Lord knows, there is much that remains to be done, and President Biden and the Democrats should not back off from fights for tougher gun laws, voting rights, political reform, steps to rein in a right-wing Supreme Court, new measures to fight climate change and a sane immigration policy. But Republican control of the House will make it very difficult for progressive legislation to go forward.
This requires Democrats (and Republicans seeking ways to break with their investigation-infatuated leadership) to be creative in thinking simultaneously about what’s possible over the next two years and how to lay the groundwork for change later. Here are three suggestions that I hope others build on.
First, much of the legislation enacted in the past two years — on infrastructure and investments in technology and green energy for starters — will involve substantial spending between now and the end of Biden’s first term. Democrats should be aggressive in claiming credit for what’s being built. But the Biden administration should also be very public about all it’s doing to make sure the money is spent wisely. “When a bill is finally passed and signed into law,” Mann told me, channeling Churchill, “that’s not the end, but the end of the beginning.”
Three measures would make a big difference for families, and especially for women, who typically assume the largest responsibility for child-rearing. Progressives and moderates should come together behind a family package that includes the child tax credit, expanded child-care assistance and universal pre-K.
Republicans who tout themselves as “populist” and “pro-family” should be challenged to put deeds behind their slogans. In the short term, something good might happen. And if the GOP balks, the way would be prepared for a future Democratic-led Congress to move decisively.
This new generation has come of age in a complicated time, starting with the stock and housing market collapses of 2008 and continuing through the pandemic. Biden made a good start with student loan forgiveness, but policymakers should be working on a larger collection of policies that deal with problems younger Americans face across class and educational lines — in the housing and health-care markets, small business loans and job training.
Family policies such as the child tax credit would be part of the push to help younger Americans. The biological fact is that people tend to have kids when they’re younger. The economic fact is that their incomes are typically higher when they’re older. Ironing out this mismatch is a social and economic imperative.
Think of these initiatives as a starting point, not the final word. They are aimed at sparking other efforts to move our political debate away from demagogic culture wars and toward problem solving. If progressives and moderates do their job right, conservatives might even be shamed into offering some ideas of their own.
This content was originally published here.
