Bidenomics is real. Just ask a Republican.

July 25, 2023

          Bidenomics is real. The term was initially coined by Republicans to blame Biden for a bruised post-pandemic economy. When Biden’s legislative successes began to create jobs and reduce inflation, Biden adopted the term “Bidenomics” to describe the improving economy. It was an audacious move that could have been dismissed as a P.R. stunt and backfired. It didn’t. Instead, unemployment remains at historic lows; job creation surpasses the combined presidencies of Trump, Bush 2, Bush 1, and Reagan; inflation s falling; and investments in infrastructure and technology are revitalizing communities across America.

          Bidenomics is real. Economists are recognizing its impact on the economy. Meanwhile, Republicans simultaneously seek credit for its successes while opposing its policy aims. When Republican hypocrisy reaches equipoise with Republican deceit on any issue, you know they are worried. They should be. If the 2024 election is about the economy (as Republicans had hoped), Democrats are in a strong position.

          Reader Kathleen M. sent a link to an article entitled Bidenomics spurred stronger GDP growth: Morgan Stanley (cnbc.com). Per the article, a Morgan Stanley economist made an upward adjustment in her outlook for the economy because Bidenomics is “driving an unexpected surge in the U.S. economy that is so significant that the bank was forced to make a “sizable upward revision” to its estimates for U.S. gross domestic product.”

          The CNBC article continues,

Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is “driving a boom in large-scale infrastructure,” wrote Ellen Zentner, chief U.S. economist for Morgan Stanley, in a research note released Thursday. In addition to infrastructure, “manufacturing construction has shown broad strength,” she wrote.

As a result of these unexpected swells, Morgan Stanley now projects 1.9% GDP growth for the first half of this year. That’s nearly four times higher than the bank’s previous forecast of 0.5%.

          Got that? Morgan Stanley, which makes money (in part) by predicting the health of the economy, credits Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for expanding the economy.

          The facts on the ground confirm Morgan Stanley’s conclusion. Many small towns in red states are struggling with the question of whether they should accept money for clean energy projects despite their knee-jerk opposition to green energy. See Washington Post, Small-town GOP officials are torn over Biden’s clean energy cash. Because of quirks of geography, 70% of the federal money set aside for clean energy projects is directed to counties won by Donald Trump in 2020.

          A Republican commissioner in Fairfield County, Ohio, describes his pitch to fellow Ohioans to accept money from the Biden infrastructure bills for green energy:

We have new parks; the school systems are flourishing with all the additional revenue; the roads are in the best condition they’ve been in,” said [Tony] Zartman, 55, who has traveled to more than 40 counties across the state spreading this message. “I tell them, ‘I am a die-hard conservative, but I support renewables because they’ve just been amazing for us financially.

          The Republican commissioner spends much of his time fighting conspiracy theories about wind turbines interfering with cell service and rat infestations caused by solar farms. As one expert noted,

For the first time in decades, the government is bringing transformative opportunities to communities that have been left behind. But if they see these projects as a burden instead of a boon, it will dramatically undermine the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act.

          Indeed, places like Texas and Ohio are actively resisting the clean energy money. Per WaPo, ‘[a]t least 10 of Ohio’s 88 counties have enacted bans on large-scale wind and solar projects, with at least six more counties considering similar measures.” In Texas, Republicans are “pushing to repeal subsidies for solar and wind projects even though renewable energy has proved essential for the state’s electrical grid.” And Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to convince the GOP caucus in the House to repeal green energy tax credits—causing concern among fellow conservatives whose districts are benefitting from those tax credits.

          Bidenomics is real—so real that Republicans are torn between accepting its benefits at the cost of (un)principled opposition to alternative sources of energy that will slow human-caused global warming. While there are no guarantees, my money is on most Republican counties accepting the money and pretending it wasn’t Biden’s legislation that was the funding source. But some will know the truth. And Bidenomics will have the double benefit of improving the economy and helping to fight the climate crisis.

Should we be worried about Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s refusal to remove the border barrier in Rio Grande?

          Among Governor Greg Abbott’s many cruelties, he is installing a floating barrier in the Rio Grande to prevent immigrants from swimming across the international border into the U.S. Neither Abbott nor Texas has the authority to block a navigable waterway without permission from the U.S. government. Abbott did not obtain that authorization. Abbott refused a request by the DOJ to remove the barriers. The DOJ, therefore, sued Abbott in federal court. See Politico, DOJ sues Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott over Rio Grande barrier.

