Today’s Edition: A day of progress.

November 17, 2021

          The absence of major drama on Tuesday allowed stories of substance to come into focus. President Biden met via videoconference with President Xi of China for three-and-a-half hours late Monday. The conference was friendly—Xi described Biden as “an old friend.” Both leaders sought to de-escalate the rising tensions between the world’s two remaining superpowers. Biden and Xi both stated that the countries needed to put their relationship back onto a stable footing to avoid accidental conflict. Biden said,

          It seems to me we need to establish some common sense guardrails, to be clear and honest where we disagree and work together where our interests intersect, especially on vital global issues like climate change.

          Xi generally agreed with Biden’s statements, saying that China was willing “to build consensus, take active steps, and move the China-U.S. relationship forward in a positive direction.” While little progress was made in defusing tensions over Taiwan, the countries did agree to discuss “strategic stability” relating to nuclear weapons. Shortly after the conference ended, the U.S. and China agreed to end tit-for-tat travel restrictions on visas for journalists that began under Trump. Tensions between the U.S. and China will be a permanent fixture of global security for decades to come. Talks between adversaries are generally good, and we should do more of it. Good for Biden.

          Biden took to the road to promote the infrastructure bill he signed on Monday. Speaking at a “red-listed” bridge over the Pemigewasset River in New Hampshire, Biden tied the infrastructure legislation to U.S. competitiveness and security. He said,

          We’re about to turn things around in a big way. . . because of this law, next year will be the first year in 20 years that American infrastructure investment will grow faster than China’s.

          Now that is a soundbite worth repeating! The infrastructure bill was long overdue. Infrastructure in the U.S. is aging, unsafe, and lacks resiliency. See “Measuring up U.S. infrastructure against other countries | PBS NewsHour.” The bipartisan infrastructure legislation was a good start but was only 50% of the amount recommended by the American Society of Civil Engineers. So, if anyone tries to tell you that “spending by Democrats” is causing inflation, counter with the facts that the U.S. ranks 64th in the world in terms of road safety and 70% of its dams are more than 50 years old. The investment in infrastructure represents payment for deferred maintenance and is worth every penny.

          Speaking of responding to arguments about inflation, a recent study found that the Child Tax Credit enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan is projected to reduce child poverty by 40%. That is a staggering achievement and dwarfs the progress in any year-to-year reduction since 1967. The study is here: Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, “Child poverty drops in July with the Child Tax Credit expansion.” See also HuffPo, “Inflation Is Not The Biggest Thing Happening In The Economy Right Now.” The current spike in inflation is related in large part to the unique circumstance of a deep recession caused by a global pandemic. The fact that Biden and Congress wisely chose to stimulate the economy to end the recession in the U.S. has led to inflation—but it has also helped working families and Americans whose income is below the poverty line. While no one is arguing that inflation is good, we must recognize that the benefits of the American Rescue Plan were directed to those who needed the help most—and it succeeded. The Build Back Better bill will extend many of those important programs—if it passes.

          And speaking of the Build Back Better bill passing, the Senator Who Shall Not be Named is raising objections to the bill because of—wait for it—the possibility that it will contribute to inflation. Despite his objections, Democrats are (once again) predicting passage of the bill by the end of this week. See The Hill, “Democrats bullish they'll reach finish line this week.” We have heard that story before but hope springs eternal! If it happens, Biden’s first year achievements will stand above those of any of his predecessors in the last fifty years.

If you are feeling bad about the state of the Democratic Party, it could be worse. You could be a Republican.

          Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has one of the most conversative voting records in Congress. And yet, the Wyoming state Republican Party voted to expel her from the state GOP and has asked the House GOP leadership to remove her committee assignments and to facilitate her “seamless exodus from the Republican Party.”  See WaPo, “Wyoming Republicans disavow Liz Cheney over Trump impeachment, criticism.” Cheney said the actions of the Wyoming GOP central committee were “laughable.” The 31-to-29 vote by the central committee reflects a deep divide in the state Republican Party.

