It is a popular trope among shallow commentariat and the Online Left to decry that the Democratic party is bad at politics. Personally, I thought (and think) that "Defund the Police" was bad politics, which is more a product of the Online Left than the Democratic Party.
Anyway, let's take a look at what has happened in the last 48 hours. Chuck Schumer used a sneak attack to bypass Tom Cotton's blocking of Merrick Garland. Joe Manchin has signaled that he's open to filibuster reform. And, oh yeah, the Democrats have passed a massive Covid relief bill that will have positive effects this year and beyond.
Biden started out at $1.9T and in the end, he got $1.9T. They extended unemployment benefits. They funneled money to cash starved schools, municipalities and states. They provided billions for ramping up vaccinations. They introduced a more generous tax credit for children.
Personally, I don't think our family will get some or any of the direct cash payments. We are right on the cusp of qualifying. But here's the thing: I don't care. We are OK. Any problems we have right now will be solved by reaching herd immunity. Our worries are about our communities, not our bottom line. The caterwauling from Trust Fund Socialists should be drowned out. This bill is an objectively good thing.
It would not have happened without Stacey Abrams, Jon Ossoff and Rafael Warnock. Or Joe Biden. Or anyone who voted for Democrats.
There is still a lot of work to do, and I hope they start with a stand alone minimum wage bill, even if it is "only" $12/Hour. I hope they get voting rights on the floor of the Senate and break the painless filibuster. The emergency bill has passed, not comes the slow grinding of wearing down the opposition.
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