You know, I wrote earlier tonight about the need for President Biden to just quit dicking around with the Republicans, and just drop the hammer on budget reconciliation as a way of getting the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package, since, as I pointed out, You can’t negotiate with terrorists, because they don’t want anything.
And I have been heartened to hear that in the wake of President Biden’s (GOD!!! I love typing that!) three hour meeting with 10 GOP Senators who showed up today, not to negotiate, but to present non negotiable demands, that the White House approach seems to be full-speed-ahead! Biden obviously learned the bitter lessons of 2009, and he has no interest in repeating the mistakes of the past.
But there is a very real, very simple reason why it only makes sense to steam forward and flex their muscles, and that they have no interest in seeing their program delayed.
Because there is only one thing that a bully understands, and that is fear. Bullies rule by fear, it is all they have. And it is only when a bully has his pasty ass kicked that he retreats from the scene and causes no more trouble. And make no mistake about it, those 10 GOP Senators swaggered into the Oval Office today to present their non negotiable bully demands. And the only possible response to that is to bop them in the snoot.
You know, it’s really funny when you think about it. The Democrats have held power, sometimes unified power many times before. And because we’re liberals, they always wanted to shoot for bipartisanship, a communal sharing of power, even when the other side had no interest in sharing. Here’s why this is important. For the first time in his career, Mitch McConnell is being confronted with an opposition party that doesn’t need his help or assistance to govern, and who flat out knows it, and they’re ready to leave him sitting on the sidelines.
But there is a very real, very simple reason why that meeting at the White House today was important. Because Biden and the Democrats don’t need McConnell and the GOP to get things done. Normally, you can only use budget reconciliation once a year, for the current budget. But because Trump and the GOP couldn’t manage to pass a budget, only continuing resolutions, this gives the Democrats a second, free bite at the apple. And the federal budget expires in September, which gives the Democrats another weapon to wield. They can get shit done, and McConnell and the GOP can’t stop them if they’re unified.
Here is why this is important politically. There is an old saying, nothing breeds success like success. If they manage to hold the caucus together, the Democrats can pass the big ticket items they ran on, and without any GOP support. Which only increases the popularity of Biden and the Democrats, and puts all of the pressure on the GOP.
Keep this in mind. There were ten GOP Senators today that went to the White House, allegedly to negotiate with Biden. But that itself is a sign of weakness. The GOP knows that the Democrats can leave them choking in the dust, and accomplish lots of what they want before 2022. And they don’t like it.
Because where 2022 is concerned, in the Senate, it is not particularly friendly to either Democrats of Republicans. From what I can see, the weakest two seats for the Democrats are Rafael Warnock in Georgia, and Mark Kelly in Arizona, and both of those are in strong position to get full terms. In the House, it all comes down to Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Trump himself. If white suburban women revolt again, the Democrats increase their advantage in the House.
The GOP, especially in the Senate, is going to need to bring some pork back home to their states. and letting the Democrats pass big ticket item after big ticket item, while they consistently vote against them, is no going to work well for them. Remember, the GOP is going to have to defend open seats in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as an unpopular Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. The GOP could be routed in the Senate in 2022.
But vulnerable GOP incumbents are going to be under pressure to show results for their constituents, and nothing weakens that more than knowing that an administration doesn’t need their input. The fact that these Senators went to the White House today to negotiate shows their position of weakness. And they are going to have to find a way to come through. And that means the dreaded bipartisanship. Don’t touch that dial.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to check out President Evil, and the sequel, President Evil II, A Clodwork Orange . They comprise a pretty much daily report from the front of the 2016 GOP primaries, as well as the general election
Follow me on Twitter at @RealMurfster35
Republicans don’t have plans they only have reactions to situations which is why they can’t govern.
Repugs knew how to win elections, but look at the messes Reagan, W and tRump left behind them. They really have no clue how to govern.
I don’t understand why, for 232 years, the US has put up with that bad
package deal from 1789, thanks to which
— people in the US cannot vote for their national executive, they can only vote for electors and electors are not allocated proportional to population;
— in the US council of states (Senate) 68% of the people only get 32% of the vote; and
— in the US council of districts (House of Representatives), a 49% minority group gets 0% of the seats for that district.
Um, uh, WHAT?
“68% of the people only get 32% of the vote” and “a 49% minority group gets 0% of the seats for that district.”
What ARE you smoking?
I would hope you understand that, until 1912, 0% of “the people” chose anyone to be their Senators. (Okay–not necessarily 0%; I don’t really know right off-hand how many states may have actually elected their senators via popular election. But, the Constitution left the SELECTION of senators to the states’ legislatures.) But the Senate was set up to make all the states completely equal. The Founding Fathers could NEVER have foreseen the idea that the people of the state (again, in most cases, the *people* didn’t have the option) would choose to be represented by members of only one party. But, let’s also recall that there are a number of states where GOP voters feel upset that they are being ignored when both of their senators are Democrats. It’s also not really a bad deal. Take a look at how the German Bundesrat–the equivalent of the Senate–is set up. Each state has a different number (between 3 and 6) of delegates based on population and each state’s delegation votes AS A WHOLE (and the people don’t even get a say in the choice of delegates). The Canadian Senate doesn’t even represent individual provinces other than Ontario and Quebec; Ontario and Quebec each get 24 senators and seven provinces are grouped into two “regions” with each region getting 24 senators (the 24 are divided by individual province but British Columbia, the country’s 3rd largest province by population, only gets 6 senators while New Brunswick, the country’s 3rd smallest province, gets 10 senators) while Newfoundland and Labrador (the 2nd smallest province) receives 6 senators and the three territories get 1 senator each. Oh, and Canadian senators are APPOINTED–not elected.
