Part of Ezra Klein's argument in this New Yorker interview is Democrats should push harder than they did in the Obama administration to fulfill their promises.
I've just completed Obama's "A Promised Land". Part of the criticism is that the stimulus package should have been bigger and more obvious--issue checks rather than changing deductions for example. Part of the argument is don't let the filibuster stop you.
I'm not sure I buy that. Go too far too fast and you don't get Joe Manchin and Jon Tester reelected, you don't get Doug Jones elected, etc.
But it seems each administration is trying to avoid the mistakes of the last administration (of the same party). For example:
- Clinton administration designed a healthcare package without consulting Congress and it failed. Obama administration spent (wasted?) a lot of time and energy dealing with Congress on ACA
- Biden administration is aiming to improve healthcare fixing Obamacare's problems.
- Bush administration had an aggressive foreign policy trying to restructure Iraq and Afghanistan. The Obama administration backed away from that.
Of course today's progressive wing of the Democratic party reminds me of the McGovern wing of the party 1968-76, which led us to defeat and long years out of power in the White House.
And my attitudes towards the $1.9 trillion Covid bill are swayed by memory of the the inflation of the 1970's.
We will see.
