"Why Biden pitched infrastructure bill in Michigan amid congressional stalemate" PBS NewsHour 10/5/2021
Excerpt
SUMMARY: President Joe Biden spoke in Michigan Tuesday on the need for his infrastructure and social spending plans, as negotiations over both bills are underway on Capitol Hill. Yamiche Alcindor talks to two leaders in the state about what Michiganders need and the potential impact of the Biden agenda.
"Brooks and Capehart on jobs report, Liz Cheney and election laws" PBS NewsHour 5/7/2021
SUMMARY: New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including the latest jobs report, the internal politics in the Republican party as it attempts to oust Rep. Liz Cheney, and the latest string of election law changes in conservative states.
Judy Woodruff (NewsHour): To reflect a little on what Senator Warren had to say and more on the events of this week, it's time for Brooks and Capehart.
That is New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart, columnist for The Washington Post.
It is so good to see both of you, smiling faces on this Friday evening.
And I do want to get to Senator Warren, David, but first let me ask you about today's jobs numbers. They were disappointing. It was expected there would be many hundreds of thousands more than there were.
Do these numbers say something about, frankly, the wisdom of President Biden's economic plans?
David Brooks, New York Times: Maybe. I don't think we know yet.
But we're doing two gigantic experiments that are really unprecedented in American history. We have never spent $6 trillion in such a short period of time, and gone into debt while doing it. If the two other Biden plan passes, it'll be $10 trillion.
At the same time, we have never seen Fed expansionary policy this momentous. And so this is an experiment. And maybe it'll pay off, but maybe there will be inflation. Warren Buffett's a little worried about inflation. Other people are worried about inflation.
Maybe, as Michael Strain said earlier in the program, the fact that people are paid to stay home means I don't want to get a job. I can hang out at home, what seems a lot better.
And so we — I don't think we know the answer to what happened. But it was a shocking number. And we just have to pay attention to the fact that this could go sideways in a million ways, because we're doing something really risky.
Judy Woodruff: Jonathan, do you see that this makes some sort of statement about what President Biden's doing?
Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post: I don't think so, not yet.
We cannot grade the entirety of President Biden's fiscal plans based on one unemployment number. We have got to look at the long haul here. And so the jury's out on that. However, we have to think about all the things that David was just talking about, in terms of the inflationary concerns and all of that.
We have to also talk about the fact that we're also dealing with — still with a global pandemic, people being reticent. As much as folks want to get out and restart their lives, there are a lot of people who, like, can't find jobs, are too afraid to get out there, for fear of what's going to happen with the pandemic.
And, also, on top of all of it, even though lots of states are starting to reopen, some more fully, like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have announced, but they're still slowly reopening. So I think it's a little too early, Judy and David, to start being gloom and doom over the state of the economy, not just yet.
Judy Woodruff: Well, in connection with all this, you heard Senator Warren. I asked her about her plans to tax the wealthy.
She has a much more, shall we say, ambitious set of proposals even than what President Biden has put out there.
David, what do you — where do you see any of this going with regard to taxing the wealthiest in order to pay for what he wants to do?
David Brooks: Well, it's pretty popular.
And it's also just a fact that wealth is concentrated over the last 30 or 40 years. It's also just a fact that corporations have done extremely well, and corporate profits have done pretty well. So, if you want to tax things to pay for things, these are probably the least bad things to tax.
There is going to be a cost. When you raise the corporate tax rate, and, on the margins, companies will flock to a place with a lower corporate tax rate than a higher corporate tax rate. That's probably true on the margins. But it seems to me the Biden administration has chosen the appropriate areas to raise taxes.
Judy Woodruff: And, Jonathan, what do you see when you look at taxes and President Biden and what Senator Warren's saying?
Jonathan Capehart: Well, one, I agree with David in the last point that he made.
But let's also remember they're still in the middle of negotiations. And even though I think the initial number the president has put out there, wanting to raise the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent, and, before that, under Trump, it was 35 percent, and he lowered it that much, that the President and the Administration has been — have been sending signals all along that they're willing to negotiate, willing to negotiate on that piece.
