Karate Kid<\/em> fame said, \u201cKarate Yes, Ok. Karate No, Ok. Karate, Maybe \u2013 squish, just like grape\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBut, as we all know, President Biden is not a \u201cbus guy\u201d, and probably doesn\u2019t do Karate. Biden is a \u201ctrain guy\u201d. For thirty years as a US Senator, he rode the train from his home in Wilmington, Delaware to Washington to work, every day. It was about an hour and a half, one way, and now costs $39 for a round trip ticket. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden originally did it so that he could be home with his kids each evening. But ultimately enjoyed the work time on the train, and the opportunity to sleep in his own bed each night. He would probably take the train home today, but the Secret Service can\u2019t secure the route for Presidential use without disrupting the whole network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leaving the Station<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
President Biden didn\u2019t tell Congressional Democrats to \u201cget on the bus\u201d yesterday as he tried to close the infra-structure, \u201cBuild-Back-Better\u201d deal. Nope \u2013 he told them essentially to \u201cGet on Board, the Biden Build-Back-Better train is leaving the station\u201d. Some Democrats hesitated again, making the Party of the New Deal and the Great Society look like a bunch of squabbling seventh graders. But the Presidential message, delivered in person to the House Democrats and on television to the Nation, was clear. The \u201cframework\u201d for the \u201cdeal\u201d is done. You can nit-pick some details, but here\u2019s the train, ready to leave the station. Democrats: whether Socialists, Progressives, Liberals, Moderates, a West Virginia conservative or whatever Kyrsten Sinema is (a Progressive in the pocket of big Pharma); must get on board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If they do, then the Democratic Party can present to the nation improved Medicare and health care, education and housing, immigration and tax credits.\u00a0\u00a0And more importantly, Democrats can honestly say they are taking care of the future. Or, as Speaker Pelosi would say, \u201cthe children, the children, the children\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0In the \u201cpackage\u201d is guaranteed pre-school for every child, affordable day-care, and most importantly, the biggest national investment in our climate and clean energy in history, over $500 Billion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Campaign Message<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
And after passing the plan, Democrats can say they did it without a single Republican vote.\u00a0\u00a0The Democratic Party will be the Party that got something done to make America better, for ourselves and the children.\u00a0\u00a0And what about the Republican Party? Well they will be the Party that stood against climate, against children, against tax relief for the middle and lower class, and against hearing aids for senior citizens.\u00a0\u00a0Oh yeah, and the Party that gave all the rich guys a tax break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or four House and three Senate Democrats can guarantee a Republican Congress in 2022, and perhaps a Republican White House in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Closing the Deal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Four House Democrats are the \u201cmoderate\u201d Dems, struggling to make the \u201cBuild-Back-Better\u201d deal. They are all for the smaller \u201cbipartisan\u201d Infra-structure deal (though hardly bipartisan in the House), but all \u201ca-twitter\u201d about the bigger package. They need to get over that, and find their seat in the \u201cclub car\u201d: the train whistle is blowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And three Senators:\u00a0\u00a0the conservative Democrat from West Virginia and the confused Democrat from Arizona.\u00a0\u00a0The plan has been crafted specifically to their wants and desires.\u00a0\u00a0They already have a \u201cfirst class\u201d seat on the train.\u00a0\u00a0They need to take their winnings and get on board.\u00a0\u00a0After the vote, they can go home and campaign, telling their constituents how important they are, and why they should be returned to Washington.\u00a0\u00a0And they\u2019ll be right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Conductor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Oh, I did say three Senators. We haven\u2019t talked about the \u201cIndependent\u201d Democrat from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. Bernie is telling his Progressive colleagues in both the House and the Senate, not to vote for the \u201cbipartisan\u201d deal without having the \u201cBuild-Back-Better\u201d deal in hand. He doesn\u2019t trust those four House members, and more importantly, Manchin and Sinema. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s afraid they are \u201ctrain-jumpers\u201d. They\u2019ll take the bipartisan deal then all of a sudden come up with some excuse to leave the rest behind, and kill the Build-Back-Better, much larger package. And he\u2019s got every reason to be concerned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Joe Biden is the engineer driving this train, then Bernie Sanders is the angry (isn\u2019t he always angry?) conductor on the platform, driving passengers into the cars so they can all depart. He\u2019s not leaving any baggage left behind, so he\u2019s making sure everyone is on board, for the whole trip. It\u2019s not often I feel like Bernie Sanders is a \u201cDemocratic Leader,\u201d but on this one he\u2019s right. Better to hold the train up, even for a few more days, than fail. Or worse, to pass the small package, and get tricked into leaving the \u201cBiden Plan\u201d behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s At Stake<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not just about the future of the world climate. Or about getting kids the best opportunity to succeed in the 21st Century. Or even fixing the bridges that are falling down, the roads that are dissolving, or the airports that are overcrowded and delayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s about assuring the nation that there is a reasonable alternative to the Party of the Insurrection. That the \u201csquabbling\u201d Democrats, in the end, can govern. And on that, may hang the fate of our Democracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get on Board. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Commitment The most patient friend I ever had often used the phrase, \u201cYou\u2019re either on the bus, or you\u2019re off the bus\u201d. It was her way of explaining commitment \u2013 either you are in, or you\u2019re not. Or, as Mr. Miyagi of Karate Kid fame said, \u201cKarate Yes, Ok. Karate No, Ok. Karate, Maybe \u2013 squish, just like grape\u201d. … Continue reading “The Biden Train”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Biden Train : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The President spoke to the House and the Nation yesterday. 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