How Important is Infrastructure

As Biden unveils his infrastructure plan, I am struck by how much of it is business as usual.  I am grateful Biden won, but I am concerned about the direction his administration is taking, or not taking.  Yes, infrastructure is a very important priority, especially considering that part of Biden’s package will finally move the country forward on addressing climate change.  However, the way Biden is approaching this conflict has me worried.  He seems to be non-cognizant of just how much pushback he is going to receive from the alt-right.  There is nothing wrong with seeking bi-partisan support, Biden should be credited with doing that.  But there is a fine line between wanting bi-partisan support and being out of focus about the danger that Trumpism still poses.  

Instead of taking the alt-right head on Biden has sidestepped the most important issues in the name of finding common ground.  Biden is losing focus on what the country really needs and why it needs it.  There are things even more important than work on clean energy and climate change.  But how the country goes about doing them is even more important.  Biden can fix bridges and build bridges between parties, but can he stand up and condemn the ideas of the alt-right that are catapulting toward organized bigotry?  It’s not his policies, it is a matter of attitude.  Now is a moment in American history for forceful leadership.   Will Biden remain silent in the name of building consensus?    The most important thing to do now is to confront the people who are refusing to cooperate not just because of their views about the infrastructure bill but because there is something more fundamentally wrong with the way they think about the world.   I wish Biden would take this opportunity to really go after the underlying causes of people’s unwillingness to support a bill that is critical to the health of the nation.  Consensus cannot be reached with conspiracy theorists.  And trying to achieve consensus with conspiracy theorists borders on a policy of appeasement. 

Let us not forget that Trump nearly won the last election.  Had it not been for his bungling of the Covid epidemic there reasonably could have been a different outcome. Trumpism is not going to go away. Now the alt-right are poised to take the country back down a dark road.