From: Ryan Grim <badnews@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, February 5, 2021 4:38 PM
To: miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Summers turn to fall
<https://mailgun.substack.com/api/v1/email/open?token=eyJtIjoiPDIwMjEwMjA1Mj
EzODE1LjEuMzJkZTVkNTgzYzM5NDYzMGE2ZjdlMjc5YTkxOWY3N2ZAbWcyLnN1YnN0YWNrLmNvbT
4iLCJ1Ijo2NTkwMDksInIiOiJtaXJpYW12aWVuaUBvcHRvbmxpbmUubmV0IiwiZCI6Im1nMi5zdW
JzdGFjay5jb20iLCJwIjozMjI0Mj>
Larry Summers, that is
Summers turn to fall
Larry Summers, that is
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJxVkMGOhCAQRL9muI2hG1A5cNjL_oYBaR2yCgZxNv
794rqXTUiHdKpTVW-0heaUT7OlvbBrDOXcyET63hcqhTI7dspD8KZVmnPNvJEeetWzsA9TJlptWE
zJB7HtcEsYbQkpXnroANjL9FJImqTWznPnOo7YOeV7CRwEaoe3qT18oDiSoTflM0Vii3mVsu0P8f
HAz_qc9VeoZj_cXuz41YxpreuN0rZQ_WAPnLfPfNr4nHNYWTDIEThyhSB6UA00Aj0pr3oxCi1bwW
07dYSdthr01HXTQ_J1xn8WLJs15GDXd80XqiBtJcUlRGoilavzUFXrEUM5B4rWLeRvHOVm-gtomC
lSrqz9YIuBFlC1UPMCtnf_yksgShSgWLX3qV5F89f5B9xci-k> Ryan Grim
Feb 5
For the first major legislative effort of his presidency, Joe Biden proposed
a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package, partly made up of billions in state
and local aid, billions more for vaccine production and distribution, and
direct checks to tens of millions of people, to honor his campaign promise.
A group of Republicans countered with their own plan, suggesting he cut it
down by more than two thirds. In exchange they’d support the bill and give
him the 60 votes he’d need to end a filibuster by Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell.
Then something strange happened. Biden met with the Republicans, heard them
out, and said no.
Democrats have no desire to relive the hell that was 2009. Back then,
Republicans strung Democrats along, sometimes for months, only to ditch them
at the last minute or, as they did with Obama’s stimulus, make it too small
to do the job effectively.
If you lived through the day-to-day congressional struggle of 2009-’10, you
need no reminder. But if you didn’t,
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkU2OwyAMhU9Tdo34CSQsWMxmrhE54LRoAkTgdN
TbD5lK1rNkPctPnz0QPkp9u6M0Ypcs9D7QZfxtOxJhZWfDusTgjLacWxbcGMSsZxbbslXEBHF3VE
9kx7nu0QPFki-_mIRgTxfsyDc1GzSAJiDgCHpa7TbaWYppgs9ROEPE7NHhC-u7ZGS7exId7aa-bv
K7Fz0x5p7H40GDL6mPJJeiNy4vUV0CpuIrULv78orh3iimcz_bvayQ4L5jayW3bmTRXctcci2Fmo
UexKBkQB30rLyyo1EczDahnCxYYbdp2m4jTw85tHNtBP7nysCqS7FGSK8ePnZDOajkPWYcMtIFZO
mudOZI7wUzrDuGDyv6AP-ntzwwY0-NYQFywgipjRCcC2k-cDpMJeUoldCsnw-lb2W3Qri-9AdYWZ
Zi> I have a new piece on just how traumatic it was for Democrats, so much
so that they’ve quickly decided to go alone.
(The one exception appears to be Larry Summers. The former Obama adviser
played a key role in arguing for a smaller stimulus in 2009, and is doing so
again, but this time, Biden wisely kept him out of the White House, and
people there, up to and including Biden,
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkU2OhCAQhU_TLA0ForBgMZu5huGn7CGDaKDsjr
cfnE4IoeAV7_ERHOFzr5c99kbsnha6DrQF3y0jEVZ2NqxLinZShnPDoh0jaKVZastaETeXsqV6Ij
tOn1NwlPZy62EGYD9WuzEEdMHP2msjgol-9CCF8Ks367R-TN0ZE5aAFl9Yr70gy_aH6GgP-fUQ33
3QO91xhrBvvdq24FrDnF0vGjk6W1-AVPMsuBKjAqG0nLRiyQougN-7IDWoAQYpIqrYz4M04yS5m9
YZxWycAbPO8_oY-fYUQzt9vzn83pas2i3V5LZXj5m6YD9oLzkVHArS_fSlq7azJLoWLM5njB8q9E
H7z2l5YsHakcfFkYWph5wAOAcxfTB0bJ3MKCQo1u3j3ruK9S7e__EHGkKN3w> are flatly
rejecting his advice.)