As for Senator Warren, of course, she is going to shoot for the moon and the stars as a means of, one, because she believes that fully, firmly believes it, but also as a way of trying to push the President further, push him to do more than maybe he is constitutional — he thinks he's constitutionally capable of.
But if the American — if the American Rescue Plan is any indicator, I don't think she's going to have to push too hard to get the President to think imaginatively about how to go about his policy — his plans.
Judy Woodruff: Let's talk about the Republicans, David, a lot going on in that party this — the last few days, and, next week, a vote upcoming among House Republicans.
It looks like they are going to kick out Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming as the conference chair in the House, because she's not only insufficiently loyal to President Trump. She's saying he actively should not be the person the party's following.
What does all this say about the Republican Party?
David Brooks: Well, it's still Donald Trump's party.
It shows that you have to — more or less, as everyone is pointing out, you shouldn't have to be a lie to qualify — you have to lie to qualify to be a Republican. And that's the standard that is now being laid down. And Elizabeth Cheney just didn't want to lie.
There's also a lot of internal politics here, that what they want from the person in a leadership role is the ability to get them reelected. And so the House members are worried that, because she keeps picking on this issue, she's going to be less effective at raising money and getting them reelected.
Elise Stefanik, the person who's probably going to replace her, has read the party. She was a Harvard educated person who worked in the Bush administration, endorsed John Kasich, and sat out the 2016 convention because Donald Trump was going to be the nominee. Ruth Marcus, our friend, has a good column on this.
And she's [Elise Stefanik] now a roaring Trumper. And so she's read the winds. And that's what this is all about.
Judy Woodruff: In fact, Elise Stefanik just said in an interview, Jonathan, yesterday that President Trump is the strongest president ever when it comes to standing up for the U.S. Constitution.
But what do you — what does all this say, from your perspective, about what Republicans are — where they're headed?
Jonathan Capehart: That quote you just read from Congresswoman Stefanik just sort of proves what David was just talking about.
In order to be in the leadership, but also to be considered a Republican, you have to lie. All of this tells me that the Republican Party has officially lost its way. It is not about values and substantive issues and being a policy counterweight to the Democratic Party. It is all about being loyal to Donald Trump, one.
But, also, when it comes to the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, it's do anything, say anything to ensure, you hope, that you are in good position to retake the House in 2022.
Elizabeth — Congresswoman Cheney is a conservative. She is a conservative. Elise Stefanik, by comparison, from Upstate New York is a moderate. And when you look at — the Club For Growth gives Elise Stefanik a 35 percent rating. The Heritage Foundation gives Elizabeth Cheney an 80 percent rating and Elise Stefanik a 48 percent rating.
And if you want to talk about fealty and loyalty to Donald Trump, Congresswoman Cheney voted with Donald Trump 92.9 percent of the time, as compared to Elise Stefanik, who voted with him 77 percent of the — 77 percent of the time. And this is data from FiveThirtyEight.
So, it's like the Soul Train Scramble Board here. It's going to take a while to figure out what they're — what the Republican Party is all about, really. But, right now, the Republican Party is about Donald Trump, only about Donald Trump, and how Donald Trump feels about everything.
And one last point, Judy. I know I'm going on. The number one reason why Congresswoman Cheney is in trouble is because Donald Trump hates her for telling the truth.
Judy Woodruff: Well, David, as both of you are saying, it is not only what Congresswoman Cheney — or Congresswoman Stefanik is saying about former President Trump, but it's also her — her continuing to insist, along with so many other Republicans, that the election — in her words, she said election fraud was widespread last year.
She has spoken out for this recount going on in Maricopa County, Arizona, that's paid for only by Republicans — or being sponsored only by Republicans.
So, I mean, this says something about future elections as well.
David Brooks: Yes, in a country with a lot of problems, the Republicans have picked the one area that's not broken to address all their energy on. And that's elections.