          So, is Abbott’s refusal to comply with the DOJ’s request a “constitutional crisis” as some have suggested? No. Until the DOJ obtains a federal court order, the dispute between Texas and the U.S. is just that—a dispute about the respective rights of federal and state governments. If Abbott were to defy a final federal court order, that would be a constitutional crisis, indeed.

          Abbott should honor a request from the federal government even in the absence of an order from the federal court. Abbott knows Texas will lose the lawsuit. But Abbott is interested only in scoring political points in the GOP’s ongoing culture war against the federal government—the very institution that keeps the several states safe from foreign enemies.

Like states hit by natural disasters, the federal government is viewed as an obstacle to state sovereignty until a state’s resources are overwhelmed by disaster. If Texas suffers energy blackouts during the heat of August, the state will turn to the federal government for emergency assistance—which will be gladly provided. Abbott’s actions are not only cruel, they are selfish, short-sighted, and anti-democratic.

Vladimir Putin adopts GOP culture war against transgender people.

      Hitler imported the underpinnings for the “Final Solution” from U.S. scientists promoting “eugenics” as a way of “improving” humanity. Hitler first targeted the disabled, mentally ill, and LGBTQ people. See Eugenics | Holocaust Encyclopedia. Hitler later expanded his sick ideas of “racial hygiene” to people of Jewish descent.

          Vladimir Putin is following a similar trajectory by adopting anti-LGBTQ policies promoted in the U.S. by religious nationalists. See The Guardian, Vladimir Putin signs law banning gender changes in Russia. The language justifying the Russian ban on gender-affirming care overlaps with the justification used by anti-LGBTQ groups in the U.S.

          Per The Guardian,

The ban is said to stem from the Kremlin’s crusade to protect what it views as the country’s “traditional values”. Lawmakers say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against “western anti-family ideology”, with some describing gender transitioning as “pure satanism”.

Russia’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ people started a decade ago when the president first proclaimed a focus on “traditional family values”, supported by the Russian Orthodox church. [¶]

In 2020, Putin pushed through constitutional reform that outlawed same-sex marriage and last he year signed a law banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” among adults.

          Putin has thus enacted his own version of “Don’t say gay” laws by banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” between adults. He has banned same-sex marriages—a goal of Justice Clarence Thomas. And Putin’s ban on gender-affirming care tracks the laws in nineteen red states.

          The wannabe Putins in the GOP and the real Putin in Russia are engaged in a feedback loop that poses a danger to the liberties of all Americans, but especially LGBTQ people. The GOP should take a moment to reflect on the fact that its social agenda tracks that of Vladimir Putin and the corrupt police state of Russia. At one time, the GOP viewed Russia as antithetical to America’s values. Now, many in the GOP see Russia as a role model. That shocking transition happened almost overnight because Vladimir Putin has kompromat on Trump. Pathetic. And dangerous—another reason why we must do everything possible to win in 2024 at the national and state levels.

Concluding Thoughts.

          When more people vote, Democrats tend to do better at the polls. Ohio is rapidly approaching its special election on August 8th on Issue 1 which cynically attempts to raise the barrier to reproductive liberty in Ohio. Many readers of this newsletter are engaged in “get out the vote” efforts in Ohio. Early voting is now underway and it appears that the GOTV efforts are paying off. See Ohio Capitol Journal, Early votes cast in Ohio August election are blowing expectations out of the water.

          Per the Ohio Capital-Journal,

Early voting figures for the Ohio Aug. 8 special election are surpassing even the most optimistic expectations. Through seven days of early voting more than 116,000 Ohioans have shown up at their local board to cast a ballot. Another 38,000 have absentee ballots have made their way in as well.

As Secretary of State Frank LaRose noted in a press release, it represents a “five-fold increase” compared to last year’s August election.

          Record turnout does not mean that Democrats will defeat Issue 1, but it is the first step in that plan of action. So, to that extent, all of the “get out the vote” effort appears to be having its intended effect. Everyone who is calling, texting, or sending postcards and letters is surely having an impact.

          So, what is the lesson we should take away from the early turnout numbers? Answer: We must work even harder in the final two weeks before the election. As the Ohio Capital-Journal article notes, turnout is up in Democratic-leaning districts and Republican-leaning districts. (But even in Republican districts, polling shows that the majority of voters oppose Issue 1.)

          So, we have every reason to be hopeful, but NO reason to be complacent. We must leave nothing to chance! If you are engaged in get-out-the-vote efforts, keep up the good work!

          Talk to you tomorrow!