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There are (at least!) four big reasons why Biden's presidency has been so much bigger, so much more ambitious, than the rest of his career: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/opinion/biden-jobs-infrastructure-economy.html
1. The collapse of the GOP as a negotiating partner, which has unleashed Democrats to legislate the way they actually want to.
I don't think this can be overstated. It has transformed policy design. Bills are no longer pre-compromised, and Senate Dems accept that.
I don't think this can be overstated. It has transformed policy design. Bills are no longer pre-compromised, and Senate Dems accept that.
2. A new generation of Democratic staffers, both in the White House and in Congress, has grown up amidst skyrocketing inequality, financial crises, and climate emergency.
They see the world very differently, and they have the power now to do something about it.
They see the world very differently, and they have the power now to do something about it.
3. Biden has less trust in economists, and so does everyone else these days.
The more reporting I did, the more important I came to think this is. This White House is much more worried about political risks, and they don't think economists know how to avoid those.
The more reporting I did, the more important I came to think this is. This White House is much more worried about political risks, and they don't think economists know how to avoid those.
This White House also takes place against the backdrop of a string of market failures, and failures of insufficient regulation: Financial crises, skyrocketing personal debt, and above all, the climate emergency.
Climate, in particular, infuses everything. And they see it differently than others did. It's a political problem, not a markets problem. And you can't solve it by raising prices and demanding sacrifice. You need to make it positive-sum.
Biden is a true politician. He thinks it's his job to keep up with changes in public opinion.
Other politicians fight it when their party moves away from them. He's embraced it. Other politicians might worry that they're moving off past positions. He doesn't. That's been good.
Other politicians fight it when their party moves away from them. He's embraced it. Other politicians might worry that they're moving off past positions. He doesn't. That's been good.