And so they — all these laws, I doubt they will have a huge effect. I think studies show that they don't have a big effect on damping down turnout. But it's just a — given American history — Jonathan and I have talked about it before — it's just a horrific look.
And the amount of energy going into it, and the fact that Florida Governor DeSantis did it, announced is the signing of Florida's new election law on FOX, who does a news event on one network?
(LAUGHTER)
David Brooks: I mean, this — it just shows we are in a land of theater. It's not about anything but the symbols of showing Donald Trump is right about the election and there was a lot of fraud.
And it's a theatrical gesture, a Potemkin set of laws to just reinforce the Trump narrative.
Judy Woodruff: And, Jonathan, as both of you have said, these election laws have a very real effect on what happens going forward in the congressional elections next year, the midterm elections, and, of course, beyond.
Jonathan Capehart: Right.
I think, a few shows ago, I said that these election laws were a solution in search of a problem. And I cannot remember the person who sent me an e-mail, but they wrote me and said, listen, stop saying that because it's not true, because, from the Republican perspective, it is a solution in — to solve a problem.
And the problem from the Republican perspective is too many Democrats voting. And, in the end, that's what this is all about. The mail-in voting, the absentee balloting that Democrats pushed hard because of the problems with the Postal Service, because of fears of going out in public because of the pandemic, Democrats, who used to not vote by mail and not absentee vote, did it in droves in the safest election in American history, as we learned from the federal government.
And so all of these laws are about stopping as many Democrats as possible from voting, as a means of increasing Republican power and increasing their chances of retaking the House.
Judy Woodruff: Only a little more than a minute left.
But I do want to finally quickly ask both of you, David, about this idea of how the insurrection at the Capitol is investigated. I interviewed Speaker Pelosi this week. She said it's not something that should be chosen by the President, it needs to come from Congress.
And, right now, Republicans and Democrats are at loggerheads.
David Brooks: I'm dubious. I support the idea, I guess, but I'm dubious they can come up with a commission filled with people who have credibility on both sides.
When the 9/11 Commission happened, we had people like Lee Hamilton and Governor Kean of New Jersey leading it, people who really were part of the establishment center. We don't have as many people like that. And even those who are in the establishment center have less credibility with the polarized wings.
And so it looks — I'm much more pessimistic than I would have been after 9/11 that we can put together a commission that we trust.
Judy Woodruff: And Jonathan?
Jonathan Capehart: But we have to put together a commission. It must be done.
The horror of January 6, the tipping point that those events put American democracy on, we cannot forget it. We must investigate it. We must find out what really happened, what truly happened, all the things that we don't know about right now. It must be put before the American people, so that, at a minimum, we can try to not have that happen again.
Judy Woodruff: Well, I know we are going to continue to ask those questions.
In the meantime, we thank you both, Jonathan Capehart, David Brooks. Have a good weekend.
Jonathan Capehart: Thanks, Judy. You too.
See you, David.
"Brooks and Capehart on Biden’s new infrastructure plan, Georgia’s voting law" PBS NewsHour 4/2/2021
SUMMARY: New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including President Biden’s infrastructure plan, the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations amid spikes in infections, and Major League Baseball's reaction to Georgia's new voting law.
Judy Woodruff (NewsHour): With the release of President Biden's infrastructure plan, states reopening, and boycotts brewing, we look to the analysis of Brooks and Capehart.
That is New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart, columnist for The Washington Post.
Hello to both of you. So good do see you, as always, this Friday.
And there is, as always, a lot to talk about.
Jonathan, I want to start with you on the President's big infrastructure plan, over $2 trillion. What do you make of it? Does it meet the need or does it overshoot?
Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post: Well, if you listen to progressives, Judy, it doesn't meet the need. It doesn't go far enough. If you listen to Republicans, it spends way too much.
I think the way you described the plan is perfect, actually, because you described it as an infrastructure plan. But the actual name of this package is the American Jobs Act. And that, I think, when you think of what the President proposed in terms of jobs, it all fits together. It all makes sense.
