December 1, 2020

Biden's rhetoric is too bland to pay attention to. It's not meant to be paid attention to. But if you do pay attention...

I guess that's supposed to make us feel good and safe and protected. Coming next January: Sanity and soundness. 

Should we try to understand the words?

1. "My administration won’t just build back to the way things were before — we’re going to build back better." In the future, things will be the same as the past and different from the past. Please feel free to think that everything that you liked about the past will be restored and be forewarned that we're also going to change things. All the changes will be improvements. 

2. "We’re going to ensure every single American has a fair shot to get ahead." I'm always skeptical of assertions that politicians are going to "make sure" something happens. It's a tic that has a tag here on the Althouse blog. And it's not physically possible for everyone to "get ahead" over everyone else. But he doesn't say that we will, only that we will all get "a fair shot" in the big competition, which sounds ultra-conservative, doesn't it? 

94 comments:

jrapdx said...

I see no reason to pay attention to anything Biden or anything said on his behalf. First of all there are so many contradictory statements who knows what to take seriously. Secondly, Biden isn't President-elect or anything else official. If we must just call him "candidate Biden" until we're sure he's actually going to be president.

Trump may yet win, risky to deny it, not for nothing we observe his enemies (and we know who they are) underestimate him at their own peril.

Humperdink said...

"Build Back Better" has an Ipecac ring to it. I thought the Bide'n team slogan was "By Any Means Necessary".

John henry said...

"we’re going to build back better."

In other words

MAGA

Or, in other other words

"the Great Reset" (courtesy of the UN and world elites)

John Henry

tim maguire said...

Thanks to disparate impact theory, giving everyone a fair shot is racist.

tim maguire said...

jrapdx said... Biden isn't President-elect or anything else official. If we must just call him "candidate Biden" until we're sure he's actually going to be president.

At this stage, “presumptive winner” is probably the best label. But “president elect” fits with the media narrative that questioning his win is looney conspiracy theorizing. It’s over, he won, shut up and move on,

John henry said...

We could call him PEA Biden

For president elect (alleged)

It has a nice ring to it. Kind of like P. Diddy. Except P. Diddy has accomplished something useful with his life.

John Henry

rehajm said...

Ensure is a bit Freudian for a geriatric man...

Rusty said...

The unspoken phrase here is; "for your own good." Which always means the middle class is going to get fucked good and hard.

J. Farmer said...

We can rebuild it. We have the technology.

In other words, Biden is offering the same centrist neoliberal bullshit the two parties have shoveled at us for 30 years. The elite are desperate to consider Trump's presidency a temporary aberration. Biden's presidency could just as easily be the third Clinton, Bush, or Obama term. We can expect more catering to elite interests and concerns while the Democratic and Republican partisans scream at each other over nonsense. And the beat goes on.

Tangent: we need to resurrect Crossfire with Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald cohosting. They can call it Dispatches from the Far Side and feature opinions and commentaries from positions traditionally considered "far" left or right. They can demonstrate horseshoe theory and be a bridge between the Bernie Bros and the Deplorables.

Earnest Prole said...

The whole point of electing Biden is that we're ready for a President who disappears into his basement for weeks at a time and doesn't tweet a fucking thing.

stevew said...

I will just point out that there are many of our fellow Americans, millions I bet, that read this sort of thing and think, "man, what an awesome choice we made!".

Farmer is correct, I fear, about centrist neoliberal bullshit and a return to the anti-American, self-enriching actions of Trump's predecessors. Was really hoping Biden would be a pablum spewing figure head, but that is not to be as the people behind him are up to no good.

Kevin said...

we’re going to build back better.

Let’s get specific. Apply this to the border wall.

What does it mean and how does it fit into a progressive agenda?

mccullough said...

Biden’s statement is another shot at Obama.

Rusty said...

"Farmer is correct, I fear, about centrist neoliberal bullshit and a return to the anti-American, self-enriching actions of Trump's predecessors. "
On steroids. Since you're a deplorable there is nothing more the left wants than to punch you in the face every day. Just read the things the usual suspects contribute.

