The Tug Of War Goes On (And That's Okay)

By Baxter

We cats rarely brag (we don't need to — our superiority is self-evident), but we've opined many times in the past about how complicated and difficult governing in a democracy is. "If Lyndon Johnson could rise from the grave," we wrote back in 2017, "he would tell you that major legislation — the kind that defines Presidencies for generations — is the result of hard work, long-time relationships, arm twisting and compromise."

So all the over-the-top headlines about how Building Back Better is teetering on the precipice and threatening to tank every Democrat in 2022 and beyond is a little hard to take. (Although we'd like to underscore that last word, "compromise," for the left and right flanks of our party — particularly the left. But that's a topic for another blog post.) A delayed vote is not the same thing as a failed vote. Nancy Pelosi knows this. Too bad the press doesn't.

The wisest take on this week's developments has come from Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who knows a thing or two about how Congress works, and who has reminded us all that voting rights is also on the to-do list. "I said dozens of times in the summer that both pieces of legislation would face multiple near-death experiences before passing," he tweeted. "I’m not naive about our opportunity or about our challenges. I’m just saying don’t flip out over an internal deadline."

Schatzy is spot-on there. But we're frustrated that none of the talking heads seem to be spending time on the question of why the Democrats, with their slim Congressional majorities, are having to publicly wrangle. It's because no Republicans will join them in doing what's right for America. As they've amply demonstrated, the GOP would rather destroy the country than give Team Biden a "win." It's disgusting.

Moral of the story: Take a deep breath and the long view — even if today's instantaneous, 24/7 media world compels us to react, analyze and hand-wring every second. Perhaps we can all take a lesson on that from former President Jimmy Carter, who turns 97 today. When you've been on the planet nearly a century, maybe you don't get so worked up as twentysomething tweeters and baby political reporters do. Happy birthday, Mr. President! We cats PURR.

(P.S.: Greg Sargent of The Washington Post agrees with us.)