What Will It Take For You To Vote For Status Quo Joe?

If you follow this blog, you know I detest Biden and have no intention of voting for him. I didn't just discover him when Obama decided he needed a conservative white guy to balance his ticket; I've followed Biden-- and his putrid record-- since the 1970s when he jumped into politics as a Republican who switched to become a conservative Democrat and whose first and signature issue was racism. He was anti-Choice, anti-gay, anti-working class and vehemently and loudly anti-progressive... for over three decades.

Yesterday I was on Nicole Sandler's radio show and we discussed what it would take for me to vote for Biden. It would take a lot. But, literally, right after the show, I saw this report from CBS News: Biden adopts parts of Sanders' policies: lowering Medicare age and forgiving some college debt. Bo Erickson reported that "A day after Bernie Sanders dropped out of the Democratic primary race, Joe Biden, the party's likely  nominee, has already implemented two elements of the Democratic socialist's agenda and credited Sanders' energetic movement with the change. 'Senator Sanders and his supporters can take pride in their work in laying the groundwork for these ideas, and I'm proud to adopt them as part of my campaign at this critical moment in responding to the coronavirus crisis,' Biden stated in a release."

There's some good policy that someone wrote for Biden, although it contradicts his decades-long record. Before I read it, I started arguing with Washington Post reporter Greg Sargent, who is a friend and who had just done a column about it: Biden Makes His First Big Overture To Sanders Voters. Greg and this co-writer, Paul Waldman, were impressed.

It's an OK start-- not enough to make me vote for him, but enough to get my attention and imagine something I thought was unimaginable, namely that I might be persuaded to vote for him. We're not there yet, not even close. But I would like to get there. I really would. Here's the policy part of his statement:

Lowering the Medicare Eligibility Age to 60

I have directed my team to develop a plan to lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60.

Under this concept, Americans would have access, if they choose, to Medicare when they turn 60, instead of when they turn 65. Medicare benefits would be provided to them as they are to current Medicare recipients. This would make Medicare available to a set of Americans who work hard and retire before they turn 65, or who would prefer to leave their employer plans, the public option, or other plans they access through the Affordable Care Act before they retire. It reflects the reality that, even after the current crisis ends, older Americans are likely to find it difficult to secure jobs.

Of course, those who prefer to remain on their employer plans would be permitted to do so, and employers would have to comply with non-discrimination laws and would be prohibited from excluding older workers from coverage or otherwise try to push them out of their plans. And the Biden Medicare-like public option-- as well as other subsidized private plans available to individuals through the Affordable Care Act-- would remain available.

Any new Federal cost associated with this option would be financed out of general revenues to protect the Medicare Trust Fund.

Forgiving student debt for low-income and middle class individuals who have attended public colleges and universities

I’ve also directed my team to develop a plan to forgive federal student debt relating to the cost of tuition currently held by low-income and middle-class people for undergraduate public colleges and universities, as well as private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and private, underfunded Minority-Serving Institution (MSIs).

The concept I’m announcing today will align my student debt relief proposal with my forward-looking college tuition proposal. Under this plan, I propose to forgive all undergraduate tuition-related federal student debt from two- and four-year public colleges and universities for debt-holders earning up to $125,000, with appropriate phase-outs to avoid a cliff. The federal government would pay the monthly payment in lieu of the borrower until the forgivable portion of the loan was paid off. This benefit would also apply to individuals holding federal student loans for tuition from private HBCUs and MSIs.

This proposal would be in addition to my existing student debt proposals:

• Immediately cancel a minimum of $10,000 of student debt per person, as proposed by Senator Warren in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
• Those earning less than $25,000 per year will not have to make monthly payments and will accrue no interest
• Those earning more than $25,000 per year will pay no more than 5% of discretionary income toward payments
• After 20 years, the remainder of federal student loans will be forgiven without any tax burden
• Those who participate in public service will be eligible for additional federal loan forgiveness, including $10,000 per year of forgiveness for up to five years.

I would finance this new student debt proposal by repealing the high-income “excess business losses” tax cut in the CARES Act. That tax cut overwhelmingly benefits the richest Americans and is unnecessary for addressing the current COVID-19 economic relief efforts.

60 is just plain niggardly and at the very least he should agree to lower the starting age to 55. He's dragging his damn feet on this. He indicates he will back a public option which is better than nothing, even if it isn't Medicare for All, which is something he will never agree to. Had he also included a statement about Medicare covering teeth, ears and eyes and something strong about holding down drug prices, he probably would have gained a lot more support.

The student debt forgiveness policy is a good step in the right direction, and likely all we can expect from this life-long conservative, establishment hack. He certainly owes us more... but it's something-- and at a moment he could have just given the middle finger.