Biden refusing to say if he'd expand the courts is basically him saying it.

[Drunken Irishman]

No need to show your cards but if he didn't support it, he'd say as much. But he didn't.

He said he won't answer it. It's a smart move. He comes out and says he'll do it and it muddles things.

Get elected and, if they have the votes, do it.

[wryter2000]

1. Yay

Your analysis is spot on

[lagomorph777]

13. I agree - very good news and Biden is doing it right.

[Statistical]

2. Yeah Biden (and honestly all Democrats) should stay out of it until after the election.

If Biden doesn't win it is moot. If we don't flip the senate it is moot. No sense in talking about what might happen. It makes even less sense to threaten something you might not be able to do. It comes across as weak and pathetic. Something little kids do.

If you can do it then do it. Don't talk about it. don't threaten it. Just do it. Look at Moscow Mitch. Did he warn in advance that he was going to block Garland? Did he warn in advance that he was going to reverse himself in 2020? Of course not. What would be the point.
He had no idea what the future held. He has no idea that he would be in a position to make either of these things happen. When he was given power he took it and used it.

Mitch is a disgusting human being but he plays the game to win. He has done more than anyone else to redden the country.

[Moostache]

5. Never for one second did I believe McConnell would honor his previous statements...

EVER.

He is another loathsome piece of shit, but WORSE than the imbecile in the Oval Office. McConnell KNOWS what he is doing and just how hypocritical and duplicitous it is...he simply does not care at all. Trump is simply stumbling around like a drunk after last call and anything he happens to do is purely accidental or intended to benefit him alone and if someone else is helped it is utterly unintended.

[Frasier Balzov]

3. If Franklin Roosevelt couldn't get it done

I doubt that Joe can.

[jorgevlorgan]

10. FDR only stopped because there was a deal to get justices to not throw out the new deal

If they didn't get that, he would've easily stacked the court. At this point, all precedent has been thrown out and any good faith is dead. A stacked court is all but certain with Dems controlling the house, Senate and president

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. The circumstances were vastly different.

FDR bungled the plan politically, and it was almost universally viewed as nothing more than a way for him to get his New Deal legislation from being overturned. But when the court started accepting the legislation the issue became moot.

[lagomorph777]

16. The threat of packing motivated FDR's SCOTUS to cooperate.

Unlikely to work this time; we'll have to actually execute the plan.

[BannonsLiver]

18. I must have missed the part where it's 1942

[Frasier Balzov]

21. You're right. It was easier to get it done back then.

But others here are enlightening me that the threat alone was enough to evoke flexibility on the part of those Justices at the time.

[Doremus]

24. This x1000

If we're so willing to throw up our hands now, without even putting up a fight, why would we expect them to be willing to take on a humongous fight in expanding the court?

It's ridiculous to even think they would. They might consider writing some letters but then again, probably not.

[NoMoreRepugs]

4. VP Biden understands what is at stake and the need to not present the RePutinicans a talking point.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. It really isn't up to him; that has to be done by Congress.

If it passes Congress all he has to do is sign the bill. There's no reason for him to say anything at this point.

[Drunken Irishman]

8. That's only technically true...

But we know that the president often dictates policy. The ACA was Obama's idea but it was up to the congress to pass it. Had Obama refused to push for healthcare reform, they wouldn't have advanced any bill in the House.

If Biden supports it, and wants a bill introduced, it'll be introduced.

[Thekaspervote]

7. Absolutely, plenty of time following the election.

He knows that with an oppressive 6-3 conservative court that anything..any good law we pass will be subject to overthrow. What’s the good in that?

He’ll go there when the time is right...not now

[FBaggins]

9. He has previously said that he opposes the idea

"I would not get into court packing. We (add) three justices. Next time around, we lose control, they add three justices. We begin to lose any credibility the court has at all.”

[Drunken Irishman]

11. Yes. So has Bernie. I'm guessing they've changed their minds.

[C_U_L8R]

14. Nothing is off the table.

In other words, fuck with us at your peril.

[Hoyt]

15. Biden has sense not to throw down the gauntlet like Lindsay Graham's, "we're going push it through

whether you like it or not." Get's us nowhere.

[aeromanKC]

17. Its a moot point if we do not take back the Senate!!

GOTV like your life your freedoms your Healthcare the Constitution and the furure of America depends on it!!!!!

[still_one]

19. None of that needs to be the focus until and unless we win the election

[GoCubsGo]

20. When asked, his reply should always be, "We'll see what happens."

The same goes for every attempt at forcing him to lay out his cards on anything. If the press won't call out Trump on that kind of shit, then Biden needs to adopt it, as well, if only to point out their hypocrisy. Sauce, goose, gander...

[kwolf68]

22. Good with this

They are probably mulling over a lot of things. Right now Biden needs to focus on finishing the campaign strong.

[Azathoth]

23. Not answering is a smart move, but I wouldn't interpret it as tacit support

I doubt Biden is ready to go after the GOP in any radical, norm-changing sense. He's a lifelong Washington institutionalist.

But at least he's not following the traditional Democratic leadership strategy of preemptively taking things off the table before we even cross swords with the GOP.

[PatSeg]

25. Good point

Joe is a seasoned politician, he will hold his cards close.

[Indykatie]

26. Biden is Playing This Just Right. Too Bad Di Fi Didn't STFU. She's Old Enough to Know Better.