Exaggerating Biden's Record Won't Help

A claim about student debt relief papers over a policy failure.

“If you took the little simple thing [that is] student loan debt relief, he promised to relieve student loan debt, and he has done that.”

— Representative Jim Clyburn (SC-D)

40 Million Americans Beg to Differ

Jim Clyburn’s statement about Joe Biden is the type of oblivious shit you say when you don’t have skin in the game. Biden’s piecemeal approach to student debt has fallen far short of his campaign promise to cancel at least $10K for every federal student debtor. Clyburn also elided the fact that Biden sold out student debtors during the last debt ceiling fight (when Democrats could have permanently ended the debt ceiling nonsense, but chose not to). So in September, payments restarted for 40 million voting-age Americans. None of them is likely to take Rep. Clyburn’s statement at face value.

Dismissing Expert Advice

Astra Taylor and The Debt Collective gave expert advice to the Biden administration about how to cancel debt quickly and legally. They were blown off. Interest groups are often ahead of elected officials when it comes to research and policy, and ignoring them is a tactical mistake.

Don’t Believe the Hype

Whatever claims Team Blue makes this year, exaggerating the record—intentionally or otherwise—won’t help win voters. Trust in elected officials is already dismal; promoting out-of-touch hyped-up narratives can only make things worse.

Of possible interest: Dems Refuse to Change Course, Even to Avoid Fascism, Debt Ceiling 2023: Crisis Normalized, “The ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ Is Not the Green New Deal”