by Robert Reich
Now heading back to Berkeley. Here’s what I gleaned from conversations with senators and House members:
1. Despite all the blather from Boehner and McConnell about Republicans being “ready to govern,” many Senate and House Republicans seem intent on doing the reverse – unraveling our system of government. Democrats in both houses seem genuinely appalled by the GOP’s proposed budget, their planned reductions in appropriations to enforce current laws, and expected opposition to raising the debt ceiling and pose another risk of default on the nation’s debts.
2. So-called “tax reform” is likely to be a disaster. In both chambers, Republicans are wedded to the Norquist doctrine that revenues from any tax loopholes closed will be used to reduce tax rates on the richest taxpayers. Several Democrats I spoke with don’t think the White House should propose any “tax reform” legislation at all.
3. Republicans are sharply divided on only one thing: whether to vote for more military spending and sacrifice additional deficit reduction, or make deficit reduction their first priority.
4. The Trans Pacific Trade Agreement will likely get through the Senate in April but is running into strong resistance in the House. A majority of House Democrats oppose it, as do some House Republicans. They're upset that they haven’t been permitted to review the entire draft, and that their staff can’t even see sections unless the staff have security clearances. Several House and Senate Democrats I spoke with didn't know the draft includes provisions allowing global corporations to be compensated by the U.S. government for any new health, safety, environmental, Wall Street, or labor regulations that reduce corporate profits. None understands why the Administration is willing to spend precious political capital on this.
5. Most Democrats I spoke with told me their biggest worry about Hillary Clinton’s candidacy is she won’t engender the kind of popular enthusiasm that brought out voters for Obama, and that the 2016 election (including any possibility of winning back control of the House and/or Senate) will depend on voter turnout.
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