The Message Going Forward

By Baxter

Carl Bernstein just said that we have one year to figure out what happened on January 6, because in the 2022 midterms, the Republicans will win the House and shut all these investigations down.

So that's pretty scary. But what if that doesn't happen? What if the Democrats buck historical trends like they did in 1998, and the Trumpsters don't win one of the houses of Congress?

We're not pie in the sky, but that's certainly possible. Thing is, Democrats have to stop wringing their hands and start amplifying our message. Here's are some talking points.

The Biden-Harris Administration's first year — which isn't even over yet — has been one of the most consequential in Presidential history. In case you forgot:

Democrats — and Democrats alone — passed the COVID relief bill last March, and it's a really good thing that they did. Because those $1,400 checks, child tax credits and other supports are coming in really handy now that we're dealing with pandemic-related inflation. Note to voters: Republicans don't give a rat's ass about the financial challenges you deal with every day.

The Biden Administration has gotten nearly 200 million Americans vaccinated against COVID, and isn't finished yet. Our only way out of this economic and medical mess is for everyone to get the vaccine. Biden-Harris is getting it done.

Democrats got the infrastructure bill through Congress, and it's going to President Biden's desk for a celebratory signing event on Monday. It's going to build roads, bridges and airports, yes — but it's also going to expand broadband access to all those Trumpy rural areas who could use a bit of enlightenment. Longer term, it boosts clean energy investments. (Nineteen Senate Republicans voted for this legislation, as did 13 House Republicans. Those 13 are facing death threats from the Trumpster mob now — but it's a bipartisan bill.)

Biden ended the 20-year war in Afghanistan, which means that yesterday was the first Veterans Day in ages on which we didn't have any troops in combat abroad.

Biden has created more jobs in his first year than Trump and Bush did in their entire Presidencies.

Never mind that all this has happened while the world has been reassured to see that America is back. Our shattered reputation in the global community is under repair.

Yes, it's taking some time. But you know what? At the same time, it's happening fast. Kind of like the indictment today of Steve Bannon: By the standards of social media, it took forever — but in the real world, with a new US attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, only just confirmed on October 28, and with a grand jury empaneled to consider the charges against Bannon, it's remarkably swift. We cats counsel patience and perspective, and we PURR.