Temujin said...

If you thought Obama spoke nothingness for 8 years, you ain't seen nuthin' yet.

That said, it's what they do, not what they say, that has me on alert.

Lurker21 said...


Biden's appearances are meant to soothe and reassure, not to signify or communicate anything.

Joe talking is a velvet fog, like Mel Tormé or Perry Como singing.

Fans of SCTV will remember Perry Como's "Still Alive" tour in which he sings lying down on what looks like a hospital gurney.

Biden's campaign was like that.

Lurker21 said...

"Build Back Better" is a plagiarism -- not so surprising coming from Joe Biden. The slogan was used by the UN in 2015 and by Bill Clinton's (scam?) Haitian program around 2010. Haiti was hit by both devastating hurricanes and a serious earthquake, so there was plenty of opportunity for Bill to use the slogan and ask for money.

The Internet is picking up on the UN connection to portray Biden as a New World Order shill, but the connection to the Clinton Foundations shenanigans may be more relevant. Because the major media doesn't address things like this, rumors and conspiracy theories spread. Democracy may die in the dark, but don't expect the major media to shine the light if Biden gets in.

Mark said...

Is it better to be bland or better to have your lawyer suggest recently fired officials be take out at dawn and shot?

Bland socks, but it isn't completely irresponsible.

Trump taking yet another dump on the dignity of the office.

Todd said...

We’re going to ensure every single American has a fair shot to get ahead.

So you mean exactly what Trump was doing before the Democrats and China screwed it up?

Or is what you really mean back to the way it was where you and yours had all the power and all the immunity to laws, oh wait, that is right now too.

OK, what do you mean?

wendybar said...

SUCKERS!!! He's been saying the same things for over 45 years. China is thrilled. Lemmings.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

No sense wasting time analyzing tweets Biden didn’t write. At this point, having a daily bowel movement is Joe’s biggest accomplishment.

David Begley said...

This is classic 1984 Doublespeak. Fuck Biden. He’ll never be my President. He cheated. Resist!

Enlighten-NewJersey said...

Biden said: “ We’re going to ensure every single American has a fair shot to get ahead.” Every American has a far shot at getting ahead under the law. That’s the federal government’s job, ensuring the Constitution and the law are upheld. Unfortunately, not every American has a stable and nurturing family life growing up to ensure the responsibility and values that promote a successful life are passed on to the child. To correct for this problem, the unspoken part is that Biden wants to take from those who live responsibly, a large chunk of their income and perhaps their wealth, and give it to those who didn’t earn it. That’s what Biden consider’s fair shot and that’s the bottom line on every Democrat policy. Take the legally acquired and owned property (money) from the rightful owners and give it other individuals the government prefers.

hawkeyedjb said...

For sure, if you don't make anything or do anything useful, you'll be treated well. Bigger welfare check or more government subsidies, yeah. Cuz that's how we Build Back Better - stop making things, spray money at the citizenry, enjoy the decline.

Butkus51 said...

blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blahbity blah bah

some people just dont see the zeitgeist

Paco Wové said...

"a President who ... doesn't tweet a fucking thing."

The Return of President Pants-Crease! Or maybe his granddad.

Leland said...

Biden to bring back the Crime Bill for a better America.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

More mush from the wimp.

mockturtle said...

"Build Back Better" is a catch-phrase for the Great Reset. It involves destruction of our historic culture to create a New World Order. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030 "You will own nothing and you will be happy". If you think this is conspiracy 'theory', take a look for yourself at the WEF agenda.

mikee said...

The premise of the tweet is that Americans have NOT had a fair shot at getting ahead before the advent of Biden the Fairness Monitor President, i.e., this tweet says "OrangeManBad and Rethuglicans Bad," again, as will be repeated and repeated now and forever. Which is gonna get old as Biden and then Harris does less well than the Donald in office.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Obama made his rich cronies richer.

Trump raised up the lower and middle class.

FU Biden. Crook.

Fernandinande said...

mockturtle said..."You will own nothing and you will be happy"

DavidUW said...

