To go along with yesterday's list of big things that we've done over the past couple of decades, here's a shorter list of big things that we tried to do but couldn't:
- Social Security privatization
- Cap and trade
- Comprehensive immigration reform (twice!)
- Constructing a wall on the southern border
- Build Back Better
These are things that presidents put a lot of energy into but couldn't push over the top. Am I missing any? And does this list tell us anything?
Well, "Winning the election by declaring that we won the election, even though we didn't win the election" was something the former guy and his administration put a lot of energy into but couldn't push over the top. Does that count?
Ummm … high speed rail???
Besides that, you’re missing something here. It’s not just the national projects/programs. It’s also projects/programs at the state and local level. In Sacramento, where I’ve lived since the mid-60s, that entire time they’ve been talking about building a connecting expressway from south of town to east of town to divert traffic from the central freeway interchanges. 55 years. And all they’ve done so far is build an overpass over some train tracks south of town.
There are plenty of other examples of our inability to do things, get things done that actually matter.
I guess repealing/"replacing" the ACA, which Republicans ran on but couldn't manage to pass, thanks to McCain being pissed off.
Universal health care? Carbon taxes?
Repealing Obamacare
When the Coors Light tastes like Burt Reynolds's backwash....
+1
Build back better was also tried twice. The 2009 stimulus bill that you mention yesterday was a small trivial thing. The big project that would have actually helped the economy by investing in infrastructure was pruned back to almost nothing.
Universal Health Care
We are not a first-rate nation without it
+1
Imprisoning Hillary Clinton.
Finding the sextape among Jeffrey Epstein's effects to prove Bill Climpton was banging 13 year old two at a time.
Related to the first two, liquidating Gislaine Maxwell.
*13 year olds
On a serious note, the Transpacific Protocol.
Deal with gun violence.
Public health and the pandemic..
almost forgot---
Numeracy
In general, there's a lack of perspective in public discussions. A lot of that is due to the lack of understanding of statistics.
I love Kevin’s sense of humor. Trump’s entire 2016 candidacy was platformed on only two things, “lock her up” and “build the wall,” and yet Trump all but forgot about the wall until 3-4 months before the midterms when he again needed the yahoo racist votes. At which point he made a few photo ops at the border, tried illegally redirecting pentagon funds, and mostly just did what he does best…rely on Fox News’ hysterical faux outrage to bail him out. He made no legislative push even though his party controlled both houses. If by effort, Kevin means the former President of the USA spent time sitting at the resolute desk picking out steel-slat colors and LARPing fence designs with alligator filled moats and spiky tips, then sure, he put “a lot of energy” into it.
Trump used racist xenophobia to get support among whites, but ending immigration is not something that the big-money Republicans want to do, since it is a source of low-wage workers. Some of the worst nuts in his administration did enforce border restrictions but there was no support for legislation to reduce immigration.
There are many things involving regulation of banking and finance that are perpetually tried but perpetually fail because of effective opposition by the industries. For example carried interest - even Joe Manchin introduced legislation to end it, but somehow it never gets done. Meanwhile things get bubblier and bubblier and the danger of a major crash increases. At least when there is a crash (when, not if) the chances of meaningful regulation will increase somewhat, it the crash does not occur in a Democratic administration, thereby bringing Republicans to power.
Bringing democracy to Afghanistan.