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Joe Biden: Three Weeks and Four Months NYT 2016: “But Her Emails” NYT 2024: “But His Debate” 
Joe Biden: Three Weeks and Four Months NYT 2016: “But Her Emails” NYT 2024: “But His Debate”
We appreciate you sharing your conversations. Thanks for helping to keep us sane in these difficult times…..
I agree, but, [while I’m glad for you!],
I, for one, am definitely no longer sane.
“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”
Trump has vowed to be dictator on day one if elected, but we’re already there with SCOTUS “legislating” from the bench and there’s nowhere to go to challenge them. Where with Executive Branch or Congress there’s the Court to challenge them.
It seems likely that the Chevron ruling will also impact Civil Service Protections. In April, the Biden administration offered some safeguards against the potential reemergence of the Trump-era Schedule F policy. But now I’m wondering if those protections are in jeopardy.
Here’s the current status:
“Federal Register :: Upholding Civil Service Protections and Merit System Principles”
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/09/2024-06815/upholding-civil-service-protections-and-merit-system-principles
Given that Trump (and others) have made ‘the deep state!’ a prominent boogeyman for quite some time, I exhaled a bit on January 22, 2021 when President Biden revoked #45’s Schedule F EO of October 21, 2020.
“JANUARY 22, 2021
Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce”
[snip]
“ Sec. 2. Revocation of Schedule F. (a) The creation of a new Schedule F excepted service category in Executive Order 13957 of October 21, 2020 (Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service), not only was unnecessary to the conditions of good administration, but also undermined the foundations of the civil service and its merit system principles, which were essential to the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883’s repudiation of the spoils system. Accordingly, to enhance the efficiency of the civil service and to promote good administration and systematic application of merit system principles, Executive Order 13957 is hereby revoked.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/22/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce/
Close to 11 years ago I had cataract surgery. I was one of several people lined up in the hallway on gurneys in conveyor belt style. By the time I was on the operating table, I was relaxed and amply sedated.
But I heard 2 assistants chatting while we waited for the surgeon. One said, “He really shouldn’t be doing this anymore. He’s way too old.” The other one agreed and mentioned that he botched the last one.
Then he came in and started to work on me. He told me to let him know if I lost sight in my eye. Then suddenly I did, but I struggled in trying to speak. He fixed it. And everything was fine until several weeks later when I had to have an adjustment. After that all was well.
My point is, like Marcy implied, the people who work with Biden may have a better grasp on his capabilities than he has himself. He has enormous stress in his personal and professional life. But the political stress related to Hunter would no longer exist if he chooses to retire. Like Marcy says, all that work the MAGAts have done would become meaningless.
It is obvious to me in my own life that I don’t handle stress as well as I used to. Many things are much harder to do. Joe Biden admits that he doesn’t do some things as well as he used to either. I fully support whatever decision he makes. But I also would be just fine with a President Harris.