President Biden’s nominees are highly qualified and are already receiving bipartisan support.
By contrast, Senator Toomey had no problem supporting extreme and unqualified candidates. We will see how the process unfolds. But given his support of extreme candidates with fringe views, Toomey’s credibility is likely to be an issue.
A productive path forward will involve making some tough choices, restoring a modicum of trust, and engaging in the hard work of persuasion. But the outcome could be a big win for Biden — and Manchin. Substantively, it might also be our best shot at saving the planet, moving America toward its peers in child care and education and keeping children from going hungry.
Last night was a pivotal moment. Progressives showed that they can and will hold the line for President Biden’s agenda. They also displayed a level of coordination and discipline that is noteworthy. If observers want to know which way the wind is blowing, in the future, they should listen to progressives. Let’s review.
We are at an interesting moment in American politics: so-called “moderate” members of Congress—many of whom happen to be leading recipients of donations from Big Pharma, fossil fuel CEOs and PACs, and other corporate interests—are trying to derail the extremely popular policies of a moderate president, while progressives are pulling out all the stops to keep the signature components of Biden’s agenda that will define his presidential legacy. At the outset of 2021, few might have suspected that this is where we would find ourselves by the fall. Yet here we are.
The simple fact is that President Biden is not pulling out all the stops to pass voting rights, despite the enormity of the threat to our democracy. One of the options available to Biden and Senate Democrats includes passing voting rights by a simple majority without ever voting to change the filibuster rules.
Over the past six months, many supporters of Senator Kyrsten Sinema have found themselves scratching their heads over her actions. After running and winning her Senate seat with the full backing of the Democratic party and grassroots leaders, Sinema has somewhat inexplicably turned her back on priorities she used to support. While her controversial stances have garnered her much media attention, it has come at the cost of President Joe Biden’s success.
The first one hundred days were, by many measures, successful. There has been much talk of learning the lessons of 2009. We are hopeful that this is the case. The facts on the ground suggest more similarities to 2009 than differences. In some key ways, Democrats are actually behind their 2009 pace.
This memo provides a brief overview of the filibuster. Far from being a foundational feature of the
Senate, the filibuster was opposed by the Framers, and has been targeted for elimination or reform by moderates of both parties. The filibuster does not promote bipartisanship, it promotes gridlock, and it is breaking the Senate. Senators concerned for the institutional health of the Senate should favor reform.
In an April 3 piece for the New York Times, political journalist Nate Cohn draws on political
science research to argue that making voting easier does little to improve voting rates or
reduce turnout inequalities (Cohn 2021). Consequently, he claims, efforts to restrict voting
access (such as Georgia’s recent voter suppression bill) are less harmful than many perceive
them to be, and attempts to expand access (such as passing HR1 and SR1) may not be worth
Democrats’ effort.
President Biden made major commitments to the American people rooted in his core promise to “restore the soul of the nation.” One hundred days into his administration, with unified Democratic control of Congress, strides have been made toward erasing the stain of the previous administration and setting the country on a different path. Regarding COVID-19, the administration’s actions on distributing and administering the vaccines are particularly laudable. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan was an important step toward stabilizing the country, and we applaud the administration for prioritizing its passage and not capitulating to Republican demands for insufficient relief.
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