AMAC Exclusive By: David P. Deavel
Barry Goldwater famously offered a “choice, not an echo” in his 1964 presidential run. Senate Republicans seem to now be offering the echo. This week the Senate passed President Biden’s infamous $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on a 60-30 vote. Though the bill does include funding for actual infrastructure, such as roads (a measly 10% of the bill), airport runways, and other actual pieces of necessary infrastructure, there is also plenty of spending on Democratic hobbyhorses such as passenger rail and electric charging stations for cars and racial set-asides in grants and onerous regulations. It also tasks the Department of Transportation with setting up a pilot program to charge drivers on a per-mile basis in order to build up the Highway Trust Fund. Overall, the bill is yet another example of spending of money that is not there. While this might not be unexpected from a Congress controlled by Democrats, what may be surprising is that 17 Republican Senators voted to keep the bill in play and 19 Republican Senators voted for it in the end.
The Congressional Budget Office calculates that the bill will add $256 billion to deficits over the next decade. Even that estimate may be conservative; a Wharton School of Business analysis released before passage of the bill estimated that the true addition to the deficits would be $351 billion—and that the bill would not have any effect on jobs, wages, or economic growth in general through at least 2050. Why would supposed fiscal conservatives sign on to such a bill? And why, given the current situation of inflation and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s prediction that it will continue for months, is there no worry that such spending bills will cause inflation to rise further for a number of reasons, not least, as Stephen Miran argued in the Wall Street Journal, because of all of the regulatory measures in this 2,702 page bill?
How about on the question of getting back to equality and not the current tribal-based notion of equity? When it comes to contracts for actual infrastructure, the bill designates that minority-owned businesses will have first priority. As Betsey McCaughey observes of the bill’s attempt to increase connectivity, “the infrastructure bill tilts the grant scale in favor of states with high minority and non-English-speaking populations, instead of considering only economic need and existing broadband capacity. Because Maine and West Virginia are 94 percent white, they’ll get less.”
I think the old term for this kind of division along race lines is “separate but equal,” where you have to read the “equal” with an “un-” in front of it.
The worst part, however, is the proposal for the pilot program to implement a “mileage tax.” Think you’re saving money by driving electric cars? Don’t worry, you’ll be “paying your fair share” soon enough. Will Americans driving gas-powered vehicles now have the dubious privilege of being taxed on their gasoline and their mileage? Looks like that’s the plan.
What were the Republicans thinking?
Perhaps it’s what George W. Bush called “strategery”? The House has not passed their version of the bill yet, and Nancy Pelosi is claiming she cannot pass it until a further $3.5 trillion dollar “human infrastructure” package is passed. The latter is a boondoggle of liberal programs that stands as the epitome of “an agenda that is mighty big, but falls conspicuously short of being mighty smart,” as William Voegeli put it in an essay titled “3.5 Trillion Ways to Lose Your Country.”
So is the gamble here that Nancy will not be able to “git ‘er done” on the bigger boondoggle that Republicans do oppose and that thus the infrastructure bill will fall by the wayside? Could Republicans then both take credit for voting for it (who wants to be against “infrastructure”?) and never feel the consequences? Or is it to force the Democrats to stick to what the agreement was by threatening to refuse to raise the debt ceiling? If the Democrats can push Republicans to support $1.2 trillion of bad spending, who is to say they won’t pressure them all the way? It’s a dangerous gamble since the Democratic plan for the $3.5 trillion is to link it to the infrastructure bill and pass the whole gargantuan mess in reconciliation, which would require only simple majorities to pass. In aiding and abetting this bill, Republicans may find that the tab is not simply $1.2 trillion but $4.7 trillion. Many people might make the joke about “a trillion here and a trillion there,” but it’s safe to say we have been talking about real money all along. The question is just how much.
It is no surprise that South Carolina Republicans in Aiken County publicly censured Senator Lindsey Graham for his support of the bill this week. They stated: “This bill fails to address border security, sets no limits to the fiscal impact of ‘Green infrastructure,’ and dramatically degrades the rights of existing American businesses. He willfully neglected to act within the fiscal conservative agenda we elected him to diligently uphold.” That note of border security is yet another aspect of this mess, for there is nothing in this bill about it and, as Terrence Jeffrey reported at The Daily Signal, the Biden Administration is cutting what little border security infrastructure we had.
