Discouraged By A Do-Nothing Congress? Think Local
Things in Washington DC aren’t looking good for legislation with wide popular support.
The Democrats’ thin margin in the Senate has allowed corporate lobbyists to focus on just two individuals, Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
Joan McCarter at Daily Kos:
It’s turning into a dangerous game of Whac-a-Mole: Manchin presents his unreasonable demands and the White House and fellow Democrats scramble to meet them, only to have Sinema then pop up with her must-haves. Or in this case, must-have-nots.
It’s hard not to notice that these major changes to Biden’s sweeping policies are coming from the corporate interests he promised to tame. Drug makers are scuttling his health care promises, (No thanks to Rep. Scott Peters) coal and natural gas interests are neutering his climate goals, and corporate America is rebelling against his tax hikes.
At the core of the reconciliation package has been changes in the tax code, i.e., how we pay for all this stuff when military spending is sacrosanct. Sinema has said “no way,” to the original proposal; an alternative plan is apparently unacceptable to Manchin.
At this point it’s clear that plans for tuition-free community college, a path to permanent legal status for certain immigrants in the U.S. and a clean energy plan are all on the chopping block.
Cutting all those things out doesn’t get the price tag for the legislation down to the point where it’s acceptable to Manchin, so Dems will have to choose between eliminating $350 billion for child care subsidies and free pre-kindergarten, a new federal program for at least four weeks of paid family leave, a one-year extension of the $300 monthly child tax credit put in place during the COVID-19 crisis, and funding for health care provided through the Affordable Care Act and Medicare.
A replacement voting rights bill, written so Sen. Manchin could “find” 10 Republican votes (checks notes- he got zero), went down in flames Wednesday. It included provisions to make Election Day a national holiday, require early voting and mail in ballot options in every state, change the process of drawing congressional districts, and impose new campaign finance disclosure requirements.
Senator Chuck Schumer changed his vote to “no” on the bill yesterday, a procedural maneuver allowing the legislation to be considered again in this session. The thinking now among progressive activists is that President Biden will be willing to do more on voting rights once the reconciliation package is settled.
Ezra Levin from Indivisible laid out this possibility in his latest email to members:
In the time period between the completion of the reconciliation legislative fight and the end of the year, we will have a brief window of opportunity to call the question on the filibuster. Down one path is a vote to reform the filibuster and save democracy. Down the other path is a vote against any changes to the filibuster -- a vote that will allow McConnell to kill the Freedom to Vote Act. It is our job to make that choice as stark as possible.
I frankly have my doubts about anything important passing in this session of Congress. Republicans rightly see any wins by Democrats as putting them at a disadvantage in the 2022 midterm elections. Running on “We’re Not Trump” isn’t going to flip many districts.
I’ll grant you much of the Democratic Party were Dixiecrats back in the day, but the numbers don’t lie:
FDR’s Senate, 1933: 58 Dems, 36 GOP
LBJ’s Senate, 1965: 68 Dems, 32 GOP
Biden’s Senate, 2021: 50 Dems, 50 GOP
The problem here (according to polling I’ve seen) is that likely Republican voters are more likely to buy into the voter fraud claims being pushed by their party than likely Democratic voters are about the dangers to democracy posed by efforts to restrict voting. I know that the Dems have done an outstanding job in lining up legal challenges state-by-state; my fear is that we’re looking at an enthusiasm question.
https://twitter.com/StephenARhodes/status/1451190721776525320?s=20
I’ve placed Stephen Rhodes' Tweet above because it’s pretty darned easy to be discouraged right now.
Then I saw NBC’s excuse for a pundit, Chuck Todd, blabbering at Gov. Newsom:
https://twitter.com/NickKnudsenUS/status/1451033777124171779?s=20
And it occurred to me that California has the economic and political might to move the discussion forward. In some ways we already have, which is the basis for ChuckToddisms, i.e., wanting to gloss over CA in favor of his East Coast buddies.
https://twitter.com/LorenaSGonzalez/status/1451010669600411650?s=20
What I’m saying is that thinking local should be considered an alternative to laying on the couch and whining. Yes, our Governor is mostly talk and often meek when it comes to making the moves needed in this state. But… we have a legislature where --even though it’s still sausage-making-- things can and do happen.
So keeping you informed on what’s happening up north this year will be one of my priorities.
Some of California’s biggest decisions about the future come in the form of the ballot propositions we have to digest in general elections. It’s a battlefield where an informed electorate can make a difference, most of the time. Trust me, I’m on it.
Many of the state and local legislative-type elections are on hold, awaiting redistricting maps. Much of California’s decision-making (all of it locally) has now been placed in the hands of independent commissions. Unfortunately, they’re behind, thanks to the slow processing of census data they’re supposed to use in decision making.
The City of San Diego is one hot mess as far as I’m concerned right now. The City Council, under Dr. Jen Campbell’s leadership, is a far cry from what it should be when it comes to getting stuff done. There are good people on the council; Monica Montgomery Steppe and Joe LaCava come to mind.
Much of the city’s leadership is mired in the what-ifs abounding in the wake of real estate scandals from the past few years. I get the sense that there’s a near universal game of “cover your ass” going on, particularly with Mayor Gloria and City Attorney Mara Elliott.
And the lack of willingness to take on our local law enforcement mafia --because that’s what they are-- is a shame. Their threats about the vaccine mandate provide San Diego with an opportunity to purge the bad apples; let's get the governor to call in the national guard, if that's what it takes.
These things are a dark cloud over San Diego, one that makes seeing other accomplishments more difficult. And the criminalization of homelessness continues unabated.
https://twitter.com/objkshn/status/1449869691405492226?s=20
At the County level, things are looking up, even though the pushback has been furious.
(I say this without regard for the Supes honoring me with “Doug Porter Day’ recently.)
Still, there are things requiring some elbow grease and political courage. We have a Sheriff who’s retiring and hoping to anoint a replacement. There is ample evidence that the organization he/she would head is rife with self-preservationists obstructing their true mission, which should be to serve and protect the people.
We also have a District Attorney who is facing re-election. I can say she’s done a dandy job of window dressing in her department, while dancing around the elephant in the room, namely the lack of independence from law enforcement entities in prosecutorial decisions.
The Board of Supes needs to use the leverage they have (primarily budgetary) to change these institutions. Also, Mr. COVID denier, aka Supe Jim Desmond, is up for reelection this year. We’ll want to make sure his opponent(s) gets plenty of love.
There are two local elections coming up on November 2 that you should be aware of: If you live in those districts, you should have already received a vote by mail ballot. Don’t leave it sitting on your dining room table!
Julie Bronstein for San Dieguito School Board (Special Election, District 5)
Megan Afshan for La Mesa City Council (Special Election)
***
Finally, there are school board elections this year. In case you haven’t missed it, there is a national effort to make school boards even crazier (i.e., parents pulling them in many directions) than they already are.
From the Associated Press:
A loose network of conservative groups with ties to major Republican donors and party-aligned think tanks is quietly lending firepower to local activists engaged in culture war fights in schools across the country.
While they are drawn by the anger of parents opposed to school policies on racial history or COVID-19 protocols like mask mandates, the groups are often run by political operatives and lawyers standing ready to amplify local disputes.
I’ll do my best to call out the MAGA/QAnon types this year so you know who not to vote for.
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Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com