This is a wise take on "doomposting" or the never ending scroll of people on Twitter especially who see only gloom and despair. The news today that Manchin cannot support BBB is deeply disappointing. But the Biden Administration has done some amazing things. Perhaps far short of what Bernie promised, but this isn't Amazon, where you order your legislation and it shows up on your doorstep in 48 hours.
It will be very hard to celebrate the real accomplishments of the Biden Administration in the lead-up to both the midterms and the re-election campaign in the face of relentless "emo eeyores" focusing on what wasn't done.
My "favorite" form of doomposting is the nonsense about how Democrats are weak and never get anything done. Leaving aside the impressive slate of legislation passed already, Democrats have won the popular vote in every presidential election but two since 1988. The reason they lost in 2000 and 2016 was not about Democratic fecklessness, but rather huge structural disadvantages that Democrats labor and oftentimes successfully overcome.
Bush managed to expand drug access to Medicare, but aside from that Republicans have not tried any positive legislative agenda. Cutting taxes, gutting regulations, trying to end ACA, confirming judges...those are not legislative pieces that require overcoming institutional inertia.
Yes, I will remain worried about every election for as long as Republicans embrace anti-democratic politics. But I'm not going to give myself an ulcer worrying about it every day.
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