- The Biden Infrastructure Bill tells us a lot.
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I am always surprised when Republican politicians act subserviently to the Democrats. Whether it is acquiescing to calling for investigations, such as the Russian Hoax and the January 6th hearings, or the abuse in investigating government officials, such as Justice Kavanaugh. I don't know why this is unless possibly the Democrats have a library of photos of Republicans in compromising positions to blackmail them. The Republicans constant kowtowing to the Democrats greatly discourages the faithful of the party.
To illustrate this further, consider President Biden's $3.5T Infrastructure Bill which recently passed the Senate. If you look at it closely, you can see the pork buried in the legislation.
As Republican Senator John Kennedy (LA) said recently (August 9, 2021), "Well, I can just share with you my perspective Laura. Early on, I was likely yes on this bill. I mean who’s not for infrastructure. I’m for children and prosperity, too. But then I got a copy of the bill and I realized pretty quickly that if you look up stupid stuff in the dictionary, there’s a picture of this bill. They told us it was a real infrastructure bill. It’s not. Only 23% of the bill is real infrastructure. The rest is Green New Deal and welfare. They told us the bill was paid for. It isn’