First of December

 

• It's interesting to watch in France how the government actually responds to street protests. True democracy in action.

• This election showed us two things. (1) The Never-Trump Republicans were just that: anti-Trump. But (2) they are still Republicans, and voted GOP down-ballot. As Jeet Heer said, when you give Republicans more speaking time at the convention than you give your progressive base, then you are validating voters to vote Republican.

• So McConnell has nixed the bipatisan relief bill. This has always been the issue with the idea that these so-called pragmatic centrists "get things done". The problem is that what "gets done" often turns out to be crap like this. Having said that, the Dems had much more leverage earlier in the year to hold out for better relief bills that had aid to states and more help for actual people. They wasted that leverage. We kept hearing to wait until "the next bill". The Dems got outsmarted and outmaneuvered. They have no leverage now. All these centrists accomplished is to lower the bar so that whatever skinny bill McConnell allows will be even crappier than the compromise bill. They just made things worse.

• I guess I am a little puzzled by Biden's appointment of Neera Tanden to OMB. She'd probably do an okay job there but so would scores of other people. Tanden is such a divisive figure within the Democratic Party, and she has an open hatred for Bernie Sanders, and, by implication, his supporters. (That includes me.) I am hoping that this appointment isn't a way of giving the finger to the left flank of the party.