Republican Intransigence is Explicit

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday that senate republicans will oppose the infrastructure bill that Biden is working to put together. McConnell flatly stated that the bill “is not going to get support from our side.” So much for compromise and bipartisanship. At least the democratic party does not have to waste any time trying to reach across the vast partisan gulf to see if any republican senators might be interested in cooperating. 

Forbes magazine summarized the situation like this: “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday pledged to wage a brutal, partisan fight over President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, the latest sign that Democrats will likely have to resort to reconciliation in order to get it through Congress.”

There you have it. The fascist GOP (FGOP) is going to wage a brutal, partisan fight. What a non-surprise.

Polling indicates that the public is generally supportive of fixing infrastructure and certain tax increases to pay for it. One recent poll indicated that: 

• Democrats were 41 points more likely than Republicans to support the $3 trillion infrastructure plan funded by tax increases on high-earners and corporations, 73% to 32%.

• 57% of voters say they’d be more likely to support Biden’s infrastructure plan if it were funded by tax increases on those making over $400,000.

• 47% of voters say they’d be more likely to support the $3 trillion proposal if it were funded by increases to the corporate tax rate.

Another source commented on the proposed size of the spending bill: “Notably, respondents were polled on funding for a $3 trillion infrastructure plan, whereas Biden is reportedly planning $4 trillion of spending in two parts, and debuted the $2 trillion first part on Wednesday.”

So, once again, the FGOP leadership opposes what most Americans are willing to support. Disconnects between the republican leadership demands and public opinion desires seem to be happening with some frequency. That has been the case for some years now. 

Maybe more people will start drifting away from the FGOP as they come to realize just how self-interested republican elites and donors are at the expense of everyone else and the public interest. That point has been made here before and, because some things just bear repeating, I'm making it again.