Connect with us
https://tickernews.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AmEx-Thought-Leaders.jpg

News

Why is Joe Biden campaigning in Virginia?

Published

on

As Joe Biden campaigns in Virginia, Ticker News US political contributor Bruce Wolpe reflects on the future of his presidency. Wolpe is a Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre.


Friday evening, just before escaping to his beloved Delaware for the weekend (his, wife, the First Lady, was in Japan for the Olympics), President Biden slipped across the Potomac River into Virginia. Here, he headlined a campaign rally for Terry McAuliffe, who is running for governor. The election is in November.

Biden keeps learning – and applying – some critical lessons from when he was in the White House 12 years ago, serving as Vice President for Barack Obama. Their first year in office was dramatic, exhilarating, dynamic – and very challenging.

America (and the rest of the world) was reeling from the Global Financial Crisis. Obama and Biden won a key early victory in passing a massive economic recovery program. Obama proposed landmark universal access to health insurance – it would ultimately become Obamacare – and comprehensive energy and climate legislation to tackle global warming.

Biden learns lessons from the Obama era

2009 was also an election year for two governorships, in Virginia and New Jersey. By that November, Obamacare was still tied up in bipartisan negotiations in the Senate; it would not enact it for another 5 months. The energy and climate bill passed the House but would ultimately die in the Senate.

The economic recovery was underway, but jobs gains across the country were very slow to lock in. That August, “Tea Party” activists held raucous protest rallies against Obama’s health care proposals across the country. By that November, the political mood was quitter uncertain.

In this odd-numbered year, 12 months after the presidential election, voters in Virginia and New Jersey hold their state elections. And like by-elections in Australia, citizens can read them as a referendum on how the party that controls the White House is doing. And November 2009 was bad news for Obama, Biden, and the Democrats. Republicans won both governorships. And it was a shock.

“Tea Party” activists protesting against Obamacare

Lesson #1: go big and go fast

The pundits were in overdrive that night, saying, Democrats in big trouble! Obama took it on the nose! Too much change we cannot believe in! And this was critical because the centrist independent voters in New Jersey and Virginia voted for the Republicans. Obama
won those independents only a year before.

Biden keeps applying the lessons he learned from those days. First, go big and go early and go fast. He passed the pandemic response and vaccination program within his first 50 days in office together with the $2 trillion economic recovery initiative – more than twice as large as Obama’s in 2009.

Second, don’t focus on futile negotiations in the Senate. Pending in the Senate right now is another $4 trillion on infrastructure, health care, education, climate, childcare, and other priorities. The make-or-break moment to move on it is coming now – not after November.

A double-header victory remains on the cards

So Joe Biden was in Virginia on Friday to help his good friend Terry McAuliffe win his election against a Trump-endorsed candidate – and he will do the same in New Jersey to support the popular Democrat running for re-election there. A double-header victory would signal to the country that voters support the Biden agenda.

As the Washington Post reported last week:

“Among the questions Biden is confronting are whether the Trump base will turn out when the former president is not on the ballot, whether Biden’s ambitious economic plans will be seen as a boon or a driver of rising prices and whether voters will continue to give the president high marks for his handling of the pandemic.”

Biden has zero intention of letting anyone stop his momentum in Virginia this year.

Read more by Bruce Wolpe here.

Bruce Wolpe is a Ticker News US political contributor. He’s a Senior Fellow at the US Studies Centre and has worked with Democrats in Congress during President Barack Obama's first term, and on the staff of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He has also served as the former PM's chief of staff.

Continue Reading
1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Pingback: Why is Joe Biden campaigning in Virginia? - World news

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Electric vehicles transform last mile delivery market

Australia’s last-mile delivery is rapidly adopting electric vehicles, fueled by green initiatives and insights from expert Joe Sofra.

Published

on

Australia’s last-mile delivery is rapidly adopting electric vehicles, fueled by green initiatives and insights from expert Joe Sofra.


The shift towards electric vehicles (EVs) for last mile delivery is accelerating globally, with Australia expected to see significant growth.

Companies and retailers are increasingly adopting greener solutions, driven by supporting government initiatives.

Joe Sofra from ANC discussed the current state of the last mile EV market.

#ElectricVehicles #Sustainability #LastMileDelivery #Innovation #Australia


Download the Ticker app

Continue Reading

News

Trump gives Hamas ultimatum for Gaza peace plan acceptance

Trump gives Hamas deadline to accept Gaza peace plan amid rising pressure from Arab states and ongoing conflict in the region

Published

on

Trump gives Hamas deadline to accept Gaza peace plan amid rising pressure from Arab states and ongoing conflict in the region

video
play-sharp-fill
In Short:
– Trump gives Hamas three to four days to accept a U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan, warning of consequences.
– Hamas calls the plan biased and insists on a complete Israeli withdrawal before considering any agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump has given Hamas three to four days to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan for Gaza, warning of severe consequences if they reject it.The plan, shared by mediators Qatar and Egypt, emerged after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed it during a visit to the White House. Hamas, which was not part of the talks, is expected to review the proposal that calls for disarmament, a previously rejected demand.

Banner

Trump stated that support for the plan came from both Israeli and Arab leaders, and he emphasised the need for Hamas to respond promptly. The proposal includes a ceasefire, hostage exchanges, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and disarmament of Hamas, along with a transitional government.

A Hamas source described the plan as biased towards Israel and containing unacceptable conditions.

The group maintains that a complete Israeli withdrawal is a prerequisite for their agreement to any deal, while they are unwilling to disarm.

Pressure Mounts

Hamas faces significant pressure as foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, and Egypt have supported the initiative. Turkey’s intelligence head is also set to join discussions in Doha, marking a new level of mediation.

Despite expressing initial support, Netanyahu is cautious about the plan’s implications for Palestinian statehood and faces pressure from his coalition. Public sentiment in Gaza reflects a desire for peace, albeit with scepticism about the sincerity of both Trump and Netanyahu’s commitments.


Download the Ticker app

Continue Reading

News

Trump shocks Hollywood with 100% film tariff

Trump proposes a 100% tariff on foreign movies, potentially reshaping Hollywood and affecting international co-productions. #Trump #Hollywood

Published

on

Trump proposes a 100% tariff on foreign movies, potentially reshaping Hollywood and affecting international co-productions. #Trump #Hollywood


Donald Trump has rocked Hollywood with a proposal to impose a 100 per cent tariff on all movies made outside the United States.

The move, aimed at reshaping the entertainment industry, could force studios to shift production back home and disrupt international co-productions

#Trump #Hollywood #FilmIndustry #Movies #TradeWar #TickerNews


Download the Ticker app

Continue Reading

Trending Now