What's the betting lines on the first country the Biden team blows up?

What shithole country are we going to kill a few thousand Americans for? Can we have a side bet on the single-digit percentage of Americans who can place that shithole country on a map?

What's the betting line on the first time "funemployment" is re-used by a major media outlet? Recovery summer?


Howard said...

Keep sending Trump money, suckers

n.n said...

"Pro-Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights..."

Yes, it does.

Qwinn said...

"What shithole country are we going to kill a few thousand Americans for? Can we have a side bet on the single-digit percentage of Americans who can place that shithole country on a map?"

I would not be surprised at all to see Biden/Harris to agitate for us to go to war with China. That'll really prove he wasn't in their pocket, you see.

And somehow, the rules of engagement that will make it impossible for us to win won't get discussed by the media. Every loss will simply be blamed on the fact that China is awesome and the U.S. sucks. When China wins... well, Biden tried, didn't he?

Tommy Duncan said...

I'm looking forward to the book "Build Back Better" so we can delve into the subtle nuances of Biden's positions.

Of course, the "Build Back Better" movie will feature Robert Redford. Doing push ups. And sniffing hair. And playing with the dogs.

Jeff Brokaw said...

Note the deception here: they don’t want the accountability for the need to “build back” from where are now, even though they own it, but they want the credit for the building back “better”.

Illinois alone has over 28,000 fewer shops and bars and restaurants compared to one year ago. https://www.illinoispolicy.org/shop-small-gets-smaller-in-illinois-with-11200-fewer-shop-owners/

That’s a lot of lives destroyed, a lot of capital wiped out, a lot of decades wasted.

They broke it. Unnecessarily, and on purpose.

Tommy Duncan said...

DavidUW: You forgot "cash for clunkers".

n.n said...

"we’re going to build back better."

In other words

MAGA


In principle, and after rectifying original compromises, without diversity, political congruence, and progress, for all, yes. Pro-Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Make America great again.

Francisco D said...

The people who write for Biden love the aspirational bullshit that even the moron Democrats here don't believe.

One question, Joe: How are you going to do it better? Please explain.

h said...

"We will rebuild better -- not by reopening bars, but by converting them to organic tea-rooms; not by reopening restaurants, but by converting them to servers of vegan haute cuisine; not by reopening churches, but by converting them to anti-racism meditation centers."

I'm Full of Soup said...

Love that Dem leaders like Warren, Bernie, Biden claim the game is rigged yet they got the top. In spite of the game being rigged? Or did they take advantage of it?

mockturtle said...

Thanks, Fernaninande, for applying the link @8:17. But I fear few people are seeing the writing on the wall, though it be writ large.

Sebastian said...

"Biden's rhetoric is too bland to pay attention to. It's not meant to be paid attention to. But if you do pay attention..."

Althouse and the nice women of America said they wanted boring. Biden will give them boring. Good and hard.

MikeR said...

"My administration won’t just build back to the way things were before — we’re going to build back better." Nice alliteration. Or something. Not really English.

hombre said...

When Trump tweets, however boorish, we are looking at the man. When this grifting pinhead tweets it’s fatuous political sloganeering.

Democrats: “We broke it with our sedition, exploiting Covid and our pet media. Now we’ll fix it.”

Once the litigation is over, if Trump loses as I expect, I will put an “IMPEACH BIDEN” bumper sticker on. My insurance will cover the vandalism.

narciso said...

I linked what boushey his appointee to the cea wants to do. They want to smother main street because that is the base of resistance to the state.

I'm Not Sure said...

"We’re going to ensure every single American has a fair shot to get ahead."

We're all going to get million dollar bribes from the Ukrainians? Cool.

narciso said...


Yes were hosed if they get in


https://mobile.twitter.com/HBoushey/status/1331662423594557446

Breezy said...

A huge side effect of stealing the presidential election is that it taints all democrat leaders, who are now assumed to have participated in the thievery. Not a one of them is standing up for our national right as Americans to have one vote and one vote only, not hundreds or thousands of votes each by a few hundred nobodies in certain metro areas. They bring national shame, while claiming they will rebuild our national stature in the world. They tout each of us now having the opportunity to get ahead, while limiting our ability to have the leaders we want and need to do so. They are pure scum and deserve to rot in history, if not sooner.

narciso said...



