Biden-Harris Administration Announces Additional $7.7 Billion in Approved Student Debt Relief for 160,000 Borrowees
ed.gov
This brings the total under this administration to $167 Billion in relief for 4.75 million borrowers.
This brings the total under this administration to $167 Billion in relief for 4.75 million borrowers.
Centrists didn't want him to relieve student debt. Pretended his hands were tied. Said that we shouldn't try it on the grounds that it was an incomplete solution. Were content to abandon incrementalism entirely and let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Then Biden started forgiving student debt. Then the Supreme Court ruled in centrists' favor. Biden could have announced that he tried and abandoned it forever with some vague insincere horseshit about the fight not being over. To Biden's immense credit, he had a contingency plan ready to go. He has kept forgiving debt. It's been the high point of his presidency. He did exactly what I hoped he would do on this issue and this issue alone. He listened to progressives and ignored centrists, and he persevered instead of immediately giving up forever when he encountered the first setback. He did what he could with the tools at his disposal instead of pretending they don't exist.
I will not fault him on this. If only he acted this way about any other issue.
Centrists?
Most polling shows that student debt relief is highly popular, a boring centrist Democrat has been leading the charge for it, and centrist judges have been voting in favor of it.
It’s the extreme right that been pushing back against debt relief. The center of America wants it.
Yes. Centrists opposed it. I remember arguing with them about it. I listed some but not all of their arguments. Another one was that his hands were tied and he needed congress to pass it, with the standard addendum that progressives don't know how anything works. I remember pointing out that Chuck Schumer was asking for the same forgiveness that progressives were, and asking if Schumer didn't know how the Senate works. Yes, centrists opposed debt relief.
Biden listened to progressives. Biden persevered and didn't make stupid excuses.
Now centrists see that it's popular and want to take credit for progressive policy they opposed.
The broad fast debt relief that Biden wanted WOULD require Congress. That is a fact.
That said, the day the court struck down the broader plan, Biden announced he would be moving forward on slower tactical ways of working within other laws and programs that would be much harder to combat in court. Many were worried that this approach, sans new bipartisan legislation, would not cover as many people. That is likely true.
If someone was arguing with you that Biden could do nothing, then they clearly didn’t listen to Biden, because he gathered the press that afternoon and outlined a plan that he has been executing for the past 11 months.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/06/30/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-supreme-courts-decision-on-the-administrations-student-debt-relief-program/
They were arguing that before Biden signed debt relief.
So you were arguing with some randos on the internet, and those people thought debt relief would require a bill, and not executive action, and your take away was that all centrists didn’t want debit relief?
It was a common enough argument among centrists I interacted with that I reached the conclusion that it was the prevailing consensus.
But but but Biden isn't doing anything!1!
JOR BIDEN GENERCIDEs SO I VOET 3rd Party BRO IM COMMUNISM
Comment of the year
I don't know if I ever laughed so hard at a comment on Lemmy before. You nailed it.
Belittling opposition to genocide. Great look
It’s not belittling genocide opposition. It’s belittling those who hold democracy ransom over a single issue that they don’t understand, and weren’t even aware was happening for the last several decades.
Hypocritical when it's you holding democracy ransom telling them who to vote for. I am expressing democracy by voting for Jill Stein.
You’re knowingly throwing away a vote. There’s not much left that is more anti-democracy. But for now- you can enjoy that right.
Projection, you're literally voting for someone you don't agree with, so you have a fundamental misunderstanding of democracy.
Who said i disagree with him? I dislike a very few things he’s doing, and disagree with how they’re handled. That’s it.
I’m an adult though. So I understand nuance. And I also know that compromise is how things get accomplished.
Go ahead and look through a history book and see how many times protest votes and not booting succeeded in actionable results.
I’ll wait here.
You claim to be against genocide several times on your account.
Your strategy has managed to move this country to the extreme right wing. Time to admit it doesn't work and try something else.
