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Last time Tim Alberta, Politico’s chief political correspondent, was on the program, life in America was crazy, but in a typical, everyday, post-2016 kind of way. We figured that it was time to have him back now that we’re in the process of rushing towards a new form of crazy at Spaceballs-levels of ludicrous speed (“They’ve gone plaid!”). Tim takes us through some of the issues that voters in purple states actually seem to care about (Hint: The Hunter Biden drama isn’t one of them) while also touching on the confusing lack of a substantive foreign policy debate in this election cycle, the simpler times of the Christmas Tree tax and the Dubai ports deal, and the shocking value-add provided to one’s life by the purchase of an Arby’s gyro.
Show Notes:
-Get tickets for The Dispatch’s “What’s Next” event
-American CarnageTim’s most recent book,
-Matt Glassman talks about the lack of a foreign policy discussion
-Jonah on the 2006 Dubai ports deal
-Congress slowly spending more time on memes
-KittyPooClub.com, enter promo code DINGO for 20% off your first order
-Bradleyfdn.org/Liberty to watch the latest episode of We The People with Justin Danhof
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Still listening through, but I just have to say: I'd wager that Joe Biden 100% wants a Democrat majority in the Senate. Imagining otherwise is wishful thinking.
You say it'd be better for him, as a centrist, to be put in a situation where he *has* to work with at least one or two other Republican Senators to hold the far left wing of the party at bay, but I think with only a slim Republican majority there would be immense pressure for Republican senators to fall in line and oppose literally everything Biden put forward, no matter how sensible and mundane it was.
Take one of his campaign promises: a tax increase on people making $400k+. This is a crucial part of Biden's plan for economic recovery; raise taxes on the wealthy and spend more on relief. I think this is something Biden sincerely wishes to do. It's not some sort of ultra-woke-progressive defund-the-police proposal, it's simply part of a larger plan for economic recovery.
This is also something that I just don't see even the non-Trump-y Republicans like Sasse and Romney signing off on. I'm sure many Republicans in the Senate agree that *something* has to be done about COVID stimulus. But, the message would be that the tax hike was one of Biden's campaign promises, and they just can't let him have it. Letting him *do* government things would just be giving good press to the Democrats, and might encourage people to vote for them in the future.
McConnell's record of stonewalling Democrats at every turn, from passing stimulus to filling court seats have sent a message that without a trifecta government, nothing will get done in the USA. Like, literally, actually nothing. The Republicans have shown over the last 10 years that anything they have the power to do, they will do, and anything they have the power to stop, they will stop.
Biden has shown restraint when dealing with the ultra-progressives during the campaign, at a time when he actually runs the risk of losing if he can't gain their support. I have no doubt he can show similar restraint when in office, when an election isn't on the line. The best path for the country moving forward would be Democrats winning the Senate, and then showing restraint: don't pack the court, don't defund the pentagon, don't do anything crazy, and try to cool the temperature. To take the opportunity to show the US that just because you *can* do something, doesn't mean that you should.
I really enjoyed this, and as I have never heard Tim speak, I enjoyed him also...I have "met" so many new people on the pods...it is way cool...