However these bills end up, the decision for Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, and 17 others to go along with this bill is one that will likely have an effect on their reelection chances and on the electoral success of the Republican Party as a whole. Collaborating in the further raising of inflation, further attempts to stop Americans from driving, providing grants that are distributed along racial lines, and ballooning our deficits further—all while doing nothing about border security when even the Democratic mayor of McAllen, Texas, says that the border is “wide open” to illegal immigrants—is a massive impediment to Republicans who would like to take control of the Senate again. This bill touches on all the major issues that the American people face: out of control spending, racial picking of winners, environmental nonsense, and unfair taxation. And it takes the wrong side of all of them.
A few years ago when Brett Kavanaugh was being attacked, some of these Senators found their mojo. Lindsey 2.0 was fantastic. For Republicans, Independents, and even some Democrats waking up to the disaster, it would be nice if they had a choice instead of Lindsey 3.0, who is mostly an echo.
David P. Deavel is editor of Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, co-director of the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law, and Public Policy, and a visiting professor at the University of St. Thomas (MN). He is the co-host of the Deep Down Things podcast.
These pupits in D C especially the REpublicans who voted for it do not represent what we wanted, did they turn Socialists or Communist, or did they join Black Lives don’t matter or
Antifi? Maybe thier brain froze , like Biden.
Much of the inside the beltway crowd, like those members mentioned in the article, simply are completely disconnected from the policies they shove down the throats of the rest of the country. They neither read what is in the legislation nor do they particularly care what is in it, as long as it personally doesn’t impact them or their families in any way. As long as the retain their seats in Congress or other areas of government, they are insulated from the damage they inflict on the rest of the country.
The solution is very straight-forward of simply voting out the vast majority of them and replacing them with people more accountable to the people that elect them. In simply terms, force positive change to correct the problem. However, the vast majority of the public is either too lazy or apathetic to do that. The public has a litany of excuses for why it can’t be done or that they would need to change or re-write the Constitution to compensate for their own laziness and apathy. Anything to avoid the responsibility they hold for allowing this situation to exist in the first place.
So bottom line: The Republicans that sold out did so, because they have no fear of any consequences from the voters in their states that keep sending them back to Washington, D.C. over and over again. If your member of Congress is on the list that voted for this piece of socialist garbage, look in the mirror and yell at the person you see there.
Other than the republicans not having a back bone, I think they are learning from the left’s playbook. They will now just blame someone else for the problem. Time to show all who voted for this, the door. 2022 and beyond!
It comes down to wanting to buy votes. Some of the Republicans do not have a backbone, such as Tom Tillis from NC. He has decided not to run for reelection in 2022.
the rinos have no backbone and they are hurting this country – when are they going to be replaced
The turn coat Rinos that voted for this travesty may indeed be voted out of office, but that depends on how active and angry the voters are AND how corrupt the election machines and poll workers are.
Continuous mass protests is the only message these trash politicians understand. They do not represent the people…they only represent themselves.
May they burn in everlasting Hell.
Stories like this should include a list of the GOP’ers who decided to turn their back on their constituents to look for the pot o’ gold at the end of the inflation rainbow. The list should also inclue those who are running against them in the primaries. These stealers of our air and sunshine should be run out of office and promptly forgotten in anything other than cautionary tales.
We, the rope have a choice too. There are 19 republicrats, aka RINOs who need to be kicked out of office.
Taxation without Representation caused the first American Revolution. We’re headed for a second one.
I’m thinking it would be helpful if a list of senators who voted for the bill were published as well as a separate list for those who voted against it. I know it’s publicly available but since the writer has gone through all the trouble of collecting the data why not share it here? There are many people in this group that I’m sure find it difficult to wander through the Washington websites.
The RINOs cave as always
Why not name all 19 Traitors to Conservatism?
so another tax on driving, we allready have road tax in our property tax we have the gas tax all which is for road upkeep. this whole thing is bs. time to do something.
This is why I left the republican party. Lack of leadership and not standing for party values. Need term limits.
I don’t know of one politician in Washington that can actually be labeled a Constitutionalist. Ted Cruz and Jim Jordan may come the closest.
Not enough we already have the highest gas tax in the country, now we’re going to get taxed per mile too? And no, it shouldn’t be called the infrastructure bill since nothing in there is for infrastructure……all for crap the demonrats want. ]
I did see a list of the GOP members that voted for it the other day. It should be printed every day so they can get voted out.
How can we find out who the 19 RINOS were? Not even Ted Cruz from The Great State of Texas will get my vote if he is one of the Senators who voted for this. In my opinion, it was a dereliction of duty to vote for that fraudulent of a bill.
PIGS AT THE TROUGH. OINK! OINK! THERE IS VERY LITTLE DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN THE PARTIES. THE PARTICIPANTS GET A LABEL. THERE MUST BE AT LEAST 6 TITLES WITH SUB TITLES. IT IS CALLED THE DOLLAR DIET. GET FAT AND REELECTED ON BUCKS. I BROUGHT HOME $6 MILLION BUT IT WILL COST YOU $10 MILLION. SUCH A DEAL. I AM FANTASTIC.