Oh the irony, you're the one with reading to do. I'm building a movement to improve the country and it starts with support. You would be proudly shouting down civil rights protestors back in the day.
So…. You didn’t check to see how many times doing nothing has brought change.
I’m still waiting.
You're the one doing nothing, yes I went though history and checked, turns out not doing anything like you changes nothing. Your plan: vote dem and do nothing for 4 years. My plan: build a movement by supporting the Green party so we have an opposition forcing the Dems to give concessions.
Hilarious.
You’re going to…. “Build a movement.” Right. So, while you were checking on how much change was brought by doing nothing, did you come across the myriad people that “built movements?”
Because that shit pretty much started back in the 60’s. And it took them until 1984 to even start the Green Party. And they’re been “building movements” since.
So what exactly are you going to do differently than people more organized and smarter than you didn’t do over the past four decades?
The only way that could possibly effective is if it was paired with comprehensive voting reform in every state (well, every state that matters).
A third party cannot win with the current first-past-the-post system. It's so obvious that I can't imagine why it would need to be explained. Have a good leftist candidate, it'll take votes from the liberal. Popular conservative alt candidate, will take votes from the Republican. With our current roughly 50/50 balance, either one could result in the candidate with less support for their ideology winning. That's how you end up with something like (theoretically) 25% Stein, 35% Biden, 40% Trump, and Trump wins because he had the plurality. Great.
You're voting third party in a First Past the Post election structure, so you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the specific incarnation of democracy you exist within.
Hilarious, you are so clueless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-past-the-post_voting Theres a list of countries on there for you to look at, they have several options for parties, and many come and go in popularity.
You simply choose to consent to a duopoly out of pure foolishness.
That doesn't mean it works well in those countries. Plus, there are other differences to how their governments are structured.
What are you doing to get RCV? I'm voting for a candidate that supports it.
Voting in primaries for people who support it would help. In general elections, how will that help since they can't get elected?
Poe?
It's absolutely nothing but.
Yes, opposition to genocide is just because those who oppose it are unenlightened, not because it's fucking genocide.
Biden hasn't been selling weapons he knows will be used for genocide for the past several decades. Now do the thing where you sling gaslighting and abuse.
For someone who had nothing to say about Palestine before October 7th, you sure love talking down at others from that high horse.
Your comment is history is almost entirety anti Biden rhetoric, and snarky rebuttals. People have tried to reason with you. You seem to have no desire to debate in good faith at all, so you should understand that It raises questions as to your motive here.
You have not, and will not find a single person here who supports genocide. Not one. Nor will you find anyone that thinks Biden handling of Palestine to be acceptable in any way. So STOP accusing people of this nonsense.
It makes you look foolish.
What people have CONSTANTLY tried to explain to you- is that this situation is very complicated. It’s nuanced. It’s not so simple to demand that something you don’t like be stopped immediately.
Either make an attempt to debate in good faith or don’t debate.
Do you suppose that there might have been something that happened between then and now that might have made the genocide undeniable to all but a few bad faith actors?
I have been massively dissatisfied with his performance, with one notable exception: he exceeded my expectations on student loan forgiveness.
The accusations began the very first time I said that Biden should stop supporting genocide.
At the very least, genocide denial in the face of obvious genocide is support for genocide. Yes, I have encountered that right here on lemmy.
Seen that too. And not just from the deniers. Mostly it takes the form of "every president since the formation of Israel has been complicit, why start having a problem now?" Sometimes it's "we can't stop selling Netanyahu weapons because Republicans will call us antisemitic." Both are defenses of Biden's actions themselves, and not merely an admonition to vote for Biden on the grounds that Trump is undeniably worse.
Of course Trump is worse, and that's why I'm voting for Biden. But as long as Biden supports genocide, I'm going to say he should stop doing that.
I'm not going to ask for patient incrementalism over the course of decades here.
