Democrats and Biden risk major defeat without new domestic agenda – Orange County Register

Now that President Biden’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better package has come to an end on its way to the Senate, Democrats are scrambling to deliver a new domestic agenda just ten months ago. midterm elections in 2022.

This week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer restarted the Democratic push for voting rights legislation — and with that, restarted discussions about repealing the Senate adjustment to move this law forward.

Schumer and Democrats support the vote and repeal package to pass the bill arguing that it is a necessary response to the various voting restriction bills that have already been passed and signed into law. in Republican-controlled states last year.

Regardless of the value of the voting package, two things are practically clear.

First, the voting rights bill was dead on reaching the Senate, and would meet the same fate as the much-debated and ultimately unsuccessful Build Back Better package. Second, Democrats’ efforts to quash opposition will backfire — not only at the polls in November, but also after midterms if Democrats take a minority in Congress. as many predicted.

In theory, Schumer wants to put Republicans running for re-election on the ballot against these policies, both those included in the Build Back Better package and the voting rights reforms, which are pluralized. voter support when measured independently.

It is clear, however, that the Democrats have only succumbed politically to backing policy failures and a desperate push to cancel the Senate race. So the actual election impact for Republicans on their opposing votes would be zero.

Instead, the Democrats led by President Biden need to focus on what they have and can accomplish, rather than what they cannot. Trying to force some Republicans into potentially offensive votes is equally dangerous.

First, Biden and the Democrats need to talk about what they’ve actually achieved through the historic bipartisan Rescue Plan and Infrastructure Bill. As Robert Shapiro wrote in the Washington Monthly late last year, “Based on data, President Biden and the Democratic Congress are set to deliver the strongest two-year performance results in terms of growth, jobs, and earnings. imported for decades”.

However, if Biden and the Democrats fail to sell these two landmark pieces of legislation, they risk a similar fate to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, where Democrats failed to do so. sold its historic statutes and blamed all economic woes for the better part of the next decade.

Second, Biden and Democrats need a full-blown focus during the first half of this year to craft, promote, and pass viable central legislation that has a real impact on issues of primary concern to voters. tri.

Specifically, given the immigration crisis in our country – both at the border and in terms of the status of millions of hard-working undocumented immigrants – Democrats should pursue a big deal with Republicans. involves securing our borders once and for all through both technological and physical barriers, as well as specific safeguards for those here in our country pursuing the American dream.

Continued immigration stagnation not only fails on the Democratic platform’s promise, but leaves the matter open to attacks from Republicans, amid the current crisis in the United States. border.

In other words, if Democrats prove to the American people that they are fair brokers on immigration and move forward in the same bipartisan way as they have done on infrastructure, they can Keep your promises and protect yourself from attack.

With regard to the program of building back better, there are still elements that can and should be pursued through incrementalism.

Democratic leaders should move forward with specific Build Back Better policies separately, forcing yes or no, separately for each policy or area in the larger package based on the merits of each policy and political appeal.

Some of the early policies to pursue this framework could include extending the child tax credit; invest in training programs for new jobs in the fields of public health, IT, manufacturing and clean energy, including nuclear energy; and create more affordable housing units.

This approach not only forces legislators on both sides to compromise on each issue, but it is also implemented in a simple, straightforward manner that voters can understand, engage with, and ultimately, bring about. give the Democratic Party credibility.