Transformational change, such as a huge infrastructure bill and voting rights protections, are hamstrung by antiquated procedures that give an effective veto to the minority
Joe Biden’s first hundred days surpassed progressive expectations with the scope of their ambition. His second hundred days are being mugged by reality: the one that says Washington DC is a place where dreams go to die.
A once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and the climate crisis has hit a wall. Reforms on gun safety, immigration and police brutality are in limbo. Legislation to expand voting rights and reduce the influence of money in politics appears doomed.
Related: Biden’s push for racial justice at stake in bipartisan infrastructure talks
Joe Biden won a fairly significant personal victory but the 2020 elections were hardly a victory for the Democratic party as a whole
What our lawmaking process does is make it all but impossible to enact sweeping, comprehensive change
I don’t think it’s fair to say that an op-ed from a single senator dictates the future of that legislation