One of the knocks against the President's plan is that, well, only a certain amount of it is spent on infrastructure. Most people, when they think of infrastructure, they think of roads, bridges, seaports, airports, those types of things.
But what you see in the American Jobs Act is a broader definition of what infrastructure is. Yes, it's roads and bridges, but it is also wind turbines and solar, green energy things, wiring the country with broadband, having broadband be for 2021 what the interstate system was in the mid-'50s, connecting the country, but connecting the country electronically, and also the electric power grid.
So, I think the President's going for a big, bold plan. The key question is, can that big, bold plan actually become law?
Judy Woodruff: And, David, Jonathan makes a points. There is more in here than what's traditionally been thought of as infrastructure, hundreds of billions for caregiving for seniors and others. What do you make of this?
David Brooks, New York Times: No, I do worry about the debt. We're spending almost $10 trillion, if all the Biden things pass.
That's a lot. It's just a historical fact that rising debt contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire, the decline of the Spanish, imperial Spain, France in the 18th century, China in the 19th century. History is replete with nations who hurt themselves by going into too much debt.
Nonetheless, I think, in these circumstances, the Biden plan is worth it. And I say that for a couple of reasons. One, we have simply underinvested in infrastructure and basic research and all such things for decades. And that's just a fact.
Second, if you ask me to tell the economic story of America over the last 50 years, I would say that we have built a gigantic funnel that has funneled money and resources and wealth to highly educated people in large metro areas.
This plan funnels money to all the people who are not in those categories. And so I think it rebalances our society in an important way.
And, finally, Jonathan and I were on a call with Anita Dunn, the President's adviser earlier in the week. And she made the point that listen, we're — we have got to show democracy works. There's a Chinese system out there that a lot of people think that's what works. And we're just in this contest to show that democracy can get big things done.
So, given the circumstances, I overcome my incredibly high aversion to all this debt.
Judy Woodruff: So Jonathan, does this look like it has a chance of getting — becoming law?
(LAUGHTER)
Jonathan Capehart: Judy, right now, no.
And I say no because the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, has already said that he's not going to support it. I have not heard one Republican in the Senate step forward and say that he or she will support it.
That means the President is going to have to depend on a couple things, one, maintaining all 50 Democrats to vote for this plan. But the other thing is that, in order for all 50 Democrats to have any say over this, the Senate parliamentarian has to rule whether the American Jobs Act, like the Recovery Act, can go through reconciliation, which is just a simple majority vote.
So, there are a lot of hurdles here. And that's why I say, right now, the American Jobs Act is big and bold. And, as necessary as it is, as it stands right now, I don't see how it becomes law.
Judy Woodruff: David, your forecast?
David Brooks: A tad more optimistic.
I hear a lot of moderates who are supporting it, moderate Democrats who are saying positive things about it. So that's a good sign.
I think one of the challenges is going to be, this is just going to take a long time. Nancy Pelosi said she hoped to get it out of the House by July 4, which is an ambitious timetable. Then it goes to the Senate. So we're looking at a six-month process.
And suppose we're generating 900,000 jobs a month, as we just did, over all that time. A lot of people are going to say, why are we spending all this money? The economy's really roaring.
And so that could drain away support.
Judy Woodruff: All right, two other things I want to ask you both about. We will try the squeeze them in.
First to you, Jonathan, on where we are with COVID. We see more people are getting vaccinated, good signs. What, over 100 million Americans now have been vaccinated. But we are also seeing rise in the number of cases. We're hearing talk about vaccine passports, requiring people to show a passport that they have been vaccinated before they can travel or go into a place of work, potentially.
And you also see states where the governors are opening up before Washington says they're ready for that. Where do you see all this headed?
Jonathan Capehart: I feel like Groundhog Day, because I believe I said this a few weeks ago.
We are so close. We're always so close to getting to the other side of this pandemic, in terms of cases going down, hospitalizations, deaths, businesses being able to reopen. And then states end up doing something to kind of mess it all up.
