how does the court get to decide what is a controlled substance and what is not? Shouldn't that be up to some government agency?
        4y ago
- foogazi 4y ago
  Maybe he had to be convinced of it Would have been better if others had done it before, but no one did I like that he encouraged governors to do the same thing at the state level, so an opportunity to do more good - hope all of them do it

perihelions 4y ago

latch 4y ago
Honest question: isn't it a stroke of the pen that then must be executed? The proclamation is a very short read and what I got from it is that now things need to be "administered" and "developed" and "reviewed". Maybe these things require a little more coordination, planning and capacity than you're suggesting?
tolmasky 4y ago
> It's a stroke of a pen. There's no process or negotiation involved; he just methodically slow-walked it for electoral considerations. Right, my point is that while you bemoan what this says about Biden, I am encouraged about what this says about the electorate. Who would have thought that this would be a politically savvy move 10 years ago? I will gladly take every other October becoming “get rid of laws we should have gotten rid of 50 years ago” month. I cannot wait until someone says that future President X doesn’t really believe in copyright and patent reform, and that they’re only strengthening fair use protections and eliminating software patents because it’ll help them in the future election.
- perihelions 4y ago
  My comments got upvoted, while yours got greyed-out; but your perspective seems a lot wiser and more reflective than my own. I'm glad I read it. (I would still prefer virtuous leaders, though. If such things exist. It's very unsatisfying to settle for "wrong people doing the right thing").
rgbrenner 4y ago
"It's a stroke of a pen." False. If you look at his student loan forgiveness plan, it was immediately challenged in the courts. And when he tried to suspend family separation at the border, it was challenged in the courts. And he's been fighting to change DACA rules for 2 years straight, in the courts. Biden can't just write whatever he wants.. He needs to get legal opinions, and structure the order so it complies with existing law, to ensure it withstands challenges. The idea that he can just waltz into the oval office and start writing his wish list on paper.. and have everything completed the first week of his presidency is a simplistic and naive view of how the presidency works, and the restrictions we place on the office. It contributes to the erroneous view that some have, that the president is some sort of king.
- perihelions 4y ago
  Federal criminal pardons are a plenary power of the executive and aren't judicially reviewable. It's a specific constitutional provision and unlike executive orders.
  - rgbrenner 4y ago
    I think you missed the rest of his actions. The pardon was one part. The other is to review it's classification under the Controlled Substances Act.
    - perihelions 4y ago
      You're right, that part is reviewable. (I was only thinking about the pardons).
      - hiyer 4y ago
        I don't get it - how does the court get to decide what is a controlled substance and what is not? Shouldn't that be up to some government agency?
        4y ago
foogazi 4y ago
Maybe he had to be convinced of it Would have been better if others had done it before, but no one did I like that he encouraged governors to do the same thing at the state level, so an opportunity to do more good - hope all of them do it