Biden Falls Off the Metaphorical Bike
Plus: The editors unveil their wish list for a hypothetical Libertarian president.

In this week's Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie discuss President Joe Biden's bungled policy statements and abysmal approval ratings.
1:35: Biden botches inflation, gas prices, taxes, and bicycling.
29:21: Weekly Listener Question: Even though most, if not all of you, are resigned to the fate that we'll never see a Libertarian president elected, those of you who do vote typically still vote for the Libertarian candidate, from what I gather. So, my naively hypothetical question is: Were a Libertarian ever elected president, what realistic things would you like to see on their "First 100 Days" agenda? The online libertarian crowd, of course, loves to post routinely about Abolish the Fed, Defund the CIA, Disband the ATF, and much more. Still, in reality, not all libertarian wishes can be granted with the power of a pen and a phone. Rightly so, mind you. Even a well-intentioned liberty-minded dictator is still a dictator, but there are things presidents can do that would be incremental steps toward a society with more freedom. The first thing that comes to mind for me is using executive pardon capabilities for Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, but the list certainly doesn't stop there. So, I'm very interested to hear your Libertarian presidential wish list ranging from complete anarchy as KMW would have it to Nick's likely entirely drug-related list to Peter's statist apologist desires and cocktail party requirements, and even whatever baseball mandates and classic rock reforms Matt would request.
40:35: Polarization in the wake of the upcoming Supreme Court decision on abortion.
46:17: Media recommendations for the week
This week's links:
"A Wonky Evisceration of Biden's Bad Deficit Math," by Veronique De Rugy
"Blame High Gas Prices on Red Tape," by J.D. Tuccille
"Fixing Our Economic Woes Is as Easy as Looking to the Past," by Bruce Yandle
"Political Violence Escalates in a Fracturing U.S.," by J.D. Tuccille
"Kamala Harris Is a Cop Who Wants To Be President," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
"Remarks by President Biden at the 29th AFL-CIO Quadrennial Constitutional Convention," by Joe Biden
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
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Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
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"The editors unveil their wish list for a hypothetical Libertarian president"
I bet I can guess! 🙂
1. She / he / they support legal access to abortion care, for any reason, at any point until the umbilical cord is cut (ENB).
2. She / he / they support severe punishment for public schoolchildren for failing to use their classmates' nonbinary pronouns (Shackford).
3. She / he / they support unlimited, unrestricted immigration so your billionaire benefactor Charles Koch has more cost-effective labor, becomes even richer, and can therefore write bigger checks (everybody, but especially Fiona).
Fortunately the modern Democratic Party agrees with Koch-funded libertarians on all that stuff. Which is why Reason staffers supported Biden.
#LibertariansForBiden
Thanks, OBL.
This is a great recap. Saved me having to listen to this.
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Sums it up and I don't have to think very hard. Kudos they/them OBL.
You forgot: BAKE THAT CAKE
Thanks as usual OBL.
I suppose I would wish for a POTUS that would immediately respect the Constitution; no, Congress wouldn't give a shit, nor would about half the country [the gimmedats and the make'emdos] , but that would be a start.
>>what realistic things would you like to see on their "First 100 Days" agenda?
100 days of vetoes.
Bingo!
And in his spare time, cancel every executive order possible; there might be some which actually undid previous ones, or in other ways reduced the regulatory burden, and he should keep those.
Which brings up the corollary of issuing as many new executive orders as possible to undo existing regulations.
And also appointing as many officials as possible who will do the same within their departments.
Meanwhile, bring home as many troops as possible. Treaties and logistics may get in the way.
The chances of actually passing any new legislation which does the same is nil, so make that the last resort. Don't try to negotiate with Congressional leaders to water down legislation to avoid a veto; they are dishonest sonsabitches who would never negotiate in good faith. Just veto, veto, veto.
I am not sure; but I believe overriding a veto requires roll call votes, not just some leader saying he heard more yea than nays. Put the bastards on record as to what they support and worked against.
I started with "8 million executive orders canceling everything" but thought it might bleed into activism
Yeah we actually had a president that was something like 60/40 libertarian but those mean tweets were just too threatening to the ruling class. Thank God the adults are back in the room. Reason liberaltarians did their part. Now we have a president that's 5/95 libertarian. But no more mean tweets.
