2.28.21: "Protecting People is Protecting the Economy"

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he had spoken with President Biden this week and we wonder if he gave him that very simple, yet effective messaging nugget that he put forth on today's program, which was "Protecting people is protecting the economy." Great messaging if you're trying to pass a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package through Congress. Don't you think?

The two main concerns with regard to the bill are that it will make the total government layout $6 trillion in one calendar year, as Chuck Todd pointed out during the discussion, and the other is the inflation that could be caused by infusing so much liquid into an economy that is beginning to recover as Brett Stephens mentioned.

Both parties have been exploding the national debt over the decades and one can only wonder when that day of reckoning will come when the interest payments become unmanageable. Inflation is a concern but with smart fiscal policy it can be mitigated. Pricing going up while wages stay flat so that you're dollar covers less - inflation - has been going on for some time now (an understatement), but if the concern is Venezuela-type inflation, that worry is overblown.

The economy is starting to recover, but the recovery will certainly be disproportionate in who it benefits without the Covid relief bill passing. The relief package consists of elements that directly address Covid efforts - vaccine distribution, testing, tracing, PPE, et al, but its also designed to make people and state governments whole again. It's this part of the bill that Republicans in Congress object to even though Republican governors and mayors are in favor of its passage because they know they need the help to balance their budgets and prevent layoffs of public employees like firemen and police. Some Texas elected officials have stated that people are on their own as it isn't the job of the government to help, then again their not looking at any hurting individual directly in the eye and saying that.

Conservative concern over fiscal policy as mentioned above does need to be seriously considered, however, Republicans can not claim fiscal responsibility or responsibility for much at all if you consider how a Republican president and Senate sat on their hands for the better part of a year while hundreds of thousands died. If they had taken the pandemic seriously, maybe this relief package wouldn't have been necessary, but given where we are now it is absolutely necessary.

The relief package could be all for not if we do not continue to practice mitigation efforts as Dr. Fauci instructed because as he explained the baseline for cases per day is still way too high. He also explained that with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine coming online, productive and distribution will be ramping up even more. Basically, he's telling us we're in a race to get as many people vaccinated as possible as quickly as possible because let's face it, the American people writ large can not be counted on to do the right thing and continue strict mitigation measures. Will they? Not bloody likely, as the saying goes.

We mentioned earlier that Republican leaders and the local and state level want the relief package to pass and in polls 60% of Republican voters want it as well so why didn't Republicans in the House vote for the bill? Why is it projected that none of the Republicans Senators will vote for it either? For Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and a select few others, it is about fiscal issues, but for most all the others it's about not giving President Biden a political win under the guise of fiscal responsibility. If Republicans vote for a bill put forward by the Biden Administration then that says to the base that they are legitimizing the Biden presidency, which is a no-no in Trump world, or at CPAC occurring as we write this. 

Republicans should put their complaints about the Biden Administration not being bipartisan until all of them say aloud that Joe Biden is president. It's clearly apparent that they haven't acknowledged basic civics.

Panel: Carol Lee, NBC News; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Brett Stephens, The New York Times; O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa Network

One more thing...
How scary is this? A golden Trump statue at CPAC, a false idol compared to the golden calf. As North Dakota governor Kristi Noem (R) said, they've become what they behold... Sheep.

Not to mention the fact that Donald Trump would never ever be seen in shorts and flip-flops, please.

2.21.21: The Mess We're All In

500,000. Americans. Dead.

(WWII - 406,000 American soldier deaths.) 

"This is historic. We'll be talking about it decades and decades from now," Dr. Anthony Fauci said today of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This is the state we're in.

One can not emphasize enough that the scale of death from Covid-19 didn't have to be. The history that Dr. Fauci is referring to, through this column's lens, is the utter failure of leadership and the blatant disregard for American life on the part of the 45th president not taking the pandemic seriously. He will be subject to history's harshest light. Unforgivable, not to mention a violation of his oath as president.

With regard to schools reopening, what caught our attention was United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten saying that they now had a roadmap to follow from the CDC, which means that previously there wasn't one. If the CDC guidelines are followed, schools should reopen and the vaccination strategy will catch up. However, as Dr. Fauci noted, you can not give a number or percentage as to how many schools should be open or the ratio of hybrid learning as each community is different and the decision factors for parents and teachers vary, which is natural. In addition to mask-wearing and mitigation, Ms. Weingarten said that teachers are scared because of the health risks to themselves their families, understandably, so facts and education are needed to combat the fear. 

It's a saddeningly, recurrent theme that has permeated American life over the last 5 years and it will take as much collective mental effort as there is money to move past this mindset. That's not to say that one should not be concerned about getting Covid, it just means educating and understanding more as Dr. Fauci and Ms. Weintgarten suggest to be smarter and more compassionate as we move forward. 

Add to the state the mess with Texas.