Guys the issue is really this the bills passed by our US congress should only cover those items covered in article I section 8 of our US Constitution, the 18 enumerated powers. The “General Welfare” clause only related to these 18 power and nothing more. Everything else was left up to the states so that the people of this country through their states and communities could have a say in the laws that impact their life.
The second issue is that everyone should have to pay for the bills passed by congress and not half of our citizens. To be fair is would be divided equally by citizen 19 – 65 and that actual expenses must equal actual revenue (a balanced budget) Our current system is unfair and anti-democratic. It enslaves workers (taxpayers).
Rhinos in the African bush have poor eyesight. Rinos in the American Senate happen to be blind. Rinos in the American Senate have lost their vision. True statesmanship was last seen during the 18th century.
The 19 Senators (names) that voted with the Democrats should be published in all their states in a mass mail program. When will republicans require their Senators and Reps vote aligned with their constituents. The GOP must be refreshed with new conservative PROFESSIONALS that are not corrupted with power!!!!! These 19 Republicans(?) know what they are doing! They hope that their constituents will forget in Nov 22. They work with the RNC to ensure that no electable conservative challengers primary these unethical politicians out.
I appreciate your reporting very much. You provide information not available from other news sources that impact my life and other’s lives. Thank you so mucn.
Seems the 19 are actually Democrats who ran as Republicans during the last few elections cycles. Regardless of the nature of our elections now everything is possible to thwart conservative principles. The communists have used our countries elections to sneak into every level of government service by patient actions through the years since John F. Kennedy’s assassination. They have used Kalifornia to develop ways to infiltrate and takeover elections giving them total control of the biggest state in the union and we are now seeing the out of control (bankrupt America)going strong with this final push to destroy us. Look at the 45 goals the Russians set to take over America all achieved with great success. Politicians who are knowingly pushing socialism/communism on all sects of Americans. God help us, no one knows what to do. Biden and Harris are so incompetent they can’t even figure out what went wrong in Afghanistan now the Taliban has taken control completely.
They (RepubliRATS) that voted for this should be run out of office ASAP. The country has been turned upside down and the socialist party plays by their own sets of rules. I think that everyone in the government (except for a few ) are on the take with money from China and the CCP. What else could explain their stupid and irrational behavior. They don’t give 2 shts about the American people anymore. What happened to government “by the people, for the people and of the people“The time for Revolution is getting near.
It will take at least six (6) years to clean sweep the Augean stables [a.k.a. the US Senate] we need to send ALL the swamp dwellers home! However, GOOD NEWS… We can send ALL the swamp dwellers in the House home in 2022 provided we pick true Americans to replace the RINO’s and the DemonRATs! VOTE all swamp dwelling incumbents OUT!
The demo/socialists are getting more agressive by the day, and will soon dispense with the constitution and order our daily lives like Soviet Russia was (and for the most part, still is). They are rapidly heading America into the one-world government. I would assume Republicans never played round ball games in high school or college because they don’t have any.
What is wrong with these Republicans?????
ANY Republican that votes in favor of ANY Communist Democrat legislation needs to be strung up in public!!! The Republicans in the CONGRESS had better get their heads out of their asses!!!
Giving in to woke socialists is the same thing as giving in to the Communists. They take, but they never give anything in return. Our Republican enablers have never learned from history.
Sometimes, it appears that most in politics are power hungry, narcissists with no redeeming virtues.
Very time I read your letters I see more and more how the Politian’s work for themselves by lining their own Pockets and screw the Public.
is there any one with balls enough to impeach Pelosi the speaker of the house? or just fire here. She still is milking the public by getting payed with our TAX DOLLARS.
It just makes one sick were the working Man struggles to make a living and the Politician come up with new tax increases.
The other thing that pisses me off is how can they passed a bill when the Public has no idea what’s in it and the same goes for House and Senate.
Good Night and sleep well and how can the Politicians sleep when they constantly screw the Public?
Have to say it I’m just a High School graduate so my expression on paper is not the grates but no matter what I love this Country and I m glad to be Amac member.
The GOP has been “Democrat Lite” for decades, which is why I scuttled my support for the national party years ago and changed my voting status to Independent. I refuse to be an enabler of the incestuous Beltway Establishment comprised of lifetime Congressional and bureaucracy inhabitants who work for the system and themselves rather than America. The Congressional incumbent re-election rates since 1964 have been 82% for th House and 96% for the Senate. That is political incest pure and simple. It is a wonder America has survived this long……
The GOP has lots of blood on their hands, complicit and complacent; shameful.
