Huge Win for Biden Today

[K Graham]

And an even bigger win for America. The House passed the Infrastructure bill!

Already, in just nine months, Biden has accomlished more than four years of Trump.

[Chap]

Patience, persistence pay off as Biden brings infrastructure package across finish line

Bipartisan deal would have ramifications for roads, bridges, ports, and broadband access across the entire country, delivering on a campaign promise.

The article begins:

Less than 10 months after taking office and several days after his party suffered a stinging defeat in the Virginia governor’s race, President Biden achieved one of his long-sought goals: a bipartisan agreement that would make major investments in all 50 states for years to come.

Shortly before midnight on Friday, when the House of Representatives passed the bill 228-206 with the backing of more than 10 Republicans, Biden’s slumping political fortunes appeared to suddenly change. After seeing his poll numbers slide for weeks, he had suddenly fulfilled a core campaign promise and notched a major victory after months of legislative gridlock.

“I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest that we took a monumental step forward as a nation,” Biden said Saturday morning at the White House, flanked by Vice President Harris. “We did something long overdue, that has long been talked about in Washington, but never actually done.”

Biden called the bill a “once-in-a-generation” investment that would create millions of jobs and improve America’s economic standing.

Biden said the measure included the most significant investment in roads and bridges in 70 years; the most significant investment in passenger rail in 50 years; and the most significant investment in public transit in history. Biden said he and Harris would have a formal signing ceremony for the measure “soon,” citing the desire for those who worked on the legislation to be able to attend.
“For all you at home who feel left behind and forgotten in an economy that’s changing so rapidly — this bill is for you,” Biden said. “The vast majority of the thousands of jobs that will be created do not require a college degree.”

“This is a blue collar blueprint to rebuild America, and it’s long overdue.”

Biden also said both the House and Senate would approve a separate climate and social spending package but did not specify a deadline. He also declined to comment on whether the centrist lawmakers who primarily supported the infrastructure package had committed to supporting that broader, roughly $2 trillion piece of legislation. Biden said he would not comment on private conversations.

Those hurdles await. On Saturday, he seemed to bask in the hurdle he had just cleared. The approximately $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill — which includes roughly $550 billion in new spending — will soon go to his desk for signature, and he said Saturday he would invite Democrats and Republicans to a ceremony so they could have the moment together.

The Senate first passed the bill in August with a 69-30 vote. The measure had languished in the House for several months as liberal lawmakers sought to use their leverage over the plan to advance Biden’s larger climate and social spending bill, but Democrats reached a deal late Friday night to proceed.

The breakthrough followed a brutal election night for Democrats on Tuesday, and a summer in which the White House was roiled by the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan and the surging coronavirus delta variant.

But with the infrastructure bill’s passage, Biden has suddenly achieved milestones that his predecessors only reached for. He has pulled U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, ending the U.S.'s longest war, something President Donald Trump and President Barack Obama had hoped to do. And he will soon sign an infrastructure package that Trump had promised but never built the political coalition to achieve.

[...]

[Some Schmo]

Politicians have been talking about infrastructure for years, and it's always been one of my biggest concerns. Finally, someone actually followed through on this promise.

I will always see Biden as a decent President just for getting this done. It's probably not a perfect bill, but it's something.

[Gunnar]

And an even bigger win for America. The House passed the Infrastructure bill

Already, in just nine months, Biden has accomlished more than four years of Trump.

You know, of course, that few, if any, Republicans will admit that, and no Trump supporters at all. More likely they will try their darnedest to spin any real accomplishments by Biden as disastrous mistakes. The better and more effective and obvious the real and potential benefits of any Democratic proposals or initiatives are, the more adamantly will what passes for current Republican leadership oppose them, because the last thing Trump and the MAGA crowd really wants is for Democrats to earn any deserved credit for anything good.

It is somewhat encouraging, though, that despite Trump and the MAGA crowd, there are actually some Republicans who voted for the bill.

[Gunnar]

Politicians have been talking about infrastructure for years, and it's always been one of my biggest concerns. Finally, someone actually followed through on this promise.

I will always see Biden as a decent the President just for getting this done. It's probably not a perfect bill, but it's something.