Fmr. Congressman Will Hurd said that the former president should little or no part all at in the party moving forward, but he is clearly in a small minority within the Republican caucus. However, it's precisely this strictly politically-focused leadership, as opposed to policy-oriented governing, that sees Texas in the mess it's in at this moment. When Chuck Todd asked Mr. Hurd if it was preventable, he said that it was 100% preventable and responsible is a lack of leadership and long term planning. Harsh and direct, but what do you expect when the person answering the question is currently boiling water for his family like millions of other Texans right now. 

Governance under Republican leadership whether in Texas or anywhere else has move off the notion that there only there to attain power and fight culture wars. Former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory said that Republicans will heal themselves by uniting on the issues [read: opposition to any Democratic proposal]. He explained that the Republican party  is going through a process of anger, blaming and disappointment right now just as the Democrats did in 2016. Democratic strategist Cornell Belcher disagreed because a plurality of Democrats weren't considering breaking from the party, which is the case right now with the Republicans.

USA Today's Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page rattled off some disturbing statistics, namely that 58% of Trump supporters think that the January 6th siege on the Capitol was committed by Antifa. This is so absurd that one can hardly speak to this, to say something that would convince one person of the 58% otherwise.

So Mr. McCrory's calculus is off. How do you unify around issues when you can't agree on what the facts on those issues are, starting with the fact that Joe Biden was fairly elected President of the United States.

Unfortunately for all of us, until this cracked fault line is reckoned with, state and federal Republican leaders will only serve to prolong the mess we're in.

 

Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC News; Susan Paige, USA Today; Cornell Belcher, Democratic Strategist; Pat McCrory, fmr. North Carolina Governor

2.14.21: Yes, History will be the judge, but it has already made its ruling

It's often said lately that the Republican party isn't operating on the same set of facts that the rest of us are operating on, an alternative reality if you will. Democrats and their supporters leap into that alternative reality as well in thinking that Republican Senators would ultimately convict the former president in his impeachment trial. 

In the end, everyone was brought back to reality yesterday with a 57-43 vote in the Senate to acquit the former president, not withstanding minority leader Mitch McConnell's much-discussed speech on the floor immediately afterward.

In light of lead impeachment manager Representative Jamie Raskin's (D-MD) that in the court of public opinion and history the managers were successful, it still does come down to actions, votes and the record as described by NPR's Audie Cornish of "All Things Considered," in a less optimistic view of the Republicans moving on from Trumpism.

After the vote, Mr. McConnell denounced Mr. Trump's actions saying that he was directly responsible for what happened on January 6th despite voting to acquit him on 'dubious' constitutional grounds to use Mr. Raskin's words. Former Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) said that the speech was a clear mark in the start of the fight for the soul of the Republican party. This leaves the question of whether Mr. McConnell along with 7 senators and 11 House members is powerful enough to take that on and get the Republican party back to its roots.

Mr. Curbelo described the eighty-five percent of elected Republican officials as 'willing hostages' to Trumpism, which when he said it sounded a bit strange to this column. It seems like Republicans in the House at least are 'very willing' with 143 of them voting against impeachment so describing them as 'hostages' didn't quite fit. His point is understood that Republicans supported Mr. Trump out of party loyalty and backlash from the base, but are now free to move on. However, that's not the case at all and Ms. Cornish corrected the conversation saying that they are willing supporters, which is indeed the case.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said that with McConnell's vote to acquit, Republican would have never gotten to the required two-thirds of the Senate - Democrats needed McConnell. But as fmr. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) more astutely explained, there would never be enough Republican votes even if Mr. McConnell vote to impeach because it would weaken his position as minority leader, if not wipe out his leadership role. It's all he has left along with the knowledge that the vote to acquit will turn off huge spigots of donor cash. Seven-figure conservative donors and corporations have made it clear that they would cut off the campaign donations for those who voted to acquit, hence Mr. McConnell's speech, as also explained by Mrs. McCaskill. When explained with such clarity from one who has been on the short end of McConnell's political spear, you can see that this is classic Mitch McConnell, at his most shrewd. 

"Time will tell," said Maryland governor Larry Hogan (R) as to whether traditional Republican principles will win over Trumpism in its caucus but his feeling is that the Republican party will be unable to win on a national or statewide level if it continues to embrace the cult of one person. In trying to 'disentangle' themselves (to use another one from Mr. Raskin) from their votes, traditional Republicans may succeed in the short term, but the bottom line is this:

History will only remember that the President of the United States incited a riot upon the Capitol and betrayed his oath of office by do nothing to stop it. Republican Senators still acquitted him of a crime against the United States.

This is the undeniable meteoric conclusion that will have a ripple effect lasting for decades the world over. (This hints toward a foreign policy discussion we're eager to start.) The adage goes that history will be the ultimate judge, but its already made its ruling.

