Washington Post: “Barely two months into the post-Trump era, news outlets are indeed losing much of the audience and readership they gained during his chaotic presidency. In other words, journalism’s Trump bump may be giving way to a slump.”
Experience Pays Off for Biden
The Week: “The early returns appear to bear out that self-assessment. Biden not only understands how his job works, he has been around long enough to avoid some of the pitfalls. Having watched up-close as Obama settled for a too-small stimulus during the dark days of the Great Recession in 2009 — which resulted in a slow recovery that proved painful for Democrats — he decided to ‘go big’ with the COVID relief bill, much to the relief of progressives. And he has surrounded himself with a team of similarly experienced professionals.”
Biden Team Preparing Up to $3 Trillion Package
“President Biden’s economic advisers are preparing to recommend spending as much as $3 trillion on a sweeping set of efforts aimed at boosting the economy, reducing carbon emissions and narrowing economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan that may be financed in part through tax increases on corporations and the rich,” the New York Times reports.
“After months of internal debate, Mr. Biden’s advisers are expected to present a proposal to the president this week that recommends carving his economic agenda into separate legislative pieces, rather than trying to push a mammoth package through Congress.”
“The total new spending in the plans would likely be $3 trillion.”
Biden’s Options for Taxing the Wealthy
Bloomberg looks at President Joe Biden’s economic team and their preferred policy options for raising taxes on the wealthy, especially for those who benefiting from the K-shaped recovery during the Covid-19 crisis.
The main three options on the table are:
- “Removing ‘step up in basis’ for estates, which revalues assets such as stocks and real estate at market prices, rather than their original purchase cost — reducing tax liabilities.”
- “Taxing capital gains for wealthy Americans at income-tax rates, which are higher.”
- “A minimum tax for large companies.”
Trump Says McConnell Needs to Be Replaced
Former President Trump said that Republicans need “stronger” and “better” leadership than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “I mean, he can’t rein in his own people. We have the Mitt Romneys of the world and, you know, the Ben Sasses of the world. These are not good for the Republican Party.”
Accuser’s Lawyer Says Cuomo Interfering with Probe
“A lawyer for one of the women who have accused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment charged Monday that he is trying to interfere with a state attorney general’s office investigation of the womens’ claims,” CNBC reports.
GOP Signals the Price for Bipartisanship Is Very High
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Trump Now Opposed to Getting Rid of Filibuster
Former President Trump warned the GOP that removing the filibuster would be “catastrophic for the Republican Party,” Axios reports.
In 2018, Trump warned Republican lawmakers that keeping the filibuster would be “the end of the party.”
McConnell Defends Filibuster as ‘Kentucky’s Veto’
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) slams Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), who has argued for eliminating the Senate filibuster, in the Louisville Courier Journal:
“Congressman John Yarmuth likes to pretend he knows me. He talks to reporters and writes in these pages as if he’s some sort of ‘McConnell-whisperer.’ That’s a full day’s drive from reality…”
“Yarmuth also thinks he knows the Senate, even if he never had the gumption to challenge me. The Senate stands as a firewall against heated passions and short-term electoral changes. Rules like the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to advance most legislation, exist to block bad ideas from becoming law and to encourage bipartisan solutions. This design also stabilizes national policy from swinging with every shift of the political winds.
“The legislative filibuster is the essence of the Senate.”
Gerald Seib: Filibuster debate tears at Biden and Senate, with long term consequences.
Biden Holds Fundraiser for Bottoms
“President Joe Biden is rewarding Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, one of his staunchest allies, with the first campaign fundraiser he’s headlined since he was sworn into office two months ago,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
Clyburn Makes Good Trouble for the White House
Politico: “Now that Biden is president though, Clyburn’s bold, in-your-face style, isn’t playing the same. While the president himself holds his longtime friend and confidant in the same regard, the congressmember has privately drawn the ire of some White House officials.”
“But if Clyburn’s style is irking officials in the West Wing, he has no qualms about it.”
Competitive State Legislative Races Gave Biden Boost
Washington Post: “Conducted in partnership with two Democratic analytics firms – Kinetic21 and BlueLabs – Run for Something analyzed 3,953 precincts within 61 counties in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina, New York, Ohio and Texas. The study compared precincts where a Republican was running on the ballot for state House or Senate uncontested with places where both Republicans and Democrats were running.
“The study found that even if the Democrat didn’t win, having a contested state legislative race provided anywhere from a .3 percent to 1.5 percent boost for Biden.”
Quote of the Day
“She’s looking at defining what a Western Democrat looks like. A Western populist Democrat that’s not owned by the unions or traditional Democratic constituencies (like) minorities and women. She’s not going to be so pigeonholed.”
— Ex-GOP strategist Chuck Coughlin, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
Texas Democrat Won’t Seek Re-Election
Rep. Filemon Vela, who represents a southern Texas border district and is vice chair at the Democratic National Committee, will not run for reelection to the House next year, Axios reports.
Vela won his seat with 55% in 2020 and is the first Texas Democrat to decide to leave the House ahead of restricting next year.
What’s Driving Young Republicans to ‘Cancel Culture’
Meredith Conroy: ““The largest bloc of young Republicans (ages 18 to 29) are white men, according to a 2018 survey from Tuft University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, which found that among young voters, white men were the only racial or gender group to align with the GOP in the midterms.”
“This is important because polling by the Public Religion Research Institute, also from 2018, found that 55 percent of young white men (ages 15 to 24) think that discrimination against white people has become as big a problem as discrimination against Black people and other minority groups. In fact, almost half said in that poll that diversity efforts will harm white people.”
“In other words, a core part of the younger GOP base is really concerned that they’ll lose their status in society.”
Capitol Hill Interns Don’t Reflect America
NBC News: “Paid congressional internships are a prestigious and powerful stepping stone for college students, but a recent report found they are far from representative of the nation’s diversity.”
“White students made up 76 percent of paid congressional interns, though they make up about half (52 percent) of the national undergraduate student population, according to a new report from the non-profit Pay Our Interns.”
Democrats Vow to Go ‘Bold’ With or Without GOP
“Democrats are warning they won’t tolerate GOP stonewalling as they try to make good on their pledge to enact a ‘bold’ agenda and avoid Obama-era missteps,” The Hill reports.
“Fresh off a big win on coronavirus relief, Democrats are facing intense pressure not to water down their legislative priorities after years of a backed-up wish list during the Trump-era and a decade since the party has had a unified government it could use to muscle through sweeping reforms considered anathema to the GOP.”
Field Narrows for Biden’s Budget Director
Washington Post: “Ann O’Leary, a prominent Democratic policy expert, has withdrawn from contention to be President Biden’s budget director, refocusing attention on whether the White House will pick Shalanda Young, who has widespread support on Capitol Hill.”
