{"id":26524,"date":"2021-02-04T18:03:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T18:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=118d9ae47df439737232f600bdb2ad88"},"modified":"2021-02-04T18:03:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T18:03:34","slug":"have-democrats-finally-realized-that-power-is-only-real-if-you-use-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/02\/04\/have-democrats-finally-realized-that-power-is-only-real-if-you-use-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Have Democrats Finally Realized That Power Is Only Real If You Use It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\"President<\/a>

A funny thing happened this week. President Biden and the Democratic Party realized they have actual power. Wait, there\u2019s more: They don\u2019t appear to be afraid of using it. Wait, it gets even better: They don\u2019t seem to care if Republicans say mean things about them — they\u2019re gonna do their thing and look out below. After decades of watching Democrats cower before the slashing rhetoric of Republicans, it is an amazing thing to see.<\/p>\n

In this instance, \u201ctheir thing\u201d is to seek the passage via reconciliation of another deeply needed COVID relief bill. Republicans coughed up a proposal that was about a third of the size of the current $1.9 trillion package. Mr. Biden thanked them politely, agreed to consider<\/a> measures to keep relief money from going to people who really don\u2019t need it, and then showed them the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cReconciliation\u201d is a process by which the 60-vote threshold — made necessary by the inevitable GOP misuse of the filibuster — is set aside. The House has already voted to do this on a straight party-line vote, and the Senate will take the measure up shortly. If reconciliation passes, which it should, Biden and his congressional Democratic allies will need 51 votes to pass the relief package.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the budget resolutions in place,\u201d reports<\/a> The Washington Post<\/em>, \u201cDemocrats would be able to get to work in earnest on writing Biden\u2019s proposed relief bill into law — and ultimately pass it without any Republican votes if necessary, though they continued to insist that is not their preference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Passing a hugely expensive bill this way is a significantly muscular move; it signals that all the talk about \u201cunity\u201d and bipartisanship can take a number, we\u2019re getting this damn thing done.<\/p>\n

\u201cInside the White House, there is a belief that so much of Biden\u2019s agenda is tied to the success of the Covid relief package — the most vital of which is containing the spread of coronavirus — that inaction would cripple the presidency and delay would endanger it,\u201d reports<\/a> Politico<\/em>. \u201cThey also view the bill as critical to resolving some of the thornier issues they\u2019ve confronted in their short time in office, including school reopenings, which would be accelerated with a massive resource infusion if the relief bill were to pass. And so, on Wednesday, Biden got more directly involved in the process than he had been at any time prior.\u201d<\/p>\n