Biden Is Wasting His Political Capital - By Charlie Cook

[DonViejo]

Charlie Cook
February 5, 2021

As this column is being written, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are sitting down in the White House with 10 Republican senators to talk about coronavirus relief. Given the 50-50 split in the Senate (with Harris the tie-breaking vote), this should not be terribly surprising.

What is surprising, at least to me, is just how Biden and his White House have been playing this over the last week, especially compared with how he portrayed himself during the campaign. While “take it or leave it” demands are certainly not new to politics or the legislative process, it is rather odd that the White House’s initial offer has also become its final demand. Democrats’ immediate and instinctive threat to ram their package through using the budget-reconciliation process, which would require only a simple majority rather than a filibuster-proof supermajority, was tone deaf to say the least. One might have assumed that Biden had made a campaign pledge to never negotiate with Republicans.

First, a few numbers are in order: 1.9 trillion, 43, 900 billion, and 618 billion. The first is the $1.9 trillion cost of Biden’s relief proposal. The 43 is the number of days since Dec. 21, when Congress passed its last coronavirus package. The $900 billion is the cost of the coronavirus relief portions of the larger $2.3 trillion bill, passed six weeks ago, that funds the government through Sept. 30. The $618 billion is the price tag of GOP senators’ counteroffer.

The fact is there is a lot of room for negotiation between $1.9 trillion and $618 billion. So why start making threats from the get-go?

more
https://cookpolitical.com/analysis/national/national-politics/biden-wasting-his-political-capital

[edhopper]

1. Because

We learned our lesson in 2009. The GOP just plays Lucy and the football. They would never go near the $1.9 billion.
What should Biden accept then $900 million? $1 billion. That will not be sufficient.
And for what 5 or 6 GOP votes?

[yardwork]

2. Because, Mr. Cook, we're not falling for the bullshit anymore.

[spanone]

5. ⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧⇧

[lagomorph777]

16. I thought he was going to say that it's stupid to bother inviting them to the WH. I'd agree.

But he's saying we should repeat the thing that ushered in the Teabag Party. Compromise away the things that Americans desperately need, then let Republicans shit on our faces.

Sorry. Been there, done that, got the shit-stained T-shirt to show for it.

[PatSeg]

19. Exactly

We're so tired of this crap. We are in an emergency situation and there is no time to play political games with republicans. Meanwhile, it would appear that Mr. Cook is just fishing for things to write about, which is odd as there has been so much political news lately. Maybe he should take a hiatus.

[SharonAnn]

42. Exactly. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

[mobeau69]

3. Nope. There is no time. We're at war with Covid.

[thucythucy]

4. Why start making "threats" from the get go?

Because Republicans can't ever be trusted to negotiate in good faith.

This is a lesson President Biden learned the hard way trying to work with Republicans in 2009-2012.

To not pass the full, comprehensive bill, which is what every reputable economist and medical expert on the pandemic is insisting we need, would be the waste.

I suppose next we're going to hear about how terrible this will be for the deficit?

[BeyondGeography]

6. Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day

Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way

Pink Floyd, or the Republican approach to “working” with a Democratic President.

Biden saw the future and it looked like an agreement for half a loaf or so sometime in April or May. I’m glad he put his foot on the accelerator.

[mr_lebowski]

13. the sun is the same in a relative way but you're older ... (nt)

[lagomorph777]

17. One day closer to death.

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. We don't negotiate with terrorists.

[PSPS]

8. LOL. "So why start making threats from the get-go?"

I guess Charlie just woke up from a 12-year coma. Biden offered the GQP a seat at the table, but they didn't take it seriously. Instead, they made silly proposals, all of which they would have ended up voting against anyway. And the votes would have to be taken between their threatening to kill democrats and denying the earth is round.

[gratuitous]

9. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Cook

The fact is that the Democrats' position is very popular with that American people, polling above 70%. So why should Democrats bargain against themselves just to soothe Republicans' feelings that their position is so unpopular?

Biden's spending his political capital on exactly what he said he was going to be spending it on. Don't like it, Charlie? Run for office yourself and show us all how it's done.

[flibbitygiblets]

32. ☝🏼This ☝🏼

[bullwinkle428]

10. Wow, Charlie Cook - are you even slightly familiar with recent American

political history?

In 2009, newly elected President Barack Obama twisted himself into pretzels in an effort to achieve "bipartisan compromise", and in the end, put forth a slew of bills that Republicans refused to even touch anyway, and didn't provide the level of assistance that was genuinely needed at the time. The result of this? See the 2010 mid-terms.

PJB's stimulus bill is supported by over 70% of the public, including various business interests and even some elected Republican officials (Jim Justice, governor from Joe Manchin's WV). Why should Joe Biden start watering things down now?

[LakeArenal]

11. Who is Charlie Cook and why should we care about his opinion?

Paragraphs of negative opinion....

[unblock]

12. "Hey democrats! Don't start from a strong negotiating position?"

Analysis: democrats should be more accommodating to the people who told them to f*ck off for the last four years.

[PatSeg]

22. And you know,

whenever republicans have the majority, they claim they have a mandate, but when Democrats have a majority, the pundits say they are suppose to play nice with others. This is getting really old already.

[quaker bill]

14. because the negotiations now have a deadline

That is the whole point of having a majority. Yes, we might like a few Rs on board, but we aren't interested in paying much for it or delaying action. So now they have a deadline to work against. Come up with something right now, or we will leave you out.