Surprise:

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/11/30/exposed-return-of-sue-and-settle-state-ags-dc-swamp-preparing-biggest-end-run-in-history-green-new-deal-with-no-legislation-no-rulemaking-process-just-a-sweetheart-con/

Jersey Fled said...

This is pretty much how he campaigned. Empty rhetoric with his assurance that he had a plan. The details of the plan usually went unstated. When they were, they were usually walked back a few days later. (See mandatory face masks)

Chick said...

I'm not comfortable with the word 'shot'. Is that a dog whistle?

mtrobertslaw said...

It may turn out that we need not fret about what Biden's rhetoric means. If the laws of mathematical probability demonstrate that the extremely high percentage of Biden votes found in that large batch of ballots that were suddenly discovered at the last minute is impossible without human manipulation, then circumstantial evidence proves fraud. And these votes should not be counted. The question of exactly who committed that fraud is irrelevant. The existence of this mathematical evidence would be enough to void all those votes (or at least all those Biden votes that exceeded the number of votes that Biden would have received absent any manipulation).

DINKY DAU 45 said...

More $$$ for trumps election battles(wink wink)silly duped people.

Rusty said...

Howard said...
"Keep sending Trump money, suckers"
Money you can't tax. Must infuriate the hell out of you.


Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

2. "We’re going to ensure every single [Trump supporting] American has a ̶f̶a̶i̶r̶ shot to g̶e̶t̶ the head."

Howard said...

No Rusty, I view it as a low IQ tax. It's a loyal and dutifull payment that gives me great joy and shot in Florida shot in Florida schadenfreude. Three times a charm

Joe Smith said...

Newsflash: He doesn't write these.

Also, he is of the old school, 'My fellow Americans,' and 'My learned friend across the aisle' politician that went out of style around the same time as the invention of the horseless carriage.

Qwinn said...

Republicans have now officially flipped 14 House seats.

That Biden, who won 13 million more votes than Obama, sure had some coattails, huh?

madAsHell said...

Biden didn't write that.

We will not see Biden make speeches until after the 25th amendment is addressed.

Michael K said...

we need to resurrect Crossfire with Tucker Carlson and Glenn Greenwald cohosting. They can call it Dispatches from the Far Side and feature opinions and commentaries from positions traditionally considered "far" left or right.

That would be a good idea if there was a fair TV channel. Tucker is probably going to have to leave Fox to keep his audience. The Murdoch boys seem to be following the old coolie to coolie sequence. Hollywood keeps making movies for morons and Chinese. Maybe that will be their new audience.

Howard weighs in with another hilarious example of the arrogance of the clerisy.

oward said...
No Rusty, I view it as a low IQ tax.


Howard, are you sure that degree means what you think it means ?

donald said...

Fuck him. Resist.

Qwinn said...

I keep hearing pundits say "We intend to show Biden as much unity an6s support as you showed Trump for four years."

Fuck that. To modify Obama: Punch back ten times as hard. They bring a knife, we bring a goddamm bazooka.

Scorched Earth.

#Resist is for pussies

#Impeach implies that the rule of law hasn't been set on fire by the people who wish to rule us

Remember, remember the Third of November
Election fraud treason and plot
I see no reason why Election Fraud Treason
Should ever be forgot

Mark said...

Biden: "It's the Year Zero. We are reinventing humanity, a better humanity. We are going to build back humanity better than that 'God' guy did the first time."

One thing that never will change -- the delusions to godhood and hubris of the progressive left, which Biden has embraced. No need to build them back better.

Mark said...

Never let a crisis go to waste.

Always, always, always looking for ways to seize more and more and more power.

mockturtle said...

Qwinn, resistance doesn't have to be passive.

Jupiter said...