And for states to undue their mask mandates, open things wide open again, as cases are going up, as variants are running rampant across the land, when you have the CDC director going off-script and saying that she's extremely worried about what's going to happen, I don't think we're out of the woods yet.
And I think people are being a little too optimistic about how much they can do because of the vaccines. I, like anyone, would like to get the vaccine and get back to normal. But I would love for things to get back to normal when every — when the country can actually do it in a uniform way.
And I'm not seeing right now how we're going to be able to do that, in — by the time of the President's goal of July 4.
Judy Woodruff: David?
David Brooks: Yes, I think we need to make life a lot better for people who have had the vaccine.
I think we need vaccine passports, so they can go to gyms and restaurants. And I say that as one who is too young to have the vaccine, which — the last time I have been too young for anything.
(LAUGHTER)
David Brooks: It's…
(LAUGHTER)
David Brooks: But we have got to induce the people who are vaccine-hesitant to say, wow, it's really great on the other side of the vaccine.
And one way to do that is to have these vaccine passports, so people can go and enjoy life. The research has now, it's, as far as I understand it, become very clear. You do not get the disease — at least your chances are fantastic — and you do not spread the disease.
So, if that's the case, then I say to all of you with the shots, party on.
(LAUGHTER)
Judy Woodruff: David, Jonathan and I think of you as always young, so it's all good. It's all good.
(LAUGHTER)
Judy Woodruff: Just quickly, finally, we have talked about Georgia's voting law and the pushback against it, but now we have big corporations like Delta, Coca-Cola saying they don't like it.
And, today, Major League Baseball, Jonathan, announced they are pulling their All-Star Game out of Atlanta. It was going to take place this summer. They're going to find another home for it.
Is this kind of pressure likely to make a difference in Georgia and other states where they're looking at tightening voting?
Jonathan Capehart: Well, in terms of the law, the Georgia law is the law. And it is highly unlikely that Governor Kemp is going to go back or the legislature is going to go back and say, we will do — we will have a do-over.
But I do think it's very important for corporate America to take stands on issues that are of importance, not only to their customers, but to their employees. And so, for Delta and Coca-Cola and Major League Baseball to take the stands that they have taken, I think, is very important.
I think what is also important was the letter from the 72 Black business executives, from Ken Chenault and Ken Frazier, American Express and Merck respectively, the president of the Ford Foundation, Darren Walker, Ursula Burns a former CEO of Xerox, putting pen to paper and saying, what's happening in Georgia is an attack on democracy.
And where are the business leaders, all business leaders in raising their voices about this?
And I think what's happening in Georgia should be a template for all the other states where what's happened in Georgia is happening in those states right now.
Judy Woodruff: What effect, David, do you see this kind of corporate involvement having?
David Brooks: Yes, I spoke very negatively, critically of the law last week, and I'm still very much against it.
I worry about this. I worry about — we have seen one institution after another in American society get politicized, the church, the press. I worry about corporations suddenly taking political sides. I worry about boards of directors and CEOs who've got a lot of economic power wielding it in ways that's political.
And so I'm just nervous to see yet another institution gets super political. They just don't do it well. Delta, Coke, Major League Baseball, they all work in China, a country now committing genocide. What standards do we hold people to? So, I'm just a little nervous about people with a lot of power wielding it in this way.
I just — I'm more comfortable that we settle our differences, even if we hate the results, through politics and through persuasion and through votes and for activism and trying to get people to come out to the polls. I'm just more comfortable with that as a means of social change.
Judy Woodruff: A serious note to end on.
David Brooks, Jonathan Capehart, thank you both. And have a good weekend.
Jonathan Capehart: Thanks, Judy.
David Brooks: You too.
"Energy Sec. Granholm: Focus on renewable energy will protect U.S. ‘manufacturing backbone’" PBS NewsHour 4/1/2021
Excerpt
SUMMARY: President Biden's infrastructure proposal includes hundreds of billions of dollars to address climate change by cutting emissions and increasing the use of clean energy, which critics say amounts to a version of the Green New Deal proposal released by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass) in 2019. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joins us to discuss the matter.
