Happy Mondayâ
Well, Joe Biden is signing the infrastructure bill into law today. The question now becomes how quickly the shovels get in the ground. Thereâs probably no hope for the midterms, at least as far as the House is concerned, but one would hope that there will be lots of projects well underway by 2024.
Will the House pass Build Back Better this week? Thatâs the alleged plan. Speaker Nancy Pelosi can afford to lose three Democratic votes. Two Dems, Jared Golden of Maine and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, havenât committed to supporting the bill. So keep an eye on them, as well as the Josh Gottheimers of the world. Heâs apparently committed, but Congress is weird that way.
Weâre already seeing the price of congressional dithering. Politico reports, for example, that the insulin cost cap in the Build Back Better bill wonât kick in until 2023 (assuming the bill becomes law). Itâs a good provisionâit caps the monthly cost of insulin at $35. Insulin now costs $100 per unit in the United States, as opposed to $12 per unit in Canada. This is what Republicans call destructive radical socialism. But again, at least it will kick in before the next presidential election.
The Congress has damaged Biden badly. If you read one column today, make it James Downieâs in The Washington Post. Writing off Sundayâs Post-ABCpoll that showed pretty brutal numbers for Biden and the Democrats generally, Downie notes that âjust 35 percent of voters say Biden has accomplished much during his first 10 months, while only 31 percent believe heâs keeping his campaign promises. Both are worse scores thanBill Clinton, Donald Trump and Barack Obamareceived ahead of midterm drubbings two years into their presidencies.â
Steve Bannon is going to surrender and appear in federal court today after being indicted last week. Charges of contempt of Congress will be read against him, and heâll have a chance to answer them. Whether heâll say anything, who knows?
Meanwhile, some Republicans are openly plotting their revenge for this supposedly unfair indictment. I mean, itâs truly beyond belief. Here we have a guy who helped plot a coup against the government of the United States and who then thumbed his nose at Congress. And this indictment is somehow unjust?
To some people it is. Hereâs Jim Jordan, in the Post: âJoe Biden has evicerated [sic] Executive Privilege,â Jordan wrote on Twitter. âThere are a lot of Republicans eager to hear testimony from Ron Klain and Jake Sullivan when we take back the House.â
Interesting if depressing piece by Ben Smith in the Times today on the resignation of Marvin Olasky as editor of The World, an evangelical magazine. Under Olasky, the magazine has done investigative journalism sometimes aimed at Republicans and conservatives, which proved to be a bridge too far. Smith: âMr. Olaskyâs departure is just another example of the American news media sinking deeper into polarization, as one more conservative news outlet, which had almost miraculously retained its independence, is conquered by Mr. Trump.â
Today at NewRepublic.com, speaking of interesting if depressing, Matt Ford explains how Amy Coney Barrettâs presence on the Supreme Court, as the sixth conservative vote, has emboldened conservatives to try things âthey might have hesitated to consider when Chief Justice John Roberts or former Justice Anthony Kennedy cast the deciding vote.â Molly Osberg looks at Dr. Ozâs potential Republican Senate candidacy and figures heâd fit right in with that bunch. And I wonder why more Americans donât see that the Republican Party has lost its mind and is a danger to democracy.
Hang in there, Michael Tomasky |
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