In a rare display of media honesty, the pro-Biden Fourth Estate is making a subtle shift away from the constant partisan praise back toward actual analysis. With President Joe Biden seemingly beset at every turn by crises of his own creation, it may be that the media finally decided that naptime is over. Or perhaps any shred of credibility left remaining was thought best not to be squandered informing readers that the sky was no longer blue and water was wet no more.
One such outlet that appears to be going through Damascene conversion is none other than CNN. In a rare glimpse of insight, the writers at the self-appointed "most trusted name in news" set out precisely the issues facing the belabored president and why his situation is not likely to improve any time soon.
Welcome Back to Reality
CNN pulled few punches detailing the long list of issues, from the humiliation of the Afghanistan withdrawal to the current efforts to create a modern-day New Deal or Great Society spending plan. But one area in particular where the outlet focused its spotlight was on the inability of this administration to create a unified front within its own party.
The Democratic Party is diligently trying to live up to its aspiration to be a big tent movement. With radical leftists and self-styled socialists on the one side, and the progressive-lite on the other, crafting an across-the-board consensus was never going to be easy. Yet the chasm that now exists between the warring factions appears almost as wide as the one between Republicans and Democrats. In fact, in terms of policy and spending, some would argue that there is a lot more crossover between moderates from either party than between the extremes of Biden's own.
A Spending Legacy?
Of chief concern for President Biden and his congressional leadership team is passing the latest round of spending bills; one a bipartisan infrastructure proposal and the other, a much larger "human infrastructure" plan. These two bills total at least $4.5 trillion. While it was initially felt that the obstruction to their passage would come solely from the GOP, infighting and demands within the Democratic Party are on the brink of derailing both.
Democrat operative and former presidential aide, John Podesta, gave a sobering assessment that was half analysis and half plea. He wrote in a memo, "If Democrats care about our nation's future and well-being, this is the legislative package we need. No excuses. This is it." The truth bombs continued to drop with his warning:
"We will not secure the full $3.5 trillion investment. It's time for Democrats to unite in finding the path forward. Similarly, to those Democrats who only favor the bipartisan infrastructure bill, know this: you are either getting both bills or neither -- and the prospect of neither is unconscionable."
The Beating Heart of the Matter
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
It is no secret whatsoever that the Democratic Party sees spending as the best method of ramping up the flagging economy, whether that largesse comes in the form of infrastructure projects, cash handouts, or expansions to existing benefits. But this latest demand for taxpayer cash is more than just primer for the business pump, and that has some elected politicos worried about their own future. Should the two spending bills pass, the president will have succeeded in a once-in-a-generation effort to restructure how the United States operates. Joe Biden’s legacy will be secured.
But what of the senators and representatives who have to face their electorates in 2022? While some voters will be thrilled that Biden has expanded the government footprint, many others will not.
CNN actually sums up the problem succinctly:
“Some moderates in the House fear this price tag will cost them their seats in 2022 with Republicans favored to win back control and relishing a classic spending-focused campaign assault against Democrats.
"But progressives say they will refuse to back Biden's infrastructure bill with Republicans -- another central plank of his presidency -- unless the spending bill passes too. If one half of this complex legislative maneuver Democratic leaders are using to bring the party fails, the whole edifice could crumble.”
A Rock and Hard Place
With the 2022 midterms casting an ominous shadow over Capitol Hill, Democrats are only too aware that this may be their last chance at significant policy-making before the campaign season starts in earnest. The spending and infrastructure bills will either be a victory that can be paraded or an albatross that they must hide in shame as they face an electorate that gave them a shot at the trifecta.
Sadly for the Dems, the GOP knows this, too. Lawmakers can expect no quarter and no support from the minority, and with Democratic senators and representatives trying to maintain their razor-slim majorities, perhaps President Biden will find little help within his own fractured party.
~ Read more from Mark Angelides.
