BIDEN TRANSITION | Economic Team (Guest Post by Dana Chasin)

The following guest post, on the President-Elect's economic appointments so far, is by Dana Chasin of 20/20 Vision in Washington, D.C.  A fuller list of senior Biden appointees, and some contenders for unfilled positions, may be found here. The list is regularly updated.  

Biden’s intent to gather a progressive coalition, perhaps the most diverse in history, is manifest. Janet Yellen was appointed last week as Treasury Secretary. Yellen would be the first woman to fill this position, if she is confirmed. 

Now Biden has chosen to fill out much of his economic team with five talented, experienced policy advisors and researchers. Several of them would also be historic firsts in their roles. However, confirmation struggles loom. 

Neera Tanden (OMB Director). If confirmed, Neera Tanden would be the first woman of color to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in history. Tanden, a longtime Clinton ally and mainstay on cable news, helped found the left-leaning Center for American Progress in 2003 and is its current Chief Operating Officer. Her policy specialty is healthcare, having successfully helped draft the Affordable Care Act and shepherd it through Congress. More recently, her focus has been on the COVID pandemic and its economic fallout. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy named Tanden to the state’s Restart and Recovery Commission this past April. OMB is a giant executive branch agency, in charge of evaluating performance of federal programs and policies, ensuring they align with the White House’s budget and priorities. Tanden is perhaps the most controversial of nominees put forward by the Biden team so far, never mincing words while critiquing both the right and far left. Her confirmation is no sure thing, and the upcoming Senate fight will be nothing if not engaging; we wish her the best. 

Wally Adeyemo (Deputy Treasury Secretary). Biden has announced his intention to nominate Obama Foundation president and economist Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo to be deputy secretary of the Treasury Department. Under President Obama, Adeyemo served as deputy director of the National Economic Council, assistant secretary for International Markets and Development at Treasury (as well as deputy chief of staff of the Treasury), and chief of staff of the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the leadership of Elizabeth Warren. When Adeyemo left the White House in 2016, he signed on as a senior adviser at the investment firm BlackRock, as well as at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Adeyemo, a 39-year old Nigerian-born attorney with impeccable academic credentials to match his wealth of expertise, will likely sail through the Senate confirmation and become the first African American Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. 

Cecilia Rouse (Chair, Council of Economic Advisors). The Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) is a three-person team tasked with providing data and advice to the president on domestic and international economic matters. The agency produces the annual Economic Report of the President, which assesses the state of the economy and outlines economic goals for the coming year. Cecilia Rouse would be the fourth woman and first Black woman to serve as Chair of the CEA. Currently dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Rouse is well-known for her work on labor economics, education, and workplace discrimination. In a renowned paper with Claudia Goldin, Rouse showed that employers were more likely to hire women applicants when the applicants were judged "blind", i.e., without knowledge of the applicants’ genders. During the Clinton presidency, Rouse served on the National Economic Council. Later, as a member of President Obama’s CEA, she advocated for increased fiscal stimulus in the wake of the 2008 recession. While her past confirmation to the CEA occurred in 2009 when Democrats controlled the Senate, Rouse’s previous experience in presidential administrations should smooth her path to confirmation, although conservative Republican Senators are sure to oppose her nomination. 

Jared Bernstein (Member, CEA). Biden has also nominated the other members of his CEA. Jared Bernstein, currently a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning fiscal policy think tank, has been a prominent economic advisor for Biden for years. Bernstein was chief economist to Vice President Biden from 2009-2016 and played a major role in crafting the $800 billion economic rescue package in 2009. During the campaign, he continued to serve as one of Biden’s top economic advisors. A longtime defender of the working and middle class and advisor to 20/20 Vision, Bernstein is also a known critic of free trade agreements, and he will refocus U.S. trade policy to benefit workers and balance trade relations. Further, throughout the pandemic, Bernstein has advocated for increased deficit spending, particularly on enhanced unemployment benefits. Bernstein’s nomination is a concrete indication of Biden’s commitment to smart, focused policymaking. 

Heather Boushey (Member, CEA). Long-time advisor to President-elect Biden, Heather Boushey will serve as another member of Biden’s CEA. Boushey is currently the president and chief executive of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a nonprofit she co-founded in 2013. Boushey is best known for her 2019 book, Unbound, in which she identifies the ways that economic inequality undermines economic growth. During the COVID-19 crisis, Boushey has advocated for automatic stabilizers — both for unemployment benefits and state and local aid. Prior to heading the Washington Center, Boushey served as an economist for the Center for American Progress, the Joint Economic Committee, the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and the Economic Policy Institute. Boushey would have served as Chief Economist for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 transition team. At the CEA, Boushey will continue to push for policies that will facilitate an inclusive post-COVID economic recovery. 