Panel: Kasie Hunt, NBC News; Audie Cornish, NPR; Clair McCaskill, fmr. Senator (D-MO); Carlos Curbelo, fmr. Congressman (R-FL); 

One more thing...
We didn't discuss the pandemic despite the appearance of the CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and as Mr. Todd noted, it had been a long time since the CDC Director was on the program. The short of it is that CDC guidance for schools if you listened is greatly dependent of the severity of the outbreak in each community. Yet, governors are lifting mask mandates, which Ms. Walensky advised against. Why? Because it begs the common sense question for these governors, which is how do you expect to open schools safely if your community spread is out of control? 

And the silver lining... While the impeachment trial moved along and accompanying media coverage dominating the new cycles all this time, the Biden Administration under the radar has gotten a lot done in ramping up the government's response and is off to a great start.

2.7.21: We Cannot Relieve the Disaster While Democracy Still has a Festering Wound

The debate of about the size of the Covid Relief bill is a healthy and welcomed one. At long last, we are starting to hear discussion about policy, and Republicans are making the argument that the country needs to move on and not go through with the second impeachment of former president Donald J. Trump. There within, as the Bard would say, lies the rub.

How can you discuss policy when you voted not to impeach a president who incited an attack on the Capitol of The United States in an attempt to overthrown a free and fair election, wiping out over two-centuries of the peace transfer of power? Until there is a full accounting of what happened and it is presented to the Senate, how do Democrats negotiate in good faith with Republicans?

It's commendable that Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said he is keeping an open mind in considering all the evidence during the impeachment trial. He also explained that his vote on whether the impeachment was unconstitutional and should therefore not move forward was one that was 'taken in a moment in time,' despite there being precedent for impeaching cabinet officials, of which the president is one, after they have left office. We won't prejudge and say that if Senator Cassidy doesn't vote to convict, etc., as to give that benefit of the doubt. However, until this is resolved it's difficult to negotiate in good faith with any Republican in the Senate that caste this vote, outside of Senator Romney (R-UT), Murkowski (R-AL) and others. 

[Aside: It was four short years ago that we all thought Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) would emerge as the standard bearer for a Republican party prepared for the future. Today? Hardly. He didn't even want to run for reelection last time around and now he's all in on Trumpism.] 

 As a matter of policy, Ms. Kumar drove home a very good point on the Covid relief package, which is if you view this bill through the lens of disaster relief, the amount comes more clearly into focus. State and local municipalities have been hit hard by the continuing stress of the pandemic, not to mention over ten million Americans who haven't returned to work and the healthcare system writ large. 

However, if you view it from that justifiable lens, one can reasonable ask how increasing the minimum wage helps this particular disaster. Targeted lens, targeted approach. As a stimulus bill, you can widen that lens. Large and targeted would probably come in at about $1.45 trillion, which is an insane number in and of itself, but it's necessary to bring centrist Democrats on board like Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) because given what we outlined above, 'taken in a moment in time' to use a phrase, Democrats have to regulate themselves when it comes to spending. As an interesting side note, the Republican governor of West Virginia recently gave an interview in which he said that Congress should go big. Republican governors saying 'go big' and Democratic senators wanting to spend less are all good things, but there is a lingering open wound on our democracy that needed attending to first and that is impeachment.

As for the Republican Party, before today's program we knew we'd be saying something about House minority leader Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), but we weren't sure how we were going to phrase it. Enter Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA). "Kevin McCarthy stands for nothing except for his pursuit to become Speaker of the House... He has no values." Well, OK then, we'll work from that. 

This week Republicans in the House took two votes, one secret ballot and one on the floor of the House. The secret ballot was to decide as to whether to keep Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in leadership, which they did by a two-to-one margin despite her vote in favor of impeachment. The other on the floor was to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) of her committee assignments because of threats of physical and mortal violence against Democratic members of Congress. Republicans voted that down.

This directly speaks to the aforementioned Mr. McCarthy and his utter incompetence and lack of principle as a leader and 'standing for nothing' as Mr. Schiff described is coming into stark relief. If he truly was the leader of his caucus, say like a Mitch McConnell, they'd all be on the same page... In whatever book, hopefully non-fiction. Instead, Mr. McCarthy is sycophantically sitting in the backseat of the car while the persona non grata former president drives the car. As David French mentioned, that influence cannot be sustained in silence. Be it that that silence is welcomed.

The other problem as Michael Steele described is 'on the ground' with the state legislatures that are controlled by Republicans who are all-in on Trumpism and censuring lawmakers who have spoken out against the former president and his actions. In other words, there within lies the crazy.

However, as the saying goes, one catastrophe at a time and we cannot relieve this disaster as long as there is still this festering wound on our democracy.

See you on the other side of the trial, or maybe half way through...

Panel: Anna Palmer, Punchbowl News; Anna Teresa Kumar, Voto Latino; David French, The Dispatch; Michael Steele, fmr. Republican Party Chair