And so Democrats are now embarking on a complicated, multi-week
parliamentary process called budget reconciliation, which is not subject to
the filibuster, meaning the stimulus can be passed with a simple majority.
But a lot of it will likely be tossed out by the parliamentarian, who will
rule that pieces that don’t have a direct impact on the deficit have to go
through regular order.
Besides that, the chamber only gets a few bites at reconciliation through
the entire first two years of Biden’s presidency, meaning the rest of
Biden’s agenda will be subject to the filibuster.
The availability of reconciliation has allowed the party to dodge the
question so far of what to do about the filibuster, but that won’t last for
long. Soon enough, unless Republicans have some sort of weird bipartisan
epiphany, Democrats will face a choice: They can either keep the filibuster
in place, or they can implement Biden’s agenda. They can’t do both.
In
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkcGOhCAMhp9muI2hVWQ8cNjLvoZBqCNZBQN1Nr
794pqQQsjf9MtXZ5neKZ9mT4XFVUY-dzKRfstKzJTFUSiPwZteDVIOwpvOw0u9RCjjnIk2G1bD-S
CxH9ManOWQ4pUHDSAW4zpwg0XUNMvJTR61mhR26Kau17O291B7-EDRkaEP5TNFEqtZmPfyaL8e-F
0PLxRi5XG0c-PSVr9QItRL4lWulyeXYqkwjsk_lwzPYj_0tBvlChafnrbksnVnzYpgrn6JUiG0L1
ANNC16Ul69WtcOXd9K28-aUA92gGHWen50cntjU46psHU_F4bIZgs52O1T-UMNpJ1TXEOkJhJfTs
aa2o4Y-Bwp2mklf-vi2_m_wPFNkXLdhR8tG-gBVQ8gJWB_-6k-W6zWWlCijvepdkUzWX8t6g_9tp
c0> the last episode of Deconstructed, I talked with Rep. John Sarbanes
about his legislation that would rebalance the democratic process. Without
it, Democrats could soon be relegated to permanent minority status. That
legislation, too, can’t be done as long as the filibuster is in place.
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkUuOwyAQRE8TdrH4GGMWLGYz17D4tBM0NljQzi
i3n_ZEQoWEqlXVj-gRHrW93VE7sksWfB_gCvz2DRChsbNDW3Jyk7acW5bcmMSsZ5b7sjaA3efNYT
uBHWfYcvSYa7n8wgjBni4GZWxa_QizgVGtNgSttRmNmmcf7PgJ9WfKUCI4eEF71wJsc0_Eo9_U10
1-08En5EJ9Ihw4xLrTk-RS0MXlJZokQaylU5mIkO5r3nI4O83cOxRalBwsu2uKS66lULPQgxiUTK
CTnlVUdpwU99NqQBrrrbCrMett5PtDDv0MHX38ucJZc3tu2e8vap3JUA-sZcsFhgJ4kVjItZ8l43
uh7LBB-kDCD-l_bMsDCjQqlhaPTkxC6kkIzoWcPlSIopJylEpoRvGp0lRxwafre_4A3pmTrQ>
Today’s episode is on the history of the filibuster and the fight to reform
or abolish it. I interview Senator Jeff Merkley, a leading voice of the push
against it, and Adam Jentleson, author of the terrific new book
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkcFu5CAQRL9muI1FgwFz4DBKlEuO-wEWhvYMig
EL41jer1-8I7Xq0KpWl145W_GZy2nWvFVyyVjPFU3CY1uwVixk37CMwRspNKWaeNN7GMRAwjbOBT
HasJhadiTrPi3B2RpyuvygAMjLCKvVoAV4SaWYnGaazmoaZs0m5xnF91O7-4DJocFfLGdOSBbzqn
XdbvxxY19tjuPobLR_c-pcjm3xHZbl_ucI1b3uHyWs6xLS8_6IWFqIdP_EmF2x7mxWvzYByaHXSq
meBMMoA8qoYMAHEB10nHkUXgzccd1LTq2cFTKlrQY9KzXfehqfrNv2aavW_VwZSDExlGDjb4semi
GvNaeWAruE9cIxNlfcU6jniMlOC_o3qfrG_Z_d-MSEpdXgR1sNSGBCAlAKTL7RNJScsZ5xEKS997
ldJTNZf3X0D8vjlSI> Kill Switch.
