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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2021 1:04:44 GMT
βOpinion: Biden promised bipartisanship. That rhetoric hasnβt been matched by action
Opinion by Rob Portman Feb. 23, 2021 at 2:08 p.m. PST
Rob Portman, a Republican, represents Ohio in the U.S. Senate.
Our country seems more divided along partisan lines than at any time I can remember. Thatβs why I was pleased to hear President Biden encourage bipartisanship in his inaugural address. I agree with his statement that, at βour historic moment of crisis and challenge ... unity is the path forward.β
Unfortunately, that rhetoric has not yet been matched by action.
Most disappointing is the partisan approach the new administration is taking to the covid-19 pandemic, one of the few areas where there has been real bipartisanship over the past year. We know covid policy can be bipartisan, because Congress already passed five laws appropriating more than $4 trillion with huge bipartisan majorities. The most recent $900 billion package passed at the end of December by a vote of 92 to 6.
The basis for this year-end legislation came from a bipartisan group of five Democrats and five Republicans who worked over several weeks to come up with the $900 billion consensus package. As a member of that group, I am convinced we can find that common ground again.
Yet the new administration has chosen to go around Republicans this time, not just by proposing a huge $1.9 trillion package with no consultation with any Republican β or Democrat β in the bipartisan working group, but also by trying to pass the $1.9 trillion plan under reconciliation, bypassing the normal 60-vote Senate margin. In a 50-50 Senate, Democrats seem determined to proceed without a single Republican vote.
Trying to find a way forward together, I worked with nine of my Republican Senate colleagues over the past month to develop a targeted $618 billion covid-19 response proposal that can gain significant bipartisan support. Our plan focuses on priorities we share with the president, including providing the same increase in funding for producing and distributing vaccines; offering economic relief for Americans with the greatest need; extending enhanced federal unemployment benefits; supporting our small businesses; helping get kids back to school; and addressing the drug addiction epidemic that is a heartbreaking part of the pandemic.
Our approach builds on the $900 billion package that Congress recently passed, barely half of which has been spent thus far.
We were hopeful that the administration would be interested in good-faith negotiations. Instead, administration officials are insisting on provisions that Republicans oppose. For instance, under the Democratsβ plan, stimulus checks will go to a family making up to $200,000 a year, even if they havenβt borne the brunt of the pandemic. The package also includes numerous items that have nothing do with covid-19, amounting to a wish list of Democratic policy priorities. And we all know if it was a Republican bill it would be full of βitems that have nothing to do with the reason for the billβ. I believe itβs called pork.
Many of us also have concerns over the economic effects the Biden administration plan could have on the economy. Prominent Democratic economist Lawrence H. Summers and others have warned that the stimulus in the massive $1.9 trillion plan could overheat an already recovering economy and lead to higher inflation, hurting middle-class families and threatening long-term growth. If Portman was honest, he would concede that there was no concern by the Republicans for either the economy or the debt when they passed the trump tax cuts.
Recently, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that the economy is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels by midyear without any new stimulus. The consensus among many economists is that even absent any new coronavirus legislation, 2021 will bring higher economic growth and lower unemployment. Instead of adding to our record debt and deficits with a massive $1.9 trillion package that is not justified by the current conditions, we should focus on the most urgent economic and health-care needs of the American people. Thatβs what our more targeted Republican proposal does. What Portman, other Republicans and CBO are not understanding is this pandemic has turned the job market upside down. There are jobs that are gone for good and the hardest hit are the ones who have limited job prospects.
The Biden administrationβs partisan approach repeats the same mistake that Barack Obama made early in his presidency. It sets the wrong tone for the beginning of a new administration and risks undermining other bipartisan efforts going forward. Sigh... No matter what President Biden did or said he would be saying the same thing.
Past presidents showed they can get big things done early in a new administration by working with both parties. President Bill Clinton famously worked with Republicans in 1993 to pass the North American Free Trade Agreement. President Ronald Reaganβs economic reforms of 1981 passed the Senate by an overwhelming margin of 89 to 11. President George H.W. Bush rallied both parties to support the Americans With Disabilities Act before the two-year mark in his term. President George W. Bushβs No Child Left Behind Act passed both chambers with widespread support. In contrast, Obamaβs first order of business was to ram through a nearly $800 billion stimulus proposal on a nearly party-line basis. There was plenty of partisanship in the Trump administration, but on covid-19 we worked together each time. It was felt by many that the stimulus bill that President Obama βrammed throughβ should have been bigger. That is why President.biden and the Democrats are standing firm.