Biden is the perfect puppet for his owners. He can be stored in a basement and hauled out whenever he is wanted. He may already be a hologram, although you would think he would be able to speak his lines without difficulty if that were true. Some kind of continuity algorithm? Perhaps he will slowly improve, until the Old Biden has been Built Back -- Better Than Ever!

mockturtle said...

Yes, indeed, Jupiter. He is a pliant and tractable puppet.

Jupiter said...

Qwinn,

Our goal is to save America, not to conquer her. The Democrats seem to be doing a pretty good job of rioting, looting, burning and terrorizing. Immediate gratification is their stock in trade. Rule of law takes more time to operate.

Qwinn said...

mockturtle: Agreed, but if we leave it up to the feckless RINOs that have infiltrated the GOP (like Kemp, like the AZ governor, etc. etc.) that are the only options we're given even absent fraud, the resistance won't even be passive, it'll actively be on the other side.

Qwinn said...

Jupiter: I am willing to see if the burning shreds of what remains of "rule of law" will keep Biden from stealing the Presidency. I figure we'll know within two weeks.

Don't expect me to believe that anything remains of "rule of law" if the steal succeeds, though. At the very least, it'll be obvious that the "rule of law" is only to be wielded against us. A two tier system of justice isn't justice at all.

Qwinn said...

And if people are assuming I'm suggesting violence because I paraphrased Obama's "they bring a knife, we bring a gun" metaphor, don't be silly.

I'm not suggesting anything that the media hasn't already described, endlessly, as "mostly peaceful". I promise to never even loot a Footlocker.

J. Farmer said...

@Qwinn:

Fuck that. To modify Obama: Punch back ten times as hard. They bring a knife, we bring a goddamm bazooka.

Scorched Earth.


Uh, yeah, that's one possibility. But I'm guessing people are just going to go on living their lives. You are vastly overstating the importance of the election outcome. Elected officials face all kinds of systemic and institutional constraints on their objectives. A system as complex as ours cannot be radically altered by slight shifts in legislative representation.

Qwinn said...

"A system as complex as ours cannot be radically altered by slight shifts in legislative representation. "

Wow. You totally missed the last 9 months of lockdowns? You don't consider that "radically altered"? And they did that *without* the Presidency. What do you think they'll do with it?

Joe Smith said...

"Uh, yeah, that's one possibility. But I'm guessing people are just going to go on living their lives. You are vastly overstating the importance of the election outcome."

Not if the senate is lost. If Democrats decide to go scorched earth then the changes could be seismic and very intrusive.

Qwinn said...

"Elected officials face all kinds of systemic and institutional constraints on their objectives."

I have yet to see my Governor Wolf and his tranny secretary of health run up against a single constraint in declaring complete dictatorial powers over their population and even their Republican legislature. Ditto Governors Cuomo, Murphy and Whitmer.

Michael K said...

You are vastly overstating the importance of the election outcome

Only if you assume we are doomed. Derbyshire wrote a pretty good book on this but it was at least half humor.

I laughed out loud a number of times reading that book.

SteveM said...

Sounds word-for-word the same as a commercial that Governor Murphy (D) has been running on local TV here in New Jersey for at least a month now.

Nonapod said...

I wouldn't read too much into Biden's banal declarations. I'm far more interested in what he (and those who he surounds himself with) actually does or doesn't do. There are a lot of ideas that seem to be pretty popular in among the Dems that I feel would be pretty destructive if actually implimented. Things like student loan forgiveness, amnesty for millions of illegals, capitulaiton to China in terms of trade and the like. Then there's the more extreme ideas, like the Green New Deal, or some version of it. I see little reason to be anything but pessimistic for the future in general. Right now it seems like it's going to be a pretty miserable next few years for America.

mockturtle said...

But I'm guessing people are just going to go on living their lives.

Farmer, do you really mean 'just going to go on NOT living our lives'? Maybe you're living your normal life [no joke intended] right now but most of us are not.

PM said...

Ok. We can live with 4 yrs of Biden consulting his "Palmist".
But please, Medical Science, protect us from the Hyena.

Qwinn said...