Summary.  In strong contrast to the previous administration, Biden’s economic team is characterized by expertise, diversity, and inclusive economic policies. While Biden was perhaps the most moderate of the Democratic presidential candidates during the primary, his nominees are committed to addressing economic inequality and protecting the most vulnerable Americans. Their confirmations will also be among the first tests of Mitch McConnell’s obstructiveness should Republicans keep control of the Senate. If they are confirmed, come 2021, we can expect Biden’s White House to put forward a large relief and stimulus package, which will be crucial to keeping small businesses, states, and families — that is, the economy — afloat until the virus is under control.

GEORGIA ON MY MIND | Guest Post by Heidi Fiske

USA Today Graphic  

The following email was sent to this blogsite by Heidi Fiske, who has posted here before. 

It's about the two important January 5 runoff elections in Georgia, both  for the U.S. Senate.

From Heidi Fiske:

Dear democrat,

You hoped your political work would be done November 3 but no... the most game-changing actions you can take this election cycle may be what you do NOW. This is about how and where to help.

If Biden is to be effective we need to control the Senate, and that won’t happen unless Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win their runoff Senate races in Georgia on January 5. If they lose, Republicans control the Senate 52-48. If they win, it is 50-50 and VP Harris can break any tie. 

Don’t send money to the campaigns yet...

One of the savviest political activists I know states: "My advice is to wait. There is so much money pouring into Georgia that it is almost impossible to know who can use the funds effectively.” And a few very large donations are expected within a week.

It may be a somewhat different story for groups seeking to register voters (registration ends next week, December 7) and to get out the vote, especially in particular communities— actions that both Republicans and Democrats agree are key to winning these races (as opposed to persuading people to change their vote). If you give to any such group, be sure it is one with an ongoing presence, so that if the money isn’t used in these races, it will work in 2021-22. 

… but do volunteer, provided... 

Georgians can be downright rude about out-of-staters “parachuting in, telling us what to do as if they know more than we do,” says SE Georgia organizer Amanda Hollowell. And their frankness is a good  thing, because they’re telling you how to be effective. Here’s some of what they say:

• While the election is of national importance to you, the issues that are going to get Georgians fired up and to the polls – especially in rural communities of color – are entirely local: notably health care access; COVID; environmental justice; criminal justice reform; and treatment of immigrants. “Take back the Senate” cuts no ice here. Says Black Voters Matter’s Wanda Moseley, “it’s not about what the nation needs. It’s about what black voters need. If it isn’t about that they won’t come out. Period.”
• Two important groups to get on board are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), who cast 91.3% more ballots in 2020 than 2016, and Hispanics: who cast 72.2% more. But each group is varied, and the differences are important, so let the locals teach you how to approach them.
• Georgia has many ways to suppress the vote. You will need to understand them, because your major value may be helping people navigate the system.
• Don’t come to work on the ground. First, there’s COVID. Second, plenty of people already do it. Finally, obvious out-of-staters trying to exert influence may raise hackles. One exception: poll watching if you are a lawyer
• There are places where digital outreach does not work “because lack of broadband aligns exactly with Black and brown communities.” 
• However you are interacting with Georgians, take it slow and be a friend, not an official. “Georgia voters are tired, overwhelmed,” says Fair Fight’s Hillary Holley. “They want to hear from people they trust, so come at them with grace.”

Groups to work with

Well over forty highly credible progressive organizations are fighting this fight in Georgia. The few listed below match one or all of the following criteria: They use out of state volunteers; were recommended by several reliable sources; and/or reach special cohorts.  Shown in alphabetical order.

America Votes americavotes.org

AV assembles national and state-based coalitions to advance progressive policies and increase voter turnout for Democratic candidates. In Georgia it coordinates the activities of a dozen or more local and national groups so that all bases are covered and none are duplicated.

volunteer opportunities https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdfKPID0RoAGR2KUsg1sWHioMFVKfk0lTSUzQ-xVWElv1pjOg/viewform?gxids=7757

You can check off any of thirteen organizations for which to volunteer (including several listed separately here), or choose among these activities: phone banking, texting, canvassing, writing postcards. 

