dagblog - Comments for "In Illinois, Dueling Infrastructure Votes Reflect Shifting G.O.P. Terrain"

hah this is a great reality

artappraiser — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 11:25:58 +0000

In reply to In Illinois, Dueling Infrastructure Votes Reflect Shifting G.O.P. Terrain

hah this is a great reality-based reminder of what it would be like having Trump as the messaging chief again on GOP policy:

Trying to remember whether presidents should claim credit for high oil prices or low oil prices ….. or just claim credit for everything….. pic.twitter.com/xr063OdQ9M
— Gerry Mander - followers welcome…. (@_Gerry_Mander) November 11, 2021

found this one already on a

artappraiser — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 10:34:21 +0000

In reply to In Illinois, Dueling Infrastructure Votes Reflect Shifting G.O.P. Terrain

found this one already on a "most popular" list even tho only a couple hours old: Ocasio-Cortez Isn’t Wavering. Are New Yorkers on Her Side?

By voting no on the infrastructure bill, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez set off a fierce debate, including among city residents eager to see the subways improved.

By Katie Glueck and Nicholas Fandos @ NYTimes, Nov. 12, 2021, 3:00 a.m. ET

[....] To some, including those who admire her, the question seemed to boil down to this: Is serving in government about pushing boundaries on urgent issues like climate and structural inequality? Or is it more about getting tangible results for riders aboard the No. 6 train?

“She is saying she is voting for her constituents,” said Jennifer Shannon, 51, who helps run a civic group in College Point, Queens, and who has voted for Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. “I’m not saying they don’t all care about the environment, but I think people in her district are tired of the conditions of our streets and our subways.”

This was not the first time that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has bucked her party to oppose a bill that did not, in her view, go far enough. She was the only Democrat to oppose a $484 billion coronavirus relief package that she felt was inadequate for her district, which was devastated by the virus in the spring of 2020. But she has also worked closely with party leadership at other times — for example, helping to secure federal funding to assist with funeral costs for Covid-19 victims.

There was only scattered criticism of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s opposition to the infrastructure bill from Democrats in Washington. With more than enough projected Republican votes for passage, Democratic leaders knew the congresswoman could vent her frustration without endangering the bill, according to congressional aides familiar with discussions among progressives.

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who was not made available for an interview, and her allies argue that her vote was driven precisely by her sense that more is needed to improve lives for historically underserved constituencies and to capitalize on what may be a fleeting window of opportunity for Democratic clout in Washington.

“All I’ve heard across the district has been support for the decision that she made,” said Assemblyman Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a democratic socialist who represents one of the most left-leaning neighborhoods in the district. “A lot of that is based on the fact that she was elected on the promise of fighting for more than the crumbs we’ve been told to accept.”

In a 71-minute Instagram video viewed more than 700,000 times, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez seemed aware that some constituents would be unhappy.

By turns righteous, disappointed and vulnerable, she said her stance was predicated on two concerns: the potential that the bill would increase planet-warming emissions with giveaways to fossil fuel companies; and the need for leverage to push for companion legislation that many Democrats hope will generously fund additional climate solutions and housing assistance and protect undocumented immigrants.

“If I have to choose between my political image or whatever, and staying true to my community,” she said, “I’m going to do what my district asks of me every time.” [....]

also I note this, suspect she is sort of like an Oprah to some, an alternative to the same old same old Washington pol who doesn't get personal?

Through social media, many voters also feel personally connected to Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who intersperses wellness tips and pictures of her dog, Deco, with discussions of policy and procedure.

If you read on you will find

artappraiser — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 10:15:25 +0000

In reply to In Illinois, Dueling Infrastructure Votes Reflect Shifting G.O.P. Terrain

If you read on you will find that La Hood's vote change was less about Trump or party unity enforced by Kevin McCarthy and more about the forthcoming reconciliation bill tied to it. Just like The Squad mistrusted that the reconciliation bill will not have certain things in it, he mistrusts that they will have the liberal things in it, and he will be blamed for those by constituents. Big spending liberal things that constituents might not like at a time of inflation fears.

Crazy I know, tying the fate of one bill to the other because you're not sure what will be in the other, who'd thunk it.

Then there's also the radically reconfigured district problems, a lot of these guys have to look forward to changed constituencies, ones that they might know so well. It's a risk just like The Squad risked.

[....] Former President Donald J. Trump is either vanquished or primed to return. House districts are being redrawn, deepening their partisan bent but adding hordes of new voters less acquainted with their representatives. Democrats face daunting odds of keeping their slim majorities in Congress and have spent months in disarray over Mr. Biden’s agenda, but they have just delivered one hugely consequential piece of legislation and appear on track to pass another.

In that atmosphere, Mr. LaHood appears to have put aside the clear economic interests of a district that will soon be radically reconfigured and stuck with his party’s line — and that of Mr. Trump — against the bill. The former president and his allies in the Republican leadership in Congress argued that the measure deserved to be defeated because Democrats were pushing a social policy and climate change “reconciliation” bill at the same time.

“I will continue to advocate for the transportation and infrastructure needs of my district, but I will not take part in helping the Democrats and Speaker Pelosi pass their irresponsible and partisan reconciliation package,” Mr. LaHood said in a statement explaining his vote. He declined to discuss it further.

Mr. LaHood is far from alone in his party. This week, as Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, promoted his vote for the infrastructure bill, he spoke hopefully about the crumbling Brent Spence Bridge linking his state to Ohio, which is likely to be replaced with funding provided by the measure. But Representative Steve Chabot, a Republican who represents the Ohio end of the bridge, voted against the legislation.

The New Harmony Toll Bridge, which links Illinois and Indiana over the Wabash River, has become something of a poster child for decrepit rural infrastructure since it was closed in 2012 over structural concerns. Representative Larry Bucshon, the Indiana Republican who represents New Harmony, voted no.

So did Representative John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican whose district includes the Edenville and Sanford dams, which collapsed last year, forcing thousands to evacuate and inundating hundreds of homes and businesses [....]