I'm not really clear why. Biden has ran a competent administration and it's been like night and day compared to the chaotic horror of the trump admin. Of course, Biden should absolutely be pressured to change policy on Israel. AIPAC is a very powerful force in US politics, however. This is likely to be a close election and talking endless shit about Biden and encouraging people from voting or encouraging them to vote 3rd party absolutely is a gift to Trump. Netanyahu would love for Trump to be elected, as would Putin. It would be a greenlight for them to be even worse in their respective wars. Denigrating Biden and eroding his support will not solve anything for Palestine, and will totally screw Ukraine and Americans.
Quite obviously, I oppose genocide, and the Palestinians have deserved much better for years. Throwing this election over that issue makes absolutely no sense, though.
Democrats in general should be pressured to be better on a host of issues. Complaints are seen as evidence of a vast international conspiracy to install Trump.
I'm not encouraging anyone to not vote or to vote third party, and won't. I do mention that such voters exist and that Biden must appeal to them if he wants to win, because I consider that to be the political reality. Like anything that centrists see as a threat to their slide rightward, that exact phrasing is immediately interpreted as ZOMG RUSSKIE! Demanding silence in the face of genocide is what the bad guys in the documentary do.
And Biden is doing exactly what all three despots want. Continuing supporting Netanyahu is losing Biden voters. As I keep saying and you lot keep ignoring, I'm voting for Biden. But I can't and won't ignore that his positions will cause him to lose if he persists.
Then Biden should stop throwing this election over that issue.
Okay buddy.
You could just ask me, I guess. Am I belittling genocide opposition? No. What I am opposed to is blaming the entire thing on Biden, as if 95% of the rest of the political establishment isn't involved and wouldn't have done the same things or worse. "Genocide Joe" is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. People seem totally ready to throw this election to trump, who has made it clear he would be even worse about Palestine, over this single issue, which would fuck over the US in an almost incalculable way. And then, it sure is odd how people who consider themselves leftists or communists spend huge amounts of time and energy bashing Biden and Democrats and NEVER express any concerns about Republicans or Trump. It makes absolutely no sense given that Democratic administrations are much better on issues they claim to care about - clean energy, unions, environmental regulations, women's rights, appointing reasonable people to courts, and so on.
The US just started supporting Israel with weapons and finances? Huh, I could have sworn that's been going on for at least 50 years.
They want to be able to smugly say “we told you to listen to us!” While they deny that they’re trying to hold democrat ransom.
I blame most of it on Netanyahu. Biden shoudl stop enabling him.
"Everyone else would do it" is not a justification for Biden's support for genocide.
And you haven't heard it from me. I don't call him that.
And any criticism of Biden is support for Trump. Griping about Biden enabling genocide on a small fledgling platform inhabited almost entirely by centrists who just want his critics to shut up isn't going to throw anything.
Which is why I'm voting for Biden.
What is there about every last centrist's second choice that needs expressing. They're fascists. It's why we're all stuck voting for Biden. Democrats seeing this and using it as license to be second worst is disgusting behavior.
This conspiracy nonsense from centrists that russians are hiding behind all dissent is just like Republicans screaming "SOROS!" at all sensory input. It's not based in any actual logic. You should be fucking livid that Biden is enabling genocide, and I'm seeing precious little evidence that any of you are.
Sounds like a justification for never, ever stopping. BuT nO OnE hErE sUpPoRtS gEnOcIdE.
So, you've intentionally or not missed the point that Biden does not make all the decisions for the US. He's in a difficult position especially with Congress and Republicans overwhelmingly supporting Israel.
That's fine. I'm not only discussing you. I'm discussing "leftist bro" people who can't stop talking shit about Biden constantly and don't seem concerned at all about Republican plans for Trump and the country. If that's you, then okay.
Excessive, unfair and pointless criticism helps Trump, yes. Do Trump and Republicans deserve any crticism? Well, no way, I'll just talk shit about Biden endlessly.
