The editors of the New York Times do their level best to convince House progressives that half a loaf is, indeed, better than none:
What would do justice, and what is badly needed, is an honest conversation in the Democratic Party about how to return to the moderate policies and values that fueled the blue-wave victories in 2018 and won Joe Biden the presidency in 2020.
Given the stakes for the country, from urgent climate and social spending needs to the future of democracy, Americans badly need a rolling conversation today and in the coming weeks and months about how moderate voters of all affiliations can coalesce behind and guide the only party right now that shows an interest in governing and preserving democratic norms.
concluding:
Democrats should work to implement policies to help the American people. Congress should focus on what is possible, not what would be possible if Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema and — frankly — a host of lesser-known Democratic moderates who haven’t had to vote on policies they might oppose were not in office.
Democrats agree about far more than they disagree about. But it doesn’t look that way to voters after months and months of intraparty squabbling. Time to focus on — and pass — policies with broad support. Or risk getting run out of office.
The philosopher George Santayana once quipped that fanaticism is redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim. Armed with that advice let’s consider the House Democrats reaction to the same events to which the editors draw attention:
WASHINGTON—House Democrats released an updated version of the party’s social spending and climate package, adding back a paid-leave program that had previously fallen out of the bill and including a measure sharply raising the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction.
The House bill, which top Democrats want to bring up to a vote in the chamber soon, is the latest proposal in the monthslong negotiations among Democrats over President Biden’s agenda. But it is set to face changes in the Senate, where Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) has objected to the inclusion of a paid-leave benefit.
What does that sound like to you? Opening a “conversation” of the sort being advocated by the editors or redoubling their efforts?
The lies tied into this legislative fiscal mess are seeping out. Repeatedly Biden and Pelosi have vowed everything will be paid for by raising taxes on the rich, without noting costs will be passed down to the little guy and consumers by increases in the prices of goods and services. Games are also being played in how big this stimulus really is.
Then there is the hefty nature of this bill – some 2000 pages – and how the dems are trying to pass over scoring it before putting it up for a vote. This is similar to the way Pelosi assured people about the content of the ACA bill – “You’re have to pass it to know what’s in it.â€
The only policy with broad support is the bipartisan infrastructure bill that’s been sitting in the House hopper for three months while the country’s infrastructure was in crisis. The White House has said the bill would help, but the NY Times just give silent support for Left wing hostage taking. Whatever happens today (and it looks like nothing), its not near over.
It will be interesting to see how the House Democrats finance their spending plans by taxing the rich while simultaneously cutting the taxes of the rich by restoring the full deductibility of state and local taxes. That will be quite a piece of legerdemain of they accomplish it.
My guess is that they won’t and will instead restore the full deductibility of state and local taxes and increase the taxes of those who aren’t nearly as rich, redefining “rich” accordingly.
Should we start a pool on whether anything will actually be passed by the House today? IMO the smart money is taking the under on that.
I will leave it to others to interpret which psychological stage Congressional Democrats are with respect to their majority.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/580243-jayapal-its-worth-passing-spending-plan-even-if-dems-lose-house
Jayapal was asked early Friday ahead of an expected vote on the legislation if it’s worth the party passing the legislation if it could help the GOP take back the House next year, just as Republicans did in 2010 following passage of the Affordable Care Act.
“Of course it’s worth it if we’re making people’s lives better,†Jayapal said.
“What’s the alternative? To do nothing. I mean, that’s not gonna that’s not gonna get us anywhere … part of what we have to do is really understand the economic frustration that people have right now. And I think that is really important for us.â€
I am sure Biden has kept many ambassadorships, patronage jobs on boards (recently removed a bunch of Trump appointees) for just this scenario.
The goal of the current day democrat politician is to enlarge government, take control of it, forcing people’s dependency on them and the bureaucracies created by their policies. This has nothing to do with the betterment of people’s lives, though, as most are considered nothing but irrelevant pawns to be shuffled around, injected by substances not wanted or maybe even warranted, and at election time given comforting soliloquies to pacify naive, indoctrinated voters until ballots are counted in their favor.
Furthermore, dems are savvy to the fact if they pass onerous bills nobody wants, it’s worth losing the next election because their policies, like crabgrass, are very difficult to uproot.
Moderates want the bill scored by the CBO before they vote, which would push a vote back to Thanksgiving week. The Senate will want the score, and any surprises in it would be good fodder for attack ads. Basic due diligence.
There were three process asks the moderates wanted: (1) decoupling from infrastructure which they are not getting, so if BBB fails, progressives are positioned to kill infrastructure; (2) CBO scoring before the vote; and (3) prior agreement with Senate Democrats so they don’t have to go on record voting for something that fails (like immigration).
The tax cuts for the rich is probably to induce moderates from New Jersey to vote for the bill. But rumor is that progressives will ask the Senate to put an alternative tax on the cut to make sure the cut only goes to a portion of the rich.
Mods may have gotten a decoupling; infrastructure bill might get a vote today, but BBB will only get a vote on its rules (?). Pelosi appears to have gotten tired herding cats into a straight line, and decided to grab the most convenient at hand and throw in the bag.
Well, you ask a rhetorical question. But seriously, who can take the NYT seriously and waste any time analyzing when this sort of hysteria is being written:
“Given the stakes for the country, from urgent climate and social spending needs to the future of democracy, Americans badly need a rolling conversation today and in the coming weeks and months about how moderate voters of all affiliations can coalesce behind and guide the only party right now that shows an interest in governing and preserving democratic norms. “
“Given the stakes for the country, from urgent climate and social spending needs to the future of democracy, Americans badly need a rolling conversation today and in the coming weeks and months about how moderate voters of all affiliations can coalesce behind and guide the only party right now that shows an interest in governing and preserving democratic norms. “
That’s not hysteria, It’s propaganda.
Attempting to sell the idea that the party pushing climate based redistribution schemes are the “adults in the room” and should be supported at the ballot box.
To raise the standard of living for Americans of all stripes we need energy, lots and lots of energy, affordable and available.
It’s time to have a conversation about how we achieve that, and send the
hidebound, stick in the mud windmill worshipers back to school.
When you vote on a bill that you know has zero chance to become law, that vote is definitionally about signaling and little else. The goal of the House bill is a serious attempt to get something enacted, it’s to get a record of a vote on their priorities so they have something to run on and to save face for being forced to turn away in their game of chicken with the Senate.
With respect to the infrastructure bill, McCarthy could make a play to give Republican votes to get it passed since it is a bipartisan bill. But it seems the GoP is more interested in “owning the libs” and watching them squirm in the mess they made for themselves.