"Farmer, do you really mean 'just going to go on NOT living our lives'? Maybe you're living your normal life [no joke intended] right now but most of us are not. "

Seriously. 30% of small businesses in New Jersey have shut down permanently. My son in law, an excellent executive chef, is out of work due to government enacted lockdowns. He feels discarded by society. I told him no, he's being oppressed by society, because what other answer is there?

But that's not radical change, and there's all these constraints on elected officials, see, that will keep things from radically changing too much.

Do you have enough humility to admit how impossible it is for people who are apparently not as lucky as you in 2020 to accept your sage advice in this matter?

chuck said...

Have you noticed that Obama has risen from the dead? Took four years, but not shabby for a minor god. I'm going to do my best to ignore Biden, he is like a rusted car left up on the blocks too long.

Joe Smith said...

"Have you noticed that Obama has risen from the dead? Took four years, but not shabby for a minor god. I'm going to do my best to ignore Biden, he is like a rusted car left up on the blocks too long."

It would take a delusional person to believe that he was ever gone.

J. Farmer said...

@mockturtle:

Farmer, do you really mean 'just going to go on NOT living our lives'? Maybe you're living your normal life [no joke intended] right now but most of us are not

You've misunderstood me. I'm not making judgments on anyone's circumstances. I'm saying what I think the likely outcome will be. Do you have plans to take to the streets or engage in civil disobedience?

@Qwinn:

Do you have enough humility to admit how impossible it is for people who are apparently not as lucky as you in 2020 to accept your sage advice in this matter?

I'm not giving advice. I am not telling anyone what to do. I am saying what I think is going to happen.

Bunkypotatohead said...

If it took his 7 female communication directors to come up with that dreck, he should fire at least 6 of them.
His twitter feed would be more interesting just using random shakes of the magic-8-ball.

"Better not tell you now"
"Outlook not so good"
"Reply hazy try again"

I'm thinking his administration will be too incompetent to enact the destructive policies everyone here fears.

DeepRunner said...

While wearing his boot in his basement, Old Catholic Joe allegedly tweeted the following:

"My administration won’t just build back to the way things were before — we’re going to build back better. We’re going to ensure every single American has a fair shot to get ahead."

Everyone gets a fair shot? What does that even mean? Who defines what "fair" is? Does it mean "equal"? Is it objective or subjective? How do you guarantee "fair" to everyone without infringing on or impacting some? Also, is this a vomiting repudiation of MAGA, and a bear-hug embrace of The Great Society, 70's (and 21st-Century) liberalism, and the like?

Build Back Better. Wisdom from Basement Boot Biden.

mockturtle said...

Farmer asks: Do you have plans to take to the streets or engage in civil disobedience?

If the occasion calls for it, yes.

hstad said...

"...We’re going to ensure every single American has a fair shot to get ahead....?" Biden is living in La, La land? All you have to do is look at the number (via IRS data) of new millionaires created over the past 4 years. And most of these people where not millionaires before. They came up with different ideas and people bought their products. Just more propaganda about the economic system which is doing fine in the USA. If anything tinkering with our system by government fiat will create more poverty. If government fiat is the way to go then why has the war on poverty not a success - since LBJ started in in the mid - 1960s?

hstad said...


Blogger Joe Smith said..."...Not if the senate is lost. If Democrats decide to go scorched earth then the changes could be seismic and very intrusive..." 12/1/20, 12:04 PM

I will point you to the Obama win in 2008 where he screwed himself and any goodwill he got getting elected as the first 'Black" as President. He spend 18 months getting the obimination called 'Obamacare' into law. Result, he lost both houses 2 years later. Mark my words, if Biden spends all of his political capital (the little he has) on granting 'Illegals' Amnesty the Congress, in two years, will be a landslide for Republicans. According to Politico, Obama told another Democrat during the 2020 primary campaign: "Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f--- things up."

MartyB said...

How is this not just a milder (milquetoast?) version of "Make America Great Again.?

Bilwick said...

"Build back better" = "more statism; less liberty."
"Every American gets a fair shot" = "less liberty; more statism."

(Translated into plain English from the original BS.)