Things are looking glum for progressives in the near and medium future. As I’ve written before, the long-term trends are on our side, e.g., voter diversity, younger voter age, populations shift to cities. But there is plenty of well-placed concern about a return to broad-based trumpism in the next Congress. National and state efforts have made clear their intent to solidify any gains by irreversible changes in election procedures to extend their rule. But enough of that.
The news emphasis on the latest bright, shiny object and its focus on disaster can obscure some of the good things that have been accomplished by this Congress and this President. Here is a half-dozen.
ONE. Congress (entirely with Democratic votes) passed the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” to deal with the economic aspects of the pandemic. It extended the $300 weekly unemployment insurance supplement. $1,400 direct payments to individuals. Set employer tax credits for those who offer paid sick and family leave to employees. Expanded the child tax credit for the 2021 tax year (the one we’ll be paying in April). Increased taxes on large corporations. Put $29 billion into the Restaurant Revitalization fund. Added $130 billion for K-12 schools and $40 billion for colleges. $50 billion for Covid vaccine distribution. $48 billion for Covid testing and $65 billion for other health-related programs.
TWO. Americans now know more science and more about the scientific method than ever before. That’s not a political intent as much as a result of the stubborn pandemic and mixed messaging. Scientific gray areas are always source of dispute and Covid has given each of us a stake in the debate. We follow the facts as we see them and sometimes create our own facts to fill voids, but the public discussion of science is at record levels.
THREE. Congress passed the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021” (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill). Two hundred thirty repuglican legislators – including “Krazy Kevin” McCarthy – voted against the bill. The bill will provide $110 billion for roads and bridges, $66 billion for railroads, $73 billion for power infrastructure and clean energy, $65 billion for broadband, and $50 billion for transportation safety and modernization. My point in mentioning these specifics is to underscore: these are not small numbers and they are not obscure programs. They will have measurable effects on the lives of real people. I’m waiting for images of Congressional opponents posing with hardhats and shovels at ceremonies in their districts for these funded projects they voted against.
FOUR. Jobs news is good. Six million jobs added in 2021; the most for any first-year president in US history! The unemployment rate dropped by two percentage points; the number of long-term unemployed workers fell by 1.8 million, again the best mark in US history.
FIVE. Despite the razor-thin majority for Democrats in the Senate, it still counts as a majority that mean all committees are chaired by Democrats and Chuck Schumer sets the agenda of which bills come to the floor for debate and which ones don’t. There is great power in that, and things would be devastatingly different if Mitch “The Turtle” McConnell was in charge.
SIX. The conservative Supreme Court upheld the Administration’s authority to mandate healthcare workers be vaccinated if their employers receive federal funds, including from the almost ubiquitous Medicare and Medicaid programs. Although the court rejected a similar mandate for employers with more than 100 employees, many large companies already require vaccination/testing simply to protect their other employees and reduce absenteeism.
So, notwithstanding the doom and gloom featured in the daily news, 2021 will be shown to be a good one for the efforts of the new Biden Administration and progressives across the country.
Let me finish with some recent curious news. History got a refresher in an unexpected place recently. A repuglican Virginia state delegate wrote a bill to ban the teaching of “divisive concepts” in public schools. No surprise there. Rather than list all the things that could NOT be taught, the bill defined the allowable, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, parts of the Federalist Papers, and oh yes, “the first debate between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.”
There are two peculiar aspects of this bill and its author. First is the focus on the initial 1858 debate where Lincoln stumbled badly and was unable to articulate his stance on slavery. The public viewed that debate as a winning argument for the extension of slavery. Lincoln’s strong performance in the later debates, particularly the final four, propelled him to national prominence and foretold his successful presidential campaign in 1860. Second is that Frederick Douglass – arguably the most visible and persuasive Black orator of the time – was not part of the debates. Lincoln debated pro-slavery Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas. It is said, “history is written by victors,” but that won’t stop losers from trying to rewrite it.