Who really believes at this stage that we will ever have election integrity again in this country? Who believes in that 2 trillion and some bill that wasn’t read through that there wasn’t included the new rule that the DC establishment will control the entire election process? Who believes the bill doesn’t include defunding Israel? Who doesnt believe this administration is indebted to China and that a big chunk of that bills funding will be given to them? No one is willing to fight against what this treasonous government is doing! The ONLY thing Christian’s have to look forward to at this point is the Rapture of Christ’s Church.
Pray for our families who are still lost without Christ.
If you had a tree that leaned towards your house you would take it down and those RINO’s leaning towards the left’s house need to be taken down for our safety!
Any republican who supported chucky schummers spending fiasco is a traitor just like ALL democrats!
No excuses,no sob stories,their NO better than the useless,anti American democrats and should be removed from office.
It’s WAY past time for the Citizens to take control and remove this cancer from Washington!!!
How totally unaware or stupid can the people that are supposed to know what would happen in the middle east be,when the average AMERICAN on the street knew that this would happen.I would think that we need new leaders in government because we sure don’t have any now.Dumber follows dumb and it doesn’t stop there.
They reached the top of the bell curve that has 100 at top dead center and slipped, all the way to the bottom. We need to start calling them American Quislings.
These Rino Republicans Senators need to be voted out. Shame on them for putting so much debt on future generations! Idiots !!! McConnell needs to go.
DC is corrupt democrats and republicans alike. The swamp must be drained. They have the power over our money. We work to earn it and they waste it all while they are taking pay offs from lobbiest. We must stand strong against the corrupt system.
Seems like most so-called republicans are liberal democrats working undercover. Very few people who have a r after their name seem to have very slinky backbones when they are pressured to do the right or responsible thing.
These people are a joke. Spending and legislating the country into poverty one onerous bill after another, and always filled with special interest pork for campaign contributions and kickbacks. A representative government “For the People”, my ass! That train left the beltway long, long ago,,,,
They all have to go ~ they’ve been in office too long, and are lazy and ineffective. I know the dimrats have us pretty hogtied, but a little more fight would look better than the kow-towing and capitulating that the all-talk congress members are looking like fools over. Give it up, oldtimers and let some new, more fiery blood in to work for us.
Infrastructure????
10% of this wasteful, politicians pet projects,and increasing the size of a government that’s already bloated,inefficient, ineffective, corrupt,and full of useless self serving democrats and republican pretenders!!
We the People MUST send a message these LOSERS will understand.
THROW THEM OUT, they have FAILED America and FAILED American Citizens for whom THEY WORK!!
These ingrates believe they are above the Constitution, Our laws and look down upon Citizens!
GOODBYE YOU USELESS FAILURES!
My question for Americans is simple…What difference will any of this talk make or matter if the elections for American cities, states and federal representatives are conducted using voting machines manufactured and programmed in and by people in in a foreign country? Dominion voting machines, created under very dubious beginnings, manufactured in Canada and programmed by a company outside of America. I don’t care if Queen Elizabeth II, one of our oldest allies, was the manufacturer and programmer herself, none of our elections should have any input from a foreign entity. How ignorant can Americans be to believe any part of this situation is good? Stop living in the dream world that our government looks out for “We the People,” because choosing to NOT LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE AND ALLOW IT TO BE JUDGED IN A COURT OF LAW is not the same as “There’s no evidence!” Especially when you give people time to hide what they’ve done! Democrats magically winning anything in the last elections was an utterly Un-American exercise, the capital trespassing incident was caused by democrats forgetting they work FOR Americans and now that Sippy Cup joe is creating a “back to normal” America, politicians on both sides are showing their true colors by forgetting they ALL work for us. Trump is the ONLY president to keep all his promises and the only one who can fix what politicians are doing to us.
Now that we know our “republicans” in DC are nothing more than socialist sellouts, it’s time to say adios and elect every available new face on the ballots…real conservatives, real Americans! Enough of these moron RINOS!
Our Founders, who were a lot smarter and patriotic than most of our current “leaders,” served only for a few years, then returned to their REAL JOBS. That’s why they knew what the average person thought and needed.
Most of this bunch want to stay on the government teat for as long as possible!
How I wish our “elected representatives” would actually work for the people they are supposed to represent!!! What CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN would vote for this monstrosity of a bill???!!
This article makes it clear that the republicans who caved in to vote for the infrastructure bill are doing so because they see goodies for their states. I have seen so many versions of what has been sent to the House. What I want to know is did they also send the other larger bill to the House?????