Better roads and more jobs: a win-win for America
On the heels of President Joe Biden‘s policy and political victory on the American Rescue Plan (ARP), and with the COVID vaccination rate well exceeding his 100-day goal, Biden and Congressional Democrats are now adding infrastructure to their agenda. That is the dry term for the crucial task of rebuilding America’s crumbling roads and bridges. And once again, just as happened with the ARP, Republicans are in danger of ending up on the wrong side of a very popular issue.
First, recall that Donald Trump, touting himself as a “builder,” had talked about rebuilding America’s infrastructure since at least 2015. After arriving at the White House, Trump even promised up to $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spending. Of course, Trump’s big plan never happened, just like Trump’s promised healthcare plan, nor anything else other than a tax cut for the wealthy and the near-destruction of our democracy.
But now the Democrats, with the White House and control of both houses of Congress, have the opportunity to deliver on rebuilding America, or what President Biden and the Democrats might call “Build Back Better.” And here’s where the Republicans may again fall into a trap of their own making:
— First, President Biden and the Democrats will invite the Republicans to participate and include their ideas. The massive infrastructure plan will have plenty of money for Republican states and districts, and will create many jobs in those areas. Thus, the bill may be difficult for Republicans to resist.
–If even a small number of Republicans vote for the infrastructure bill, then it will be considered bipartisan, and President Biden will accomplish his stated campaign goal of reaching across the aisle to work with Republicans. This would be a win-win situation for those who vote for the bill, and will marginalize Republicans who vote “No.”
–And why would any Republicans vote “No” on a popular bill to rebuild America’s roads, bridges, railways, waterways and schools? Because the GOP essentially has opposed anything from the Democrats for years. Indeed, Congressional Republicans tried every day essentially to shut down the government during Barack Obama‘s presidency, and there is reason to believe the Republicans will try to do it again to President Biden, for example, by repeated use of the legislative filibuster in the Senate. The Republican Party largely has abandoned realistic policy proposals in favor of the juvenile political goal of “owning the libs.”
Granted, the 50-50 Democratic-Republican split in the Senate means that, with Republicans filibustering everything, and absent a number of Republican crossover votes, the Democrats may have to pass their infrastructure plan by “budget reconciliation,” which has certain strict limitations. Nevertheless, if the Democrats handle the infrastructure issue correctly, it could be both a big policy win and a political victory, similar to the American Rescue Plan. The formula for the Democratic talking points might be something like this:
1. Rebuilding our roads and bridges is great for America, including better safety, cutting down time for millions of commuters, travelers and shoppers (yes, we’ll be having many more of those as COVID vaccinations increase and more workplaces reopen). Moreover, rebuilding our infrastructure is crucial for American businesses, which depend on so many trucks on our highways and bridges, plus air and rail freight, to deliver and receive their goods. Furthermore, all of this rebuilding creates many well-paying construction and related jobs.
2. We invited the Republicans to share their ideas on how best to rebuild America’s roads, bridges and transportation systems, but they refused, choosing partisanship and obstruction over the good of the country. (The bumper sticker might read: “Democrats = Construction. Republicans = Obstruction.”)
3. Why won’t Republicans do what’s right for America?
Photo by JimsFlicker, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/OTfof6