In Japan’s House of Councillors, about 3/5 of all the Councillors are elected by prefecture districts and the remainder are elected by a nationwide proportional representation system. Mexico’s Senate essentially has 3 senators per state (the Federal District of Mexico City is a state for purposes of the Senate), 2 of whom are from the party that receives the most votes (essentially a party nominates two people to run together) and 1 who comes from the party that receives the second most votes; then there are 32 senators who are selected based on their party’s proportion of the total vote.
As for the House of Representatives, the whole issue would be pretty moot if the Republican Party hadn’t been upset at changing demographics in the 1910s and 1920s. Before 1920, much every Census had been accompanied by an increase in the number of seats in the House but, after the 1910 Census, a “temporary” limit was set for the House after which new seats could only be added if a new state was admitted (with both New Mexico and Arizona’s upcoming admissions being factored into the proposal) along with standard redistricting. But, after the 1920 Census–which showed a major increase in city populations (which were considered Democratic strongholds) and a major decrease in rural populations (which were considered GOP strongholds)–the Republicans in the House fought against reapportionment to preserve their power. In 1929, the House voted on a new bill that would “permanently” set the House size at 435 members (with a 1-seat increase to accommodate the admission of new states–something which wouldn’t happen until 1959). Granted, there are some actual physical limits on how many people can fit in the House chamber but the country’s population is now almost (if not more than) triple what it was in 1910 and I’m sure the House could accommodate at least 50 more people in the current space (and, if not, it’s not like the Congress has always been its current size and shape). But beyond that, I’m not really sure why “a 49% minority group” should get any seats in a single district. After all, there are probably more than a few districts where GOPers comprise that “49% minority group.” Are you saying they should have a voice?
First off, the Constitution was written in 1787.
You need to read “The Constitution for Dummies”. And the Federalist Papers.
Everything was a compromise between the large states (PA and VA) and the small states.
Governing, to the GOP, is all about riding the gravy train. Anything they do (and they don’t do much) has to do with generating money & power for themselves, with the least possible effort. Nothing whatsoever to do with the good of the country or its people. GOP = Greed Over Principles. That’s why it’s the ideal party for the likes of Trump, Cruz, Hawley and all the rest of the bottom-crawlers.
Actually only one quibble Murf, by doing nothing they or their states still get the “free” money. And, sure our guy (or gal) voted against it, but we know their true heart!
A win win for some folks. They actually get to eat and have their cake. Unless the federal formula is changed (and I doubt that), the blue states will be subsidizing the red states. Again.
No time to mess with the $1.9 relief (folks keep saying stimulus but I wish they would say RELIEF that does stimulate). But the next time, maybe some targeted stimulus towards states that want to do the governing thing. The states that might have increased taxes for one. Maybe some infrastructure programs for urban and suburban areas. A little extra. Just saying. Maybe some overdue help for Puerto Rico.
I can’t understand what the hell the
President and the government of the US is doing. Nothing ..people are dieing sick,
Childern are straving ,No jobs for parents to make it on ..
And our American government slumps in the seats complaing about money… Well guys ,this isn’t taking care of anything…
There isn’t enough shots ,No work
No freedom on which this country was built on … Living paycheck to
Paycheck trying to remember all the
Good times we used to have ….
What is up with you government people ? Put your sleves in our shoes …Wake up folks … We need help Now…. This minute not next week or next month …Your people
Of this country who voted for you need help now..
Let’s see. Congress has officially been in session for a grand total of a month (and one of those days was pretty fraught with some major GOP-backed drama) while the President has been in office for less than 2 weeks. The Democrats have to work trying to undo FOUR YEARS of GOP neglect and mismanagement and you expect miracles in less than 30 days?
Get real, already.
Were you this utterly clueless when Trump and the GOP were running this country into the ground? We spent, again, FOUR YEARS with an administration that had NO interest in governing or managing the country but, yeah, let’s demand the current grown-ups now in charge just wave some magic wand and sprinkle some magic pixie dust and clear up all the troubles (especially that little coronavirus issue) because you’re not happy the government’s not working to YOUR timetable.
Biden has done a lot so far, given that his cabinet is still being confirmed and the Senate organizing resolution is still sitting on Mitch’s desk.
It’s Feb 2. The inauguration was two weeks ago tomorrow. Are you expecting miracles to occur?
“Remember, the GOP is going to have to defend open seats in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as an unpopular Ron Johnson in Wisconsin. The GOP could be routed in the Senate in 2022.”
Don’t forget: Rob Portman of Ohio has also announced he won’t run for re-election so that’s another “open seat” the GOP will have to defend.