• PrettyLights@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Then why is one of his campaign promises written as: “As president he will decriminalize cannabis…”

    Is his campaign promising things he doesn’t have the power to do?

    • lennybird@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Yes this is literally par for the course for every single presidential campaign in history.

      They promise what they’ll do. They don’t say try to do because that’s been tested in marketing and certainty sounds better. Nevertheless it’s not Biden’s fault his agenda for what he’s been voted into office on is being blocked by the opposition for poor reasons.

      The question isn’t why isn’t Biden doing this, the issue is why are Republicans blocking it and why aren’t you trying to convince them and their supporters?

      • DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Well, I don’t have a study backing me up, but in my experience, promising what you can’t deliver often results in being called a liar.

        I really don’t know why “other candidates do it” would be an excuse. The whole pitch for voting for him is that he is supposed to be better than the other candidates. Seems like whataboutism.

        • GoodEye8@lemm.ee
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          7 months ago

          I get what you’re saying on principle, but the reality is that the world does not work like that. There’s a reason populism is often a quick way to get to power, because you just promise whatever people want to hear so you could be elected. People don’t vote based on logic, people vote based on emotion, which means people don’t consider what is realistic, they consider what speaks to them.

        • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Amazing how every sentence you said has its own bad premise and a skewed conclusion.

          Don’t ask - I will not elaborate.

        • WldFyre@lemm.ee
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          7 months ago

          Someone just learned how politics work! Big day for you, huh?

      • PrettyLights@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        If I can’t believe any of the good campaign promises from biden because everyone lies, why should we take the scary campaign promises of republicans seriously?

        It really leads to apathy in the voter base.

        • lennybird@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          For the same reason we take Biden seriously: Legalization has progressed in universally all blue states, has it not?

          Ergo, you answered your own question: promises often come to fruition.

          So let’s not risk letting Republican promises become reality, such as the promise of overturning Roe… Righhtttt?

          • PrettyLights@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            promises often come to fruition.

            It’s more like he’s bandwagoning something that now has popular support, without actually accomplishing much.

            If he was serious he could reappoint DEA and other positions. Or an executive order to be challenged in court, etc.

            Both Biden and his VP are on record as being anti marijuana before this last campaign. Biden as recently as when he was VP himself.

            Bidens campaign has also fired or removed staffers for prior marijuana use.

            • lennybird@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              Let’s review this as I’m seeing goalpost moving and circular reasoning present, forgetting curiously strange double-standards in where one directs their attention:

              • I highlight the fact that all Marijuana legalization, decriminalization initiatives, referendums have come under the Democratic party with Democratic states being the trailblazers
              • You ignore this fact.
              • You Pivot to why Biden is making promises he can’t keep
              • I point to the fact that this is universal and the promise would be kept if it wasn’t for Republican Obstruction
              • I ask why you concern yourself so much with Biden and not the obvious Republican obstructionists and their base whom you would be better served convincing in their comment threads.
              • Again, you ignore this inquiry.
              • You pivot to downplaying Trump’s bad promises because they MIGHT be obstructed (rightfully so) by Democrats. (Forget the fact that one GOP/Trump Promise of overturning Roe came to fruition)
              • I thus this proves my point.
              • You, again, ignore this, then circle back to why Biden isn’t trying harder. This is ostensibly victim-blaming. In other words, “Why isn’t the hero of the story not doing MORE to overcome the villain!?”

              It’s more like he’s bandwagoning something that now has popular support, without actually accomplishing much.

              Yes, it’s pretty normal that popular things are often adopted by Presidential candidates. Kind of a no-brainer, don’t you think? As I said before: (1) It’s popular, and (2) Biden needs those youth voters. If it’s so popular, why isn’t Trump doing it? Why are Republicans so opposed? This finally begs the question: Why WOULDN’T Biden support it if he could? The answer is: there is no valid reason, which means Republicans are largely to blame while the workarounds are cumbersome and even run the risk of wasting time in front of the conservative Supreme Court, jeopordizing future attempts at decriminalization.

              Politicians change minds. Legalization has become far more popular in recent times. At the end of the day, like it or not, Democrats and Biden are still the best pathways toward decriminalization. We certainly won’t get anything out of Trump and Republicans (which it strikes me as odd you tried to downplay Trump above).

              At this point if it looks quacks and acts like a duck it probably is one. To bystanders reading this thread, this user demonstrates all classic signs of a right-wing operative intending to gaslight, sow defeatism, and wedge-drive Democrats.

              You will see more of this, sadly.

              • melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee
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                7 months ago

                except you never addressed anything they said. youre acting just like trump cultists, where all evidence is fake anf theres always an excuse. its a bad look.