The one who said “take the guns”?
Biden apparently rides a Trek FX with a rusty chain and typical weekender accessories. That's a low-status but good quality bike with an aluminum frame (not the increasingly de rigueur carbon fiber), low level Shimano components, and flat bar hybrid. Probably $600-900 max. You can spend $10k these days if you're a snob or really good or competitive and can actually use the advantages. My bikes are aluminum also but with better components if not top end ( 1 road bike, 1 flat bar road bike) that sold for about $1100-1200 if I had bought them new or not on clearance ($500 and $750).
Confirms Biden is not a snob and actually uses the thing.
Does nothing of the sort. You don't know that is Biden's bike. It could be a loaner from some bike shop, or a hotel, or from one of his Secret Service agents.
And your silly attempt to cloak yourself in Biden's humble rags is just eye-rolling.
Could be, but it's the same bike he is riding in numerous photos from otherrides, dipshit.
I already said my bikes are cooler than his, so I'm not as humble.
It’s trumps old bike he left in the garage.
As if Donnie Fatso could ride a bike. He rides his golf cart across the greens he's so lazy.
I thought this board was down on obesity.
The bigger the cushion the sweeter the pushin'.
Thanks! Now I need brain bleach! I might have to follow The Donald's prescription and drink it to get that image out of my mind!
Look, I'm Pan, but I think the thought of that with The Donald is simply disgusting! Have some standards, man! 🙂
Gee, that's a great story. Zzzzzzzzzzzz. You should change your handle to Joe Biden's Mommy.
Sorry, I thought a break from the gun queers here talking about the hardware they use at the range where they imagine themselves shooting FBI agents and Antifa warriors might be welcome.
So you're both a Homophobic asshole and a Hoplophobic asshole too?
You may want to get the thoughts of The Pink Pistols on that subject:
The Pink Pistols
http://pinkpistols.org
And you know who else was a Homophobic and Hoplophobic asshole?...
Looked to me like he forgot that you have to put your foot down when you stop.
he didnt have his foot completely out of the cage when he went to stop.
its a mistake many make their first time using cages or clips, you usually only do it once then dont forget that very frustrating feeling of falling while your leg is stuck in.
The old guy likely just cant react quick enough, being that he is old and has dementia
"Biden apparently rides a Trek FX with a rusty chain ..."
Sorry pal, you gave up the game with "rusty". Even if his go-to is a low to mid range bike, there would be no reason for him to be riding around on a bike with a "rusty chain" (a problem solved by a 5 minute, 10 dollar replacement or an even quicker almost free solution of putting some fucking lube on the chain...).
He is the president of the fucking united states you dont think there is some poorly paid intern who would at the least be charged with making sure the bike has basic safety and functionality? More likely his team goes to the bike shop and says "hey the president is here, we will take this bike". Your attempt to use "rusty chain" to make ol Joe the rail rider seem like a still humble, poor, gritty guy is hilariously pathetic.
The rusty chain is for Corn Pop and his gang with their rusty straight razors. Corn Pop's a bad dude! 😉
Biden Falls Off the
Metaphorical BikeLiteral Hoveround.Fixed That For You AND Reason Magazine.
By the way, even used, that's a Helluva lot to spend on a vehicle whose passengers have per capita more accidents and fatalities than automobile drivers.
You may want to factor that into the deaths that would be created by some version of "The Green New Deal."
"Just the facts, Ma'am!"
Have a fireside chat and start burning executive orders. Televise it or stream it. Read the order, name the author, and into the fire it goes.
Better yet, use the ID Police Ink Roller to rubber-stamp over the Executive Orders, then confetti-cut shred them, then throw them in the fireside.
Leave no trace for any future tyrants to get any more ideas.
ID Police Ink Roller TV Spot. 'Don't Be A Victim: Encrypt.'
https://ispot.tv/a/qKJG
And if the link doesn't work, try this:
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/qKJG/id-police-ink-roller-dont-be-a-victim-encrypt
100 days? Realistically, the victorious Libertarian president would be found, a suicide, hanging from a noose with three shots to the back of his head, long before Inauguration Day.
Not if the Libertarian President, The First Partner, the entire First Chosen Family including the First Pet, and The Secret Service all packed their own heat and shot before being attacked.
Everything they can do to stop government from initiating force.