It's at least a good start, and Biden and the Democrats deserve to be commended for it. I still don't think Biden is the brightest tool in the Democrat toolbox, but he is still a darn sight better than Trump, and almost any other Republican alternative I can think of. He may not be perfect, but he is almost incomparably more decent and compassionate than Trump, and certainly less corrupt and dishonest. I would still like to see him replaced by someone like Sheldon Whitehouse on the Democrat Ticket in 2024, though, largely because of age, but not only that. I suspect that Biden would probably have both the humility and decency to step aside for someone younger, if he perceived a significant possibility that his health might not quite be up to the demands of 4 more years as President.

[canpakes]

Politicians have been talking about infrastructure for years, and it's always been one of my biggest concerns. Finally, someone actually followed through on this promise.

I will always see Biden as a decent the President just for getting this done. It's probably not a perfect bill, but it's something.

It's at least a good start, and Biden and the Democrats deserve to be commended for it. I still don't think Biden is the brightest tool in the Democrat toolbox, but he is still a darn sight better than Trump, and almost any other Republican alternative I can think of. He may not be perfect, but he is almost incomparably more decent and compassionate than Trump, and certainly less corrupt and dishonest. I would still like to see him replaced by someone like Sheldon Whitehouse on the Democrat Ticket in 2024, though, largely because of age, but not only that. I suspect that Biden would probably have both the humility and decency to step aside for someone younger, if he perceived a significant possibility that his health might not quite be up to the demands of 4 more years as President.

Agreed. He needs to give it a rest and exclude himself from the nomination for 2024. And Harris isn’t ready to step into that role, in my opinion, unless she becomes much more visible and demonstrates better leadership while doing so. But Harris being more public would allow right-wing news to undermine and attack Biden as unable to execute his duties, regardless of any fact otherwise.

Harris may end up in the same boat down the road as Mike Pence, who - right now - is somewhere sobbing gently into his MyPillow.

[Gunnar]

Agreed. He needs to give it a rest and exclude himself from the nomination for 2024. And Harris isn’t ready to step into that role, in my opinion, unless she becomes much more visible and demonstrates better leadership while doing so. But Harris being more public would allow right-wing news to undermine and attack Biden as unable to execute his duties, regardless of any fact otherwise.

Harris may end up in the same boat down the road as Mike Pence, who - right now - is somewhere sobbing gently into his MyPillow.

From what little I know of what Kamala Harris has done since the election, I suspect you may be right about her. My impression of her is that she is a basically decent person, who cares about democracy, the rule of law and basic human rights, but I don't know if she yet has what it takes to be elected President. If she is not nominated for President, what do you think the chances are that she will remain on the ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee, whoever winds up at the top of the ticket? I can see the dilemma you are implying that if she displays too much leadership and accomplishment, right-wing news might use that to undermine and attack Biden by inferring from that inability on his part to fully execute his duties without her help. On the other hand, if she seems to accomplish too little, they can easily attempt to infer inability and incompetence on her part to execute her own duties either as President or Vice-President. She may have to maintain a very tricky and narrow course between perceived competent leadership and inaction.

As for Pence, I can't help but believe that he is very sorry now that he ever had anything to do with Trump.

[Some Schmo]

I can see the dilemma you are implying that if she displays too much leadership and accomplishment, right-wing news might use that to undermine and attack Biden by inferring from that inability on his part to fully execute his duties without her help. On the other hand, if she seems to accomplish too little, they can easily attempt to infer inability and incompetence on her part to execute her own duties either as President or Vice-President. She may have to maintain a very tricky and narrow course between perceived competent leadership and inaction.

She only needs to worry about that with respect to Democrats and Independents. It doesn't matter to Republicans what anyone does. All that matters is their party affiliation. Harris could be a perfect specimen but it wouldn't matter to the Carlson/Hannity mouth breathers.

As for Pence, I can't help but believe that he is very sorry now that he ever had anything to do with Trump.

That's a hard riddle. Sure, he's got the Trump stench all over him, but how many people would even know about him without being VP? It's not like his reputation has been tarnished that much. He seemed like a lying douche the first time I really listened to him during the VP debate.

I never trust people who act "pious" like he does. That's a red flashing light and siren to me: ALERT: FULL OF crap... ALERT: FULL OF crap... ALERT: FULL OF crap...

[Atlanticmike]

Infrastructure bill will be devastating to America
https://youtu.be/PKIFwrD3OQc

[K Graham]

Infrastructure bill will be devastating to America
https://youtu.be/PKIFwrD3OQc

Says a GOP politician on FOX noise.

Nuff said