4 ms·

If you think your party's policies are good then allowing your party to win elections is a sincere and principled choice. Political strategy is important and t

by jayd16 4y ago

If you think your party's policies are good then allowing your party to win elections is a sincere and principled choice. Political strategy is important and thinking otherwise is just incredibly naive. There were plenty of other topics at hand since Biden's inauguration. I don't know I can say that the order things have been worked on is optimal but I'm glad to see this done.

scarecrowbob 4y ago
If I were in jail, I might be kinda cranky about losing another 18 months of my life.
- llbeansandrice 4y ago
  Funnily enough literally zero people affected by this are in jail. No one gets sent to jail for “just” possession. They always tack on other charges. It’s also only about 6500 people.
  - leereeves 4y ago
    That makes it sound like a empty gesture, and therefore more of a political stunt.
    - jonny_eh 4y ago
      Removing crimes from your record is hardly an empty gesture.
      - cudgy 4y ago
        “They always tack on other charges.” Yet it has less impact when there are other charges anyway. “But I was convicted of just 2 felonies not 3!”
      - DocTomoe 4y ago
        A pardon does not remove anything from your record. It is about forgiving, not expunging. As for civil rights (e.g. the rights to vote or the right to bear arms), they often are state matters and a federal pardon does not grant them back. It is an empty gesture.
        zaccusl 4y ago
        Pardon makes it possible/easier to have your record expunged. These pardons also effectively decriminalize possession at the federal level. It's far from an empty gesture. But at the same time it is also a token, bare minimum gesture.
t-writescode 4y ago
I find the active and continued harm those people have experienced by being felons to be of far greater value to resolve than winning another election. And if Biden and friends really wanted to serve their people, they would continually do things their populous wanted and then when election season comes, they would say “look at what we have been doing”, not “here is a crumb, pleb.” It’s good that it’s being done, but, do more.
- froh 4y ago
  this is blaming the injust jail time on the one releasing them instead of blaming it on the ones creating the injust laws and convictions.
  - t-writescode 4y ago
    In this case, Biden actually was a major component of the reason they’re in jail: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/joe-biden-criminal-justice-war-on-drugs-mass-incarceration https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/j...
    - froh 4y ago
      interesting. also from that article, he openly acknowledged that he was wrong: > Biden has backtracked since the ’80s and ’90s. Before he left the Senate to become vice president, he pushed to pull back tougher prison sentences for crack cocaine — an effort that helped lead to a law that President Barack Obama signed in 2010. And he’s recently acknowledged his mistakes. > “I haven’t always been right,” Biden said earlier this year, speaking to criminal justice issues. “I know we haven’t always gotten things right, but I’ve always tried.” (Asked about Biden’s record, his spokesperson pointed to this speech, but did not respond to further questions.) thanks for the pointer.
- BossingAround 4y ago
  I suspect you can't just "do things," there are lawyers that determine what you can do, and there are other factors (like "do you need literally everyone's vote to pass a bill through the congress" and "will it crash and fail in the senate anyways") that make these things a drag. Same happened with the loan forgiveness, which is now being challenged in multiple courts. However, Biden doesn't have the power to push these issues through the proper process. Do you want a state where "do more" means "more executive orders?"

by jayd16 4y ago

scarecrowbob 4y ago

If I were in jail, I might be kinda cranky about losing another 18 months of my life.

llbeansandrice 4y ago
Funnily enough literally zero people affected by this are in jail. No one gets sent to jail for “just” possession. They always tack on other charges. It’s also only about 6500 people.
- leereeves 4y ago
  That makes it sound like a empty gesture, and therefore more of a political stunt.
  - jonny_eh 4y ago
    Removing crimes from your record is hardly an empty gesture.
    - cudgy 4y ago
      “They always tack on other charges.” Yet it has less impact when there are other charges anyway. “But I was convicted of just 2 felonies not 3!”
    - DocTomoe 4y ago
      A pardon does not remove anything from your record. It is about forgiving, not expunging. As for civil rights (e.g. the rights to vote or the right to bear arms), they often are state matters and a federal pardon does not grant them back. It is an empty gesture.
      - zaccusl 4y ago
        Pardon makes it possible/easier to have your record expunged. These pardons also effectively decriminalize possession at the federal level. It's far from an empty gesture. But at the same time it is also a token, bare minimum gesture.

t-writescode 4y ago

I find the active and continued harm those people have experienced by being felons to be of far greater value to resolve than winning another election. And if Biden and friends really wanted to serve their people, they would continually do things their populous wanted and then when election season comes, they would say “look at what we have been doing”, not “here is a crumb, pleb.” It’s good that it’s being done, but, do more.

froh 4y ago
this is blaming the injust jail time on the one releasing them instead of blaming it on the ones creating the injust laws and convictions.
- t-writescode 4y ago
  In this case, Biden actually was a major component of the reason they’re in jail: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/joe-biden-criminal-justice-war-on-drugs-mass-incarceration https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/25/18282870/j...
  - froh 4y ago
    interesting. also from that article, he openly acknowledged that he was wrong: > Biden has backtracked since the ’80s and ’90s. Before he left the Senate to become vice president, he pushed to pull back tougher prison sentences for crack cocaine — an effort that helped lead to a law that President Barack Obama signed in 2010. And he’s recently acknowledged his mistakes. > “I haven’t always been right,” Biden said earlier this year, speaking to criminal justice issues. “I know we haven’t always gotten things right, but I’ve always tried.” (Asked about Biden’s record, his spokesperson pointed to this speech, but did not respond to further questions.) thanks for the pointer.
BossingAround 4y ago
I suspect you can't just "do things," there are lawyers that determine what you can do, and there are other factors (like "do you need literally everyone's vote to pass a bill through the congress" and "will it crash and fail in the senate anyways") that make these things a drag. Same happened with the loan forgiveness, which is now being challenged in multiple courts. However, Biden doesn't have the power to push these issues through the proper process. Do you want a state where "do more" means "more executive orders?"