Viral science will never be the same after the COVID-19 vaccines of the past year.
The world today does not know how to fully process the introduction of the vaccines that are on their way to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Several recent articles have done an admirable job of explaining how the vaccines work and the many steps in the supply chain necessary to get a vaccine from idea to reality. But the idea that vaccines are effective and widespread enough to end the pandemic still seems farfetched to some scientists. In a recent Meet the Press interview, Dr. …
Parts of the party have changed. But will those changes matter?
Has the Republican Party actually changed?
The modern iteration of this idea has been floated since at least the late 1990s. The theory behind it was that the pro-corporate, low-tax, laissez-faire mindset that captured the party in the 1980s needed to be updated for the 21st century. George W. Bush called his approach “compassionate conservatism,” a movement that lasted until September 11, 2001. The famed 2012 Republican “autopsy” urged a more inclusive approach to immigration and other issues the party believed they needed to moderate on.
He might not go as big as the left wants him to. But he’s not going to start cutting taxes either.
Democrats have been pulling Joe Biden back and forth for the past two weeks. Ever since their first stimulus package passed, they have advised Biden on how to conduct the remainder of his presidency. The White House has settled on a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal that focuses on building both physical and human infrastructure, the former focused on roads and bridges and the latter focused on education and welfare. But questions remain about the trajectory of this bill. Should it…
New York is not dead yet.
The past year has seen a number of lamentations about the death of major American cities. Several commentators have argued that the coronavirus pandemic has irrevocably altered the fortunes of cities. These commentators point to the shining towers and sprawling office parks that power the economic engines of places such as New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago. These are cities built on people needing to live close to physical offices. The idea is that, with the rise of remote work, people will move to cheaper cities in states such as Texas, Idaho, and…
And what does he stand to gain if his gamble pays off?
The American Rescue Program (ARP) was signed by President Joe Biden on March 11. Its ramifications are still being analyzed and discussed this week. For many, the bill is the clearest way for the United States to build its way out of the economic calamity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a significant act of wealth redistribution that could become permanent. Many Democrats view the bill as necessary to avoiding a political bloodbath in the 2022 midterm elections.
He’s not vulnerable.
The Joe Biden presidency has started off in a manner that has shocked many on the left. Most writers and pundits believed that Republicans would launch an all-out assault against Biden like they did against Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. They would filibuster everything, threaten to shut down the government at every opportunity, and allege that Biden’s policies would kill grandparents. Even without a Senate majority, Democrats still believed Mitch McConnell could dictate the future path of the Biden administration.
But none of these predictions have come true. Democrats have passed their massive, $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief…
They helped enact major social legislation throughout the 20th century. Can they do the same in the 21st?
Earmarks are back. These specific appropriations of money for the pet projects of senators and representatives will now be allowed in the current Congress. The decision by Nancy Pelosi overturns nearly two decades of anti-earmark organization, from limitations under a Democratic Congress to an outright ban in 2011. Lawmakers had good intentions in banning the instruments, given that they contributed to numerous bribery scandals in the early 21st century. …
He may not do much else for the next few months. It may not matter.
Joe Biden’s first major piece of legislation has crossed an early hurdle. On Monday, the House announced they are about to pass his COVID-19 relief bill, which includes aid to states and local governments, an extension of unemployment benefits, and the famous $1400 checks to millions of Americans. The bill remains popular among both Democrats and Republicans. 83% of all Americans want another relief bill, while 40% are concerned that the current two-trillion-dollar bill is too small. Some Republicans are almost resigned to its passage…
We have to let it go.
The past three weeks have brought a flurry of stories about Joe Biden, the coronavirus, vaccines, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. But there have been almost as many stories about what exactly former president Donald Trump is doing right now. The most recent of these was a New York article from last week, “What’s Trump Up To?” This story joined “Why Has Donald Trump Clammed Up?” also from New York, “What will Donald Trump Do Now?” from the Telegraph, and “So What’s Donald Trump Been Up To?” …
Democrats should love unions. But what happens when the relationship becomes complicated?
The Biden presidency has renewed a series of internal debates in the Democratic Party that had been subsumed during the years of resistance to the Trump administration. One of the strongest has been the party’s complicated relationship with labor unions. Democrats seem to love the idea of unions but have mixed feelings about how to help them. They have failed to unite behind a substantive program that would replenish labor’s strength in this country, such as the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act or a law lessening the impact…
Eric Medlin
I’m a writer interested in the intersections of history, ideas, and politics. I publish every week. www.twitter.com/medlinwrites