So, it's interesting how "so leftist bro" people come to places where people are likely to vote for Biden and try to erode his support. Guess who that would help?
How old are you? Israel has been doing this forever, with full US support. It's been going on for decades before I was born. Were you livid when the French and British set up the whole thing in the 40s?
not in anyway whatsoever is that " justification for never, ever stopping". It's pointing out that "OMG JOR BIDEN" is just a clueless thing to be fixating on. Again, as if Biden makes all the decisions for the entire country by himself. This was going on for decades before Biden was in power.
That's correct, nobody here support genocide. If you want to help Trump be in charge of Palestinian, Ukrainian, LGBT and central American genocides, keep it up.
So, when do we stop? Has it ever even occurred to you that stopping is possible?
That would be great, i agree we should! But blaming it all on Biden and discouraging people from voting for him is not going to achieve that.
But we've been doing it for so long, it must be right!
The sunk cost fallacy is a garbage justification for continuing support for genocide. But there's no good reason so you have to use garbage excuses.
That's great that you know about concepts like Sunk Cost Fallacy, but not so great that you apply it to something which has absolutely nothing to do with that. Ok, see you in a Republican concentration camp soon! Nice work! You really stamped out GENERCIDE, good job. It was all Joe Biden all along.
The victimization from you is insane.
You're right. Genocide is victimless.
In this equation, you are playing victim by painting yourself as "opposition to genocide." When called on this, you pivoted to pretend the poster was insulting victims of genocide
I wanted to tell you that kind of cheap pivoting technique doesn't work here. I'm entirely against genocide and stand with Palestine, but this grandstanding is intellectually dishonest and makes you look like an entire clown.
I won't be replying further on this.
Very well said.
Thank you very much.
I find it very amusing that you compared them to an entire clown and not some fractional amount of clown
I'm so glad you pointed that out. I'll be using clown fractions moving forward.
I mean, I do oppose genocide. Don't you?
Again twisting words. That's all ya got, champ.
What do you imagine I twisted this time?
Never said that. I'm describing you.
I'm a victim for pointing out that he's belittling opposition to genocide?
No, you're victimizing yourself as the opposition that's being belittled. This is why I'm calling you out on victimization.
Did I say he was belittling me?
I said he was belittling all opposition to genocide, which he absolutely was.
Aren't you the opposition to genocide in that argument? Hence, you crying about being belittled?
Scroll up to the beginning. He wasn't attacking me, he was attacking opposition to genocide. Do you suppose I'm the only one who is vocal about it?
No you're the only one crying about it.
Average American misunderstanding presidential power.
You mean the presidential power that biden has been using to bypass congress to maximize weapon shipments to israel?
Average centrist gaslighting.
Lame response. Explain US Presidential power, and how they have the ability to tell another country what to do.
crickets
Jesus Christ, dude. I have other people who hate me to reply to.
How? By stopping giving them money and weapons. Not hard to understand.
Have there been any attempts by the democrats to stop selling weapons and giving money?
No, which is why I don't vote for them
Who are you going to vote for in this combining presidential election?
Jill Stein
So, Trump. Got it.
I've never said that Biden can order Netanyahu to stop. Israel is a sovereign nation headed by a genocidal madman. One we are not required to support in all his endeavors. Biden can stop selling him weapons. Biden's administration can stop running interference for him at the UN. And Biden did not need to falsely claim that there is no genocide occurring in Gaza.
The Democrats already tried to stop selling weapons to Israel, but that was shut down by the Republicans. Perhaps if you would keep yourself up-to-date you would understand the real problem is… Yet again, the Republicans.
That only passed the House. It has not passed the Senate, and Chuck Schumer says it's not going to the floor for a vote. Even if it passed the Senate, Biden himself would need to sign it. Biden's hands remain untied. Just how do you imagine legislation works?
Have you considered that you might be smugly incorrect about other things as well?
Lol
Concession accepted.