Asian American Advocacy Fund 

AAAF advocates for national, state and local policies that will improve the lives of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and all immigrant populations in Georgia. Though this cohort is small, in a race that may well be won at the margins these energized voters could play an important role. (As noted, they increased their votes more than 91% between 2016 and 2020.).

volunteer opportunities

https://www.asianamericanadvocacyfund.org/volunteer

phone banking, text banking, postcards

Black Voters Matter https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/

“At BVM, we … are NOT an electoral organization. We are, first and foremost,  a power building organization.” BVM works year-round in many communities to make sure that the issues that matter to black communities have political heft.

volunteer opportunities https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/d448cd331da240798d118262a8b2f824

texting, phone banking, postcard writing, social media campaigning, 

Fair Fight https://fairfight.com/

Fair Fight is a national voting rights organization founded in Georgia by Stacey Abrams. It is the leading voting rights groups in Georgia. Count on them to know the landscape everywhere and to offer fine training.

volunteer opportunities https://fairfight.com/join-our-fight/

poll worker, “line warming,” calling voters, texting voters. Can always use lawyers

Flip the West  https://www.flipthewest.com/

“Harnessing grassroots power to take back the Senate. Current target: Georgia."

volunteer opportunities (phone banking) https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/362350/

(post card writing) https://www.mobilize.us/flipthewest/event/362341/

phone banking and postcard writing

MomsRising https://www.momsrising.org

Million-member organization targeting voting blocs that turned significantly more progressive between 2016 and 2020: suburban white mothers; unmarried white mothers; and low propensity voters of color. Helping to get out the vote in Georgia now.

volunteer opportunities https://action.momsrising.org/survey/MRAdvocacy_2020/

call leaders, write postcards, text, share MomsRising social media with your networks

Poder Latinx https://poderlatinx.org/

“Votar es poder.” Presently seeking bilingual volunteers for Georgia

volunteer opportunities https://poderlatinx.org/contact

register voters and get out the vote

Postcards to Voters https://postcardstovoters.org/

This is the original postcard program, founded, in Georgia, by “TonytheDemocrat."

volunteer opportunities https://postcardstovoters.org/volunteer/

Voto Latino https://votolatino.org/

national organization devoted to uniting and empowering the Latinx community. Now very active in Georgia

volunteer opportunities https://votolatino.org/article/volunteer-with-voto-latino/

text banking, trainings and webinars, general advocacy and call to action alerts

Volunteer with each campaign

Ossoff campaign  http://tinyurl.com/OssoffVolunteer

Warnock campaign  https://secure.warnockforgeorgia.com/page/s/website_vol

And

Inspire everyone you know in Georgia ...

… to vote for these two candidates, and to get all their friends out to do so. Check your contact list for “GA” “Georgia” and zip codes beginning “300.”  Revel in your old yearbooks as you look for forgotten classmates. After the wearying fights in 2020, it will be difficult to get people to the polls December 14 to January 5, so every vote will matter!

Talking points

• Biden cannot be effective, hence this country cannot move forward, unless Democrats control the Senate. McConnell has proved this again and again since 2009.
• Here we have two fine Democratic candidates vs. two appalling (and, in the case of Perdue, corrupt) Trumpers

Organizations that can train you to leverage your Georgia contacts: 

• https://www.votetripling.org;
• https://traindemocrats.org/vote-tripling/

Galvanize your Republican friends

Use the take-no-prisoners arguments and ads of the Lincoln Project, founded by Republican strategists determined to defeat Trump. One might have expected them to support a Republican-controlled Senate to offset a Democratic President. But to their great credit, they also are fighting as hard as we are to have a Democrat-controlled Senate, because they want to defeat anti-democratic Trumpism.  https://lincolnproject.us/ 

Resources

Excellent, non-partisan guides to all the candidates’ positions. These are also available in Spanish from campuselect.org :  

• Georgia runoff key logistical info
• Ossoff/Perdue US Senate nonpartisan guide 
• Loeffler/Warnock US Senate nonpartisan guide 

Thanks to: Evan Kost, (AV coordinates GOTV groups nationwide and in select states) https://americavotes.org; Jane Whitney (wise readable commentary): www.conversationsonthegreen.com; Deepak Puri, founder of the DemLabs (free/affordable apps for political work): https://thedemlabs.org/. Also: Richard O, Craig K, Ellen BN, Victor K, Trey B, Chris B, Daniel S, Sally M, Larry H, Paul L

Heidi

Heidi Fiske

heidifiske@hfiske.com

212-721-0140