                • lennybird@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  What did I not address? Pretty sure I addressed everything! If I missed something, let me know!

                  its a bad look.

                  As is the number of grammatical mistakes I see. I recommend improving that in order to improve your ethos and legibility!

                • lennybird@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  I should clarify: laws that have actually passed.

                  Yet even so, you point to the edge-case exceptions while I point to the norm. For example, preceding the States Reform Act, Democrats beat them to the punch with the MORE Act, so your point is of such low-hanging fruit and the biggest exception – NOT TO MENTION – it literally won’t be brought to the floor for a vote thanks to none other than ® Mike Johnson…

                  … So your point?

                  Also, did you forget this? https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/06/statement-from-president-biden-on-marijuana-reform/

                  Today, I am announcing three steps that I am taking to end this failed approach.

                  First, I am announcing a pardon of all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana. I have directed the Attorney General to develop an administrative process for the issuance of certificates of pardon to eligible individuals. There are thousands of people who have prior Federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.

                  Second, I am urging all Governors to do the same with regard to state offenses. Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.

                  Third, I am asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Federal law currently classifies marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification meant for the most dangerous substances. This is the same schedule as for heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine – the drugs that are driving our overdose epidemic.

                  In effect, Biden has de-facto decriminalized Marijuana. Let me know if he prosecutes marijuana possession in legal states.

                  • PrettyLights@lemmy.world
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                    7 months ago

                    I should clarify: laws that have actually passed.

                    Yes, when writing lengthy posts arguing semantics you should be clear and specify what you’re talking about.

                    You meant what you said, you just assumed and were called out.

        • mojo_raisin@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          why should we take the scary campaign promises of republicans seriously?

          Because the scary promises have support from those currently in power and are therefore much more likely to be implemented. Nice promises of change with support from the people are far less likely because the they face not only resistance from the opposing party, but the people are easily propagandized (by those currently in power) to not vote or vote against their interests.

          • melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            I dunno being visibly queer under trump didn’t feel worse than under biden.

            the policies were worse but most people accepted that resisting the government was necessary. if its all that broken, this might actually be better.

            maybe I’ll change my tune if the dems decide to run a candidate who isn’t dangling us over the ledge of fascism to appease his geriatric ego.

            • mojo_raisin@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              I dunno being visibly queer under trump didn’t feel worse than under biden.

              Where are you? I could mostly say the same thing living in a blue area, but I’m not willing to throw my LGBTQIA fam under the bus because I’m pissy about Democrats. Fascism is a silly threat being dangled by Biden, it’s a risk you and I take of being thrown in the oven.

              • melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee
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                7 months ago

                yep!

                I just don’t think biden will stop them from doing it, but his followers might make a fuss if he’s not president.

        • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          I’m really struggling to understand how you don’t understand how this works. I have to conclude you’re doing this in bad faith, given you implied your age is pretty high.

            • Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              That they aren’t promises but goals. The Biden administration (and about every administration) works towards everything they say they’ll do, how much they get done is determined by their majority and the willingness of the opposition to work with them.

                • Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  You’ve already been told this in an earlier reply by someone else.

                  They promise what they’ll do. They don’t say try to do because that’s been tested in marketing and certainty sounds better.

                  President’s aren’t dictators, but they do have an amount of control of pushing for specific legislation, and the big “promises” are about trying to push this legislation.

                  Other promises can get stalled even if it’s within the president’s authority, like Biden’s student debt relief was stalled by the Supreme Court.

                  • PrettyLights@lemmy.world
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                    7 months ago

                    Other promises can get stalled even if it’s within the president’s authority, like Biden’s student debt relief was stalled by the Supreme Court.

                    I think the student relief is a good example of his team making an effort to keep the promise, rather than marijuana where they’re barely trying.

                    When bidens relief was blocked, they immediately went back to the drawing board and started pushing alternative relief seriously.

                    He could be doing so much more for marijuana if he wanted to. Maybe he’s saving it for right before the election which is terrible if so as there are lots of people being prosecuted and losing jobs today. Holding it for an election bump would further show his lack of sincerity in the promise or goal.

    • a9cx34udP4ZZ0@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Is his campaign promising things he doesn’t have the power to do?

      A president can do almost NOTHING unilaterally. What they’re promising you is what they’ll support if it makes it to their desk. This is how checks and balances work… if you want to vote for someone who has sworn to be as shitty as possible because the guy who swore to do things you want can’t just snap his fingers and make it happen, I guess nobody can stop you…

      What you’re finding is that the Democratic party is still interested in a functioning government where people don’t just vote the party line like a borg - which results in more difficulty passing legislation. Unfortunately, “both sides same” isn’t remotely accurate which you’re finding out.