This was never about you changing your mind. You are going to think what you want to think and I am going to think what I want to think. But you sound very silly with your genocide Joe nonsense. What is the end goal? You just sound very angry, which is understandable. But perhaps that energy could be used to solve problems instead of just complaining about them.
But that's not what they are doing.
Another day, another fascist account to block
Soon we'll get the "buying votes" after the Gaza issues. While I think the administration is doing extra-terrible on that front, this was in motion way before all that bad PR.
Compared to the $1.7 trillion student loan debt crisis he was key in creating? Actually yes. When it comes to future students who have to take on massive amounts of debt, he's also doing nothing there.
Relieving literally 10% of that debt during his presidency so far is pretty frickin big
Causing a massive problem and then chipping away at maybe 10% of what some people have had to endure from it while not addressing the continued existence of this problem for people in the future is not big at all actually. This isn't problem solving.
He hasn't done everything, everywhere, all at once, remaking all of society, in one fell swoop!1! Why won't he!1!
Maybe you're satisfied with biden shitting all over your face and then wiping away a bit with one finger, but most people aren't. Nobody is mad that he's not perfect, they're mad that he did active harm and then does barely anything to fix the problems that he himself has created.
B-b-b-b-Biden bad1!1!1!1!
He’s certainly it bombing hamas, but he’s getting all the credit for that.
He really finds lovely configurations for the deck chairs on the Titanic.
These payments are flashy, but do nothing to remedy the current predatory student loan system or the rising costs of academia.
Or how I'd put it: One needs to apply first aid when dealing with a gun shot wound. You don't just try to dig the bullet out while still on the sidewalk. Pressure, call for help, get a bunch of people involved, then you can deal with the problem in a better way.
It's steps in the right direction that I'd hope will put on closer to having a higher education system closer to the majority of the EU.
Unfortunately we have to get passed the GQP first before we can get to that point.
Found him!
He hasn’t solved climate change either, smh.
He also didn't immediately make marijuana legal on his first day, smh
Right, instead he has applied a 100% tariff on electric vehicles coming from the country making the most electric vehicles out of anyone and has applied a 50% tariff on solar panels from that very same country.
Done so to increase manufacturing in the US utilizing a number of incentives passed in 2022 and 2023. Which near the end of 2023 was projected to create almost 100k jobs in just the electric vehicle industry.
Source
I'm well aware of the excuses given for it, but climate change is too pressing an issue to play these stupid games. Does biden think climate change is a regional issue? We have to work together globally to fight it. Insisting that the solution must be American-made is trump-esque, and in fact biden had criticized trump for his trade war with China. Since then, he's kept trump's trade policies and even expanded upon them. These tariffs will do nothing but let American companies sit comfy with fat profit margins and adoption of these technologies in the US will slow to a crawl.
lol if trump wins after this, this is never happening again
Love to see it. You know that every month until now until the election there will be more. Can't wait
ITT: people who largely agree arguing
My favorite thing is when someone on the left uses "centrist" to label others on the left they disagree with. You see the right doing this all the time with "RINO".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WboggjN_G-4
Straight up no-true-Scotsman-ing it up in here
I've had people getting pissed at me in some comment sections calling me a centrist because I think we should vote for Biden to keep trump out of office. Nothing at all related to my political views other than telling people that they need to vote (which is apparently another cardinal sin to some "leftist") if they want to change happen in this country. Especially in their local governments.
Im pretty certain those are right-wing trolls here to convince people to not vote. They show up every election year.
And tankies. Way too many tankies, which is to say more than 0.
Eat me, .ml
I have that entire instance blocked and usually do the same with anyone I see from there. I’ve yet to see an intelligent discussion from any of them.
I think we need that meme for that bunch: "Everyone I Don't Like is a Communist", but Communist swapped out for Centrist, lol.
The repub party will be like oh noez, that is so unlegal!
These discharges are for three categories of borrowers