          While House Republicans are considering exiling one of its most reliable conservative members, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is defending Rep. Paul Gosar over his anime video that shows him killing another member of Congress and attacking the President. Democrats will vote this week to censure Gosar and remove him from his committee assignments. McCarthy says punishment is unnecessary, claiming that Gosar “has apologized.” Gosar immediately revealed McCarthy to be the habitual liar he is by saying, “I did not apologize.” See Mediaite, “Paul Gosar: 'I Did Not Apologize' for AOC Anime Video.”

Jennifer Rubin of WaPo calls out journalists.

          There is no political benefit to criticizing the press for negative coverage of the Biden administration. But it is helpful to recognize that the media has been co-opted by the “know-nothing” tactics of the GOP and has, therefore, ceased reporting on the Republican Party in a serious way. Acknowledging that fact can help manage your response to the torrent of stories steeped in a double standard that grills Democrats while indulging Republicans. More importantly, by treating Republican anti-democratic behavior as part of the normal “give-and-take of politics,” journalists are failing to defend the democracy that is the wellspring of their “freedom of the press.”

          Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post spoke to this issue in her op-ed, “Journalists also have an obligation to fix democracy.” After noting the media’s rush to criticize anything and everything Democrats do, Rubin turns to the media’s treatment of Republicans:

          [C]overage of Republicans focuses almost exclusively on their latest cultural meme. . . .We get far more coverage of Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s inane attack on Big Bird and Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley’s riff on masculinity (as if either topic had to do with their jobs as U.S. senators) than we do on the benefits their constituents would derive from Biden’s agenda, which they oppose. Do these senators ever get queried about their own policy ideas for reducing inflation, reducing inequality or enhancing competition?

          Focusing on Ted Cruz’s fight with Big Bird comes at the expense of ignoring the GOP’s past and future efforts at insurrection. Rubin says,

          [W]e see little evidence the media has examined its own role in Republicans’ assault on democracy. Indeed, one could argue mainstream media outlets have been complicit in the current crisis of democracy. The trivialization of coverage, default to false equivalency, amplification of GOP spin and habitual treatment of Republicans’ conduct as within the normal boundaries of politics have serious implications for a democracy that relies on an informed citizenry.

          A perfect example of the phenomenon described by Rubin arises from the coverage of Steve Bannon’s effort to undermine the Select Committee’s investigation of the January 6th insurrection. Bannon is attempting to obstruct justice and delay discovery of the truth long enough to give Trump the opportunity to mount a second attempt at insurrection. So, what is the media focused on? Answer: The “inside baseball” political ramifications of the indictment of Bannon. The top story in The Hill on Tuesday evening reduces a matter of grave constitutional importance to a partisan fracas: “The Memo: Democrats may rue pursuit of Bannon.” (“[T]he door is now open to future use of the same process by Republicans at whatever point they win back control of Congress . . . Some Trump loyalists are already salivating at the prospect.)

          In other words, it’s not your imagination. The media is granting false equivalency to those who are good-faith participants in democracy and those who seek to destroy it. That is maddening for those of us who want to win fair-and-square in 2022 and 2024. The media’s dysfunctional relationship with the GOP isn’t going to change, so we should focus on our goals and not let the media’s spin hinder or demoralize us.

Quick correction.

          In Monday’s newsletter, I said that if Bannon appeared before the Select Committee, he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refuse to answer any questions. A sharp-eyed reader reminded me that Bannon received a “full pardon” on January 20, 2021. As a result, Bannon cannot invoke the Fifth Amendment as to federal crimes he committed prior to January 20, 2021. See Jill Wine-Banks in Chicago Tribune, “Three ugly Watergate lessons for President Trump.” It is conceivable Bannon could invoke the Fifth Amendment if he believes his activities relating to January 6th subject him to prosecution for state crimes. That seems like a stretch, but we shouldn’t assume that Bannon will play by the rules.

Concluding Thoughts.

          Readers are concerned about Biden’s falling favorability ratings. Let’s not fool ourselves: a trend of falling ratings is not good. But in an election, voters decide between the relative favorability (or lack thereof) of competing candidates. Trump went into the 2020 election with historically low favorability ratings but exceeded President Obama’s re-election total by 4 million votes. So, don’t panic. There is positive news on the horizon, and low favorability ratings are meaningful only on a relative basis. Stay strong, don’t dwell on temporary negative news, and remain positive. We can win, but only if we believe in our ability to do so.

          Talk to you tomorrow!