During the interview, I asked Merkley about Biden’s idea of lowering the
threshold of who should get the upcoming $1,400 checks from people making
$75,000 per year down to $50,000. “I would advise him, if he were to ask me,
that is not the place to compromise, that if you want to see us lose a
Senate race in Georgia in two years, then modify the promise made — break
the promise made during the Georgia runoff,” he said. “There’s a lot in that
bill where you could argue a little more here or a little less there, but I
think when you have made that a central point of a key election and narrowly
won that election, we all, together, better deliver on that promise.”
That
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlkU2u5CAMhE_T7BJhCPlZsJjNXCMiYNJMB4jAea
Pcfsi0hArJKuPyhzWEey63PnMl9shK94k64d96IBEWdlUsa3B6VAvnC3N6cDCrmYW6-oIYTTg0lQ
vZeW1HsIZCTo8fJgD21m6zy4xSSsR5UKIV_SiFdwIcB_TyO9RcLmCyqPEHy50TskO_ic76kr9e4n
c79MaQWh6LJ_U2x1YSXEC7uHhENdkxlz2YrlKI13HVzr7RfjqHMdvSgtnuNIXu7g9630UsnwPv1s
aCfp7igisBcgbVQy-FQ-XULK1chlFyM_oJxbSYBRY_Tf418LiLvl5bJWM_TyJWdAwlmPjTVgnNkE
_K6QgJ-4T04FmbK14p0L1iMtuB7kuOvvj_s1x3TNjColsNaRhBqBGAcxDjF1VDK4UYhATF2niXW1
fSm3HPn_0D4LObUw> full story is here.
You’re on the free list for
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJxVkEFuhDAMRU8zWaLYIQEWWXTTa6BAzExUSFBipu
L2DaWbSpYX1rf9358d0zPl0-6psLjayOdONtJ3WYmZsjgK5TF4a_Qg5SC8bT30uhehjEsm2lxYLe
eDxH5Ma5gdhxQvPXQA4mWJeiOnlmACJK10p2enjfIOJ026X-6n7vCB4kyW3pTPFEms9sW8l4f6eO
Bnrcn5y1RTjqmwm7-aOW11LIJFiSBRagTVg26gUehJe92rWQ2tUdKZpSPsBjfAsHTd8mjl9sR_l0
S2W8jBbe9qI1RB2jnFNURqIvGFNlbVdsTA50jRTSv5m5rv6H5zGJ8UKddI_ejYggHUBkBKQHNj1l
gUYosKtKjvfapb0f6h_QBxyYSX> Bad News. For the full experience, become a
paying subscriber.
Subscribe
© 2021 Ryan Grim Unsubscribe
1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW/Washington, DC 20016
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJxNUdFqxCAQ_Jr41uBqTOKDD4VyvxGMbq7SqMGsLf
f3Nb0WCrLgMMvMzjhLeM_lYY58ErvGQo8DTcKvc0ciLKyeWJbgzag055p5M3iY1czCuWwFMdqwGy
oV2VHXPThLIaeLDxMAezd-wsFvchWTkha0HvyM4zbgNIPzGtxT1FYfMDk0-InlkROy3bwTHWcnXz
txa--s60nWffQux_bdcnn5KqEZbJRbpbicuRaHnXz7Y3ZivPCIPtTY8B-rv6DLiTBRQ7ecryuDEV
wAF1wJkDOoHnopPCqvZumkHkbJ7bhNKCZtNehtmrZu4PEu-v_GWDExlGDjZ7smNEI-KKc9JOwT0p
VQU46xpkCPBZNdd_TP8OjZwI_H5Y4JS2vGL5YMjCDUCMA5iPGZVktXCjEICYo1eZ_bVjKr9Vdt32
6ens8>
<https://email.mg2.substack.com/o/eJwtkE1yhCAQhU8TlhbdCMqCs1gNtBMqChbiTHn7MJ
ns3_veT6DGj1Jvd5SzievkuqTojLZSWsE7pW15cObaZXGh5sAAagMgJaAR0Y0RZj2LdC5r5T-9a_
VicVx-S4FaKvkNhAlAfDutPZOKXnpCMzNZ1EgRAo-rnzR2W2-x0BUT58COn1zvklkkhxJBotQIag
Y9wKAwso56VkHZ0ShJZp0YJ0sW7D>