The Pre-Thanksgiving Buffet – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – November 21, 2021

The Pre-Thanksgiving Buffet – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – November 21, 2021

If you’re hungry, this is the week to be hungry. There is plenty of food and football to feast on, and plenty of politics to chew on, too. I’m a big foodie and political junkie, so please excuse some of my “corny” metaphors. Let’s “brunch” on that this week!

 

“The Infrastructure Smorgasbord” – It certainly had to be the biggest win of his presidency so far. This past Monday President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion-dollar physical infrastructure bill into law. The “meat and potatoes” of this monumental piece of legislation includes funding for new and old roads, highways, bridges, airports, railroads, water and sewer systems, broadband, electric car charging stations, etc. It’s a Thanksgiving spread that might make grandma blush.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

 

“Biden’s ‘Bowl of Gruel’ Approval Ratings” – The president might be hoping for a delicious plate of sliced roasted turkey, with stuffing and mashed potatoes, all covered with gravy. And toss in some sides of veggies and cranberries. Filling and delicious, right? Instead, he’s getting a bowl full of gruel form “Oliver” and with all due respect, “Sir, may I please NOT have some more!” Here’s why!

 

“The Biden Pop-Up Thermometer” – The widely regarded Quinnipiac University poll this week shows Biden’s approval rating at an all-time low of 36 percent. The poll shows, (to no one’s surprise), that most Democrats approve of Biden’s job performance, and most Republicans disapprove. But the most crucial numbers are that 56 percent of the key independent voters disapprove, while only 29 percent of independents approve.

 

“Build Back Better Gets ‘Butterballed’”—On Friday the U.S. House passed the social infrastructure bill dubbed as, “Build Back Better” by the Biden Administration, on a close vote of 220-213-1-1. The price tag is north of $1.75 trillion dollars. It goes well beyond the traditional infrastructure of roads and bridges, to fund things such as childcare, universal pre-kindergarten and elder-home health care. But as so often is the case, the vote in the Senate may fall into the hands of one man, Sen. Joe Manchin (D) West Virginia. Manchin is undecided, but basically put his comfort level at no more than $1.5 trillion.

 

“The Side-Dishes are Divided” – I had a single mom tell me recently, “You can pave all the roads and bridges you wish to get me to a new job, but without childcare, I can’t make the trip!” I get that. On the other hand, there are concerns about burdening those same kids with a ballooning national debt. “And now it’s swung the gates wide open to this ‘Build Back Better’ which is another couple-trillion dollars in Green New Deal, socialist priorities,” said Rep. Alex Mooney, (R) West Virginia – District 2. In the middle are people such as Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, (R) West Virginia, who told me once, “We could have dealt with many of these social issues like childcare and eldercare, in separate bills, not tied to infrastructure.”

 

“The Opioid Omnibus Soup” – It’s a story that will fly under the radar of the national media, and that’s a shame. On Thursday a prominent West Virginia physician, Dr. Rahul Gupta, was sworn in as the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, informally known as the nation’s “Drug Czar.” Over a decade, Gupta ran the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department and was then appointed the state’s Public Health Officer. He was the front-line general in the opioid epidemic, in the state with the worst overdose death rate in the nation. Last week, we hit 100,000 overdose deaths nationwide during COVID-19. This is the right man, for the right job, at the right time. Many successful ideas that have worked locally such as QRTs (Quick Response Teams), and treatment for babies born addicted (Neo-natal Abstinence Syndrome), were championed by Dr. Gupta.

 

“Thanksgiving Inflation (Around my Waistline and at the Grocery Store!)” – According to U.S. government statistics, the rate of inflation over the past year stands at 6.2 percent and climbing. We hear daily on the local and national news about the huge spike in turkey and other meat prices, and how that may carry through the Thanksgiving holiday into the New Year’s Day celebrations. As I pointed out last week, three of the last four incumbent presidents to be voted out of office, had equal or higher rates of inflation. We’re talking Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush.

 

What are your thoughts on the infrastructure legislation? Should it just be about, roads, bridges, and airports, or should we be providing childcare, home health care and other social services to people? Just click the comment button and let us know!

 

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states, and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.