Celebrating Progressive Solidarity
Update on Infrastructure Negotiations and a Brief Discussion of Economic Justice
For a brief but important moment, we can celebrate the type of progressive solidarity for which I advocated back in August. A vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill was scheduled for the last week of September, but thanks to progressives upholding the two-bill deal, the corporatist plot to decouple the two bills has been thwarted—at least for the time being.
Like I mentioned last week, this outcome largely leaves us in the same position as before—i.e., waiting to see how the budget reconciliation details measure up to stated goals and defending it from unnecessary, detrimental cuts—but this demonstration of solidarity could mark a turning point in U.S. politics. This potential can be seen both in the legislative impact of such solidarity, but also in how various media outlets covered these events.
Corporate Media vs. Independent Journalism
As the evening of September 30th came and went, with still no news of a vote well into the night, it became increasingly doubtful that the bipartisan infrastructure bill would receive a vote. Indeed, on the morning of October 1, 2021, Speaker Pelosi released a statement saying:
…Our priority to create jobs in the health care, family and climate agendas is a shared value. Our Chairs are still working for clarity and consensus. Clearly, the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill will pass once we have agreement on the reconciliation bill.
The reaction to this news—and even negotiations before and after the news of a delayed vote on the bipartisan bill—shows a clear ideological divide. In this writer’s humble opinion, that divide can be explained in the context of the root of many problems: money. More specifically, corporate money.
I plan to write a more extensive article detailing specific examples, comparing coverage of the same events by different sources, but I wanted to briefly mention patterns I’ve seen lately. Independent journalists who do not rely on corporate funding—such as the Economic Justice and Progress Newsletter, for instance—reported on the details of the two infrastructure bills, countered nonsensical objections to the reconciliation package, and pointed out the conflicts of interest common amongst obstructionists.
Corporate media, on the other hand, frequently attacked progressive members of Congress as being “divisive” despite their alignment with President Biden’s agenda. The White House and the majority of Congress—including House and Senate leadership—agree that both bills need to pass, yet somehow a handful of corporate Democrats who want to obstruct that agenda are not the ones being “divisive”? These negotiations have been such a great case study at the disingenuousness of corporate media that I plan to dedicate an article to this topic, and I hope you look forward to receiving it in your inbox.
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Progressive Solidarity and Political Momentum
For decades, the Democratic party has largely ignored its progressive base and instead catered to the wealthy and corporate interests. Like I’ve said in the past, many events throughout the Biden presidency are causes for cautious optimism, but only if we maintain momentum for further progress.
This is a great opportunity to invest in the people, in the structures and systems which enable them to accomplish their goals and care for their families, and to make the world a better place in doing so. The Congressional Progressive Caucus can also become a more effective, respected political entity, rather than the often-maligned scapegoat that corporate media historically portrayed. Still, we need to pass these infrastructure bills and get them signed into law, so there is much work left to be done.
We cannot allow the obstructionists who want the budget reconciliation bill to disappear altogether to use this opportunity to design it to fail. If we can deliver meaningful results for working families across the country, perhaps we’ll restore voters’ faith in electoral politics and begin to elect fewer corporate obstructionists and more lawmakers who represent the people who voted them into office.
Because I initially forgot to include this section as part of my Infrastructure Investments Collection, I wanted to include a brief discussion of economic justice in the context of these infrastructure bills for my readers who primarily read my articles in their email inboxes. Still, I encourage all readers to periodically check back and see new additions to my Collections as new articles are published.
Infrastructure Investments and Economic Justice
We have the opportunity to invest in long-neglected systems, structures, and people across the country. We can create millions of good, middle-class jobs in the process. We can address the climate crisis, which every day seems to show signs that we must act with urgency, and in doing so, we can protect not only the planet, but also the marginalized people most directly impacted by refusing to do so.
We can provide clean drinking water to everyone, putting pipefitters and plumbers to work while saving lives. We can build and repair crumbling roads and bridges while creating millions of jobs throughout the construction industry. We can build houses and make them more energy efficient and sustainable, thereby increasing housing supply and reducing costs. We can create a Civilian Climate Corps so that everyone who wants a job can help save the planet while earning a living wage and learning new skills.
We can prevent people from needing to decide whether they want to put food on their table or if they want to stay home when they are sick, especially when illnesses are infectious. We can reduce childhood poverty while giving parents the childcare support they need to be able to work. We can do all this and more.
We can pass legislation that works for everyone, not just for corporations and the wealthy. By alleviating the unnecessary suffering—which is far too common in the wealthiest nation on the planet—and by paving the way to a brighter future, we can progress towards a more just economy.
Thank you for reading my newsletter and taking the effort to learn about making the world a better place. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can make progress towards a more just economy.
-JJ