[M_Demo_M]

15. Cook's usual got some useful insight.

But not this time. This is just right-wing shilliness.

[struggle4progress]

18. I keep dreaming about broken glass and hearing voices scream

Lock her up! Hang the VP! Shoot them in the head!

I'd really like to be a moderate and compromise but somehow this is affecting my ability to stay centered by finding my happy place

[mr_lebowski]

20. Republicans basically told Democrats to go eat a bag of dicks the past 8 years

That they held control of the Senate (think it's been 8, yeah?).

They should expect to put their own bibs on now that they've LOST.

Elections have consequences, right?

[Aristus]

21. THIS IS IT! WASTING HIS POLITICAL CAPITAL! LOSING SUPPORT! FAILED PRESIDENT!

[Cosmocat]

23. I like Cook a bit, but find ONE fucking media person who was concerned about W or 45

"wasting political capital" by not negotiating with democrats ...

[jaysunb]

24. I love you Charlie, but you can STFU this time. Nt

[roamer65]

25. With all due respect, Mr Cook.

FUCK OFF.

[NRaleighLiberal]

26. charlie is obsolete

[StarfishSaver]

27. Oh, good Lord

He's been there 5 minutes and the armchair experts are already coming at him.

Note to Mr. Cook. It's not 2009 and Biden isn't dealing with the Tea Party.

Smart people learn from the past. Where does that put you?

[DLCWIdem]

28. Because

The economists say we need a big number. In 2009 it wasn't big enough and the economy didn't recover fast enough. When the economy did recover it was sluggish. Although it has been only 43 days since the last stimulus, the small stimulus package in December was a joke.
I don't think he is squandering political capital when the relief is favored by up to 77% of Americans. It is bipartisan. And If it works as the economists believe it will Biden will only gain political capital. The Republicans have been working in bad faith and they want the stimulus to fail.
Because we need the Covid relief QUICKLY to help the states reopen schools, get the vaccine out to get ahead of the new variant.

[SoonerPride]

29. Biden won in a landslide

It wasn't even close.

[Celerity]

37. Cook's article is pure bullshit, but just 22,000 flipped D to R votes spread out over 3 states

(WI, AZ, and GA) and Trump would have won re-election, despite losing the poplar vote by well over 7 million.

The Electoral College is fucking insanely un-democratic (small d).

[SoonerPride]

39. The same small margin of votes gave T a win in 2016. But all the media focised on was 306-232

It was declared Trump won in a landslide in 2016. Especially by Republicans.

Well then, So did Biden.

306-232.

He won in a landslide.

[Celerity]

41. I saw a tonne of coverage about the narrow 80,000 (so 40K flipped R to D and Hillary would have won)

vote difference spread out between WI, MI, and PA.

Trump was main one calling it a landslide (and he lost the popular votes by millions there as well).

Obviously based off popular vote it was a landslide for Biden (and Clinton too, for that matter), but that damn Electoral College is fucked up and that is all that matters in the US system. The EC spreads are misleading as well, as it only would have taken very small amount to flip only 3 states in each election to reverse the results. It was not like those EC spreads came from singular votes, they come from large blocs (the states taken as a whole). Just 4 states, CA, TX, FL, and NY alone account for almost 30% of the entire EC total.

[Dave in VA]

30. Palace Intrigue and no one cares

outside the palace. He might as well be writing a gossip column in the National Inquirer.

[wiggs]

31. Because some people grasp the seriousness of the situation, in terms of both public health and

economy...and others won't address it seriously. Why pass an inadequate bill? Why compromise with people who are more interested in the political game of not agreeing to a 'democratic' plan rather than governing?

Biden is interested in governing and, by and large, they aren't....this time and for at least a couple decades. It took long enough but dems appear to get it. Hopefully media, pundits, and journalists will too...and eventually more of the public will as well.

[Hortensis]

33. Well, the Republican Party has gone authoritarian, traitorous, fascistic.

Traditional principled cooperation with them is mostly impossible. They make deals with suckers in order to get what they can take, then break them. Their scorched-earth tactics mean they'll put to the torch any political capital they can't turn to their own advantage. They've turned what was once principled cooperation for mutual benefit into attempted appeasement of barbarians already inside the city.

Schumer, Pelosi, Biden, the rest of our leadership know this and that the political capital give and take isn't allowed to work any more. Also that if you give a rat a cookie, he'll take your finger too.

[Happy Hoosier]

34. Nah.... Joe needs to go hard early...

The GOP has made it clear that they want to control the agenda despite not controlling the Presidency or either house of Congress.

Joe has less than 2 years to demonstrate to the American people what Democrats can do when they are in power and have the will to govern. We must do so, or our record-setting support will become apathetic and we will lose in 2022.

Let's give the people a reason to vote for us.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

35. Well, gosh. When I think of how conciliatory and compromising the Republicans

have been in recent years . . . .

Oh, wait. Their idea of compromise is to do it their way. Well, fuck them.

I just hope the Democrats spend as much time as possible up to the 2022 election pointing out how Republicans voted against the very things that help ordinary people.

[JHB]

36. Quick! What's your own name? I figure that with a case of amnesia like that...

...we ought to check whether you can make your way home safely.

[NurseJackie]

38. Ha!

[Blue Owl]

40. Thanks Mr. Kook

Now move along please...