Biden faces an early choice. He can act on the hopeful bipartisan rhetoric of his inaugural address β and his presidential campaign β or contradict that message by trying to jam a $1.9 trillion bill through reconciliation with no GOP support. Working together has the benefit of crafting more-targeted policies, while showing a divided country that we can unite at a time of crisis.β Said Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown to kick. π
The truth is the Republicans have no credibility anymore. Itβs just that simple.
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Post by epeanymous on Feb 24, 2021 1:12:11 GMT
"Heartfelt."
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Post by scrapsotime on Feb 24, 2021 2:29:23 GMT
Republicans only want to talk bipartisanship when they are not in power. Didn't see any of that the last 4 years.
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Post by aj2hall on Feb 24, 2021 2:31:06 GMT
Republicans have no ground to stand on in terms of unity after only 7 GOP senators voted to convict Trump. Portman voted to acquit, so not interested in hearing his bs about unity. Unity only when it works for them. If they really wanted unity, they had plenty of opportunities in November & December to declare Biden the president elect. Also, if they really wanted to work together, their proposal would have been more than 1/3 of Biden's bill, that's not compromise. And where was the unity over the last 4 years when Republicans held the Senate & the White House? No unity in October when they rammed through ACB confirmation. They only make noise about unity when they're not in control and when it suits them.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 24, 2021 2:56:11 GMT
Yeah. Where was all of that so-called bipartisanship when Moscow Mitch was at the helm? He didnβt even let the bills see the light of day much less come to a vote.
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Loydene
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,639
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jul 8, 2014 16:31:47 GMT
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Post by Loydene on Feb 24, 2021 3:51:44 GMT
Of course the earlier bills had bipartisan support -- the Democrats wanted to get SOMETHING OUT -- but never got the things and amounts that mattered to them. The Republicans got huge amounts of money funneled to corporations, etc ... those weren't "bipartisan" concepts. And let's hear it for Mitch denying a judicial hearing during Obama's last year - yet ramming through a Supreme Court appointment in a week -- that was really a unifying move! It's a great big FU when they were in control - and a weeping "you are being mean to us" when they are not.
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Post by AussieMeg on Feb 24, 2021 8:50:35 GMT
The absolute hypocrisy of the Republicans never ceases to amaze me. And they're completely oblivious to it.
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Dalai Mama
Drama Llama
La Pea Boheme
Posts: 6,985
Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Feb 24, 2021 12:15:08 GMT
He can't be serious.
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,728
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Feb 24, 2021 12:29:08 GMT
Me thinks Portman doesn't understand what bipartisanship means. It requires the Republicans to come to the table and realistically negotiate. They have no interest in that -- they would rather whine that they aren't getting anything.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Feb 24, 2021 12:31:34 GMT
I'm willing to be the odd man out here. But...I'm tired of bills being packed with unrelated things. If the idea is so good, let it stand alone. I oppose tying a $15 minimum wage to a Covid relief package. Let's make the Covid relief package about Covid and then address the minimum wage in another bill. As a constituent, by separating these types of things out from one another, it really helps me decide (based on the votes) who I want to vote for.
If you truly want to be bipartisan, then propose and pass bills with one area of focus. Covid relief. And let the other bills pass and fail on their merits. There are a lot of good things the administration is proposing in their Covid relief bill. Let's not muck it up with other pork.
And then I think it's much more likely to get bipartisan support. As far as I'm concerned though, I feel no pity for the Republicans. They certainly don't feel bad about not working with Democrats when they are in power. It seems to me they want something they are unwilling to give back. The goal should always be bipartisanship. The way to do that is to put out good bills and let people vote. But the Republicans have got to expect that Democrats right now are going to go forward on policy without them, they have shown repeatedly, that they are there to basically block every effort to improve our society as a whole. I have a bitter taste in my mouth about Republicans never putting forth anything for the common good.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Feb 24, 2021 14:54:38 GMT
Politico articlePresident Biden said he'd *prefer* bipartisanship, but they want to get stuff DONE. And if the Republicans won't negotiate, too bad. (I'm paraphrasing here, obviously... lol) so stuff it, Rob!!
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Post by mellyw on Feb 24, 2021 20:34:23 GMT
Iβll be succinct. He can fuck right off.
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Post by lucyg on Feb 24, 2021 20:47:48 GMT
I'm willing to be the odd man out here. But...I'm tired of bills being packed with unrelated things. If the idea is so good, let it stand alone. I oppose tying a $15 minimum wage to a Covid relief package. Let's make the Covid relief package about Covid and then address the minimum wage in another bill. As a constituent, by separating these types of things out from one another, it really helps me decide (based on the votes) who I want to vote for. If you truly want to be bipartisan, then propose and pass bills with one area of focus. Covid relief. And let the other bills pass and fail on their merits. There are a lot of good things the administration is proposing in their Covid relief bill. Let's not muck it up with other pork. And then I think it's much more likely to get bipartisan support. As far as I'm concerned though, I feel no pity for the Republicans. They certainly don't feel bad about not working with Democrats when they are in power. It seems to me they want something they are unwilling to give back. The goal should always be bipartisanship. The way to do that is to put out good bills and let people vote. But the Republicans have got to expect that Democrats right now are going to go forward on policy without them, they have shown repeatedly, that they are there to basically block every effort to improve our society as a whole. I have a bitter taste in my mouth about Republicans never putting forth anything for the common good. I donβt care if they pull the minimum wage out and work on it separately. I donβt care if it stays, either. What I care about is never hearing another whiny word from Rob Portman or any other bloody Republican about unity, bipartisanship, compromise, or any other subject that involves them covering themselves in blatant hypocrisy. Right now I just want to punch every one of them in the face.
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*Marjorie*
Full Member
Posts: 360
Location: Hawaii
Jun 26, 2014 16:43:45 GMT
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Post by *Marjorie* on Feb 25, 2021 5:18:56 GMT
Amen Lucy Amen.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 26, 2024 0:33:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2021 5:23:51 GMT
I'm willing to be the odd man out here. But...I'm tired of bills being packed with unrelated things. If the idea is so good, let it stand alone. I oppose tying a $15 minimum wage to a Covid relief package. Let's make the Covid relief package about Covid and then address the minimum wage in another bill. As a constituent, by separating these types of things out from one another, it really helps me decide (based on the votes) who I want to vote for. If you truly want to be bipartisan, then propose and pass bills with one area of focus. Covid relief. And let the other bills pass and fail on their merits. There are a lot of good things the administration is proposing in their Covid relief bill. Let's not muck it up with other pork. And then I think it's much more likely to get bipartisan support. As far as I'm concerned though, I feel no pity for the Republicans. They certainly don't feel bad about not working with Democrats when they are in power. It seems to me they want something they are unwilling to give back. The goal should always be bipartisanship. The way to do that is to put out good bills and let people vote. But the Republicans have got to expect that Democrats right now are going to go forward on policy without them, they have shown repeatedly, that they are there to basically block every effort to improve our society as a whole. I have a bitter taste in my mouth about Republicans never putting forth anything for the common good. I donβt disagree with you but a bill like this best change of passage was to attach it to must pass bill like the stimulus bill. And even the stimulus bill, which has a 60% approval rate in the latest poll, had to do this Senate Parliamentarian thing to get it through the Senate. And even though the Democrats have the majority, there is the filibuster that two Democrats refuse to vote to eliminate, which means if the $15 minimum wage is a bill on its own Republicans in the Senate will filibuster it so it probably wouldnβt even come up for a vote. Which is why what you and a lot of us want to see isnβt going to happen in the current climate. Unfortunately.
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Post by aj2hall on Feb 26, 2021 14:46:47 GMT
I would like for the Republicans to stand united behind the voting bill to expand rights. But, no, the republicans will oppose it and pass as many voter suppression bills in state legislatures as they can. They can't win on their platform or fairly, so they will try to suppress the votes of people who are likely to vote against them.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Feb 26, 2021 14:51:16 GMT
They can't win on their platform or fairly, they don't even HAVE a platform any more, except to be OPPOSED to whatever it is that the Democrats want.
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Post by sleepingbooty on Feb 26, 2021 14:56:10 GMT
Maybe Biden can kiss his GOP booboo better? Sounds bipartisan enough to me.
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