It’s a critical juncture for both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and its companion infrastructure bill which is supported only by Democrats. Progressive and moderate Democrats in both the House and Senate have chosen an inopportune time to try to impose their will on their colleagues. Our extremely narrow margins in both the House and the Senate are incompatible with that kind of politics. I forcefully condemn either side that seeks to use those narrow margins to impose their will on the other.
We certainly can’t expect for Democrats in Congress to be totally aligned on every issue. They all have constituents back home to please and have a need to keep them happy if they want to be reelected. And we need all incumbent Democrats to be reelected in 2022 along with winning some Republican seats. However, there are times in politics that the needs of the party, and more importantly the needs of the American people as a whole outweigh individual differences. This is one of those times.
Politics has been described in many ways, but one of the descriptions which I find most appropriate is, “Politics is the art of compromise”. That description is totally appropriate for this situation. No one is going to get their way entirely in this situation, and if they insist on that prerogative, no one will get anything. However, there has to be a sweet spot in the middle to which all can agree without violating their basic principles. That sweet spot must be found in this situation or we will lose the confidence of the American people and likely the privilege of governing in the future.
Right now Republicans cannot prevent a united Democratic Party from passing any revenue and/or tax bill that they wish. It isn’t every day that control of both the House and the Senate is combined with control of the White House. To use an old cliché, “We must strike while the anvil is hot”. Otherwise, we will lose the opportunity to strike at all.
Keep in mind that Republicans are depending on differences within the Democratic Party to keep Joe Biden from making good on his campaign promises to repair and improve our country’s infrastructure, add to our country’s social safety net, and provide good jobs in a green economy. Republicans are counting on the failure of Democrats to unite in order to provide them with the ammunition necessary to take over both the House and the Senate in 2022. They are also anxious to depict Joe Biden as unable even to exert suitable influence on the members of his own party and thus unfit to govern the country.
Frankly, I have grown less concerned with the exact nature of the provisions of the companion Democratic infrastructure bill which can only be passed using Senate reconciliation procedures than I am with ensuring both bills passed by both the House and the Senate and sent to President Biden’s desk for signature. Failure to achieve both of these objectives could well be political suicide for the Democratic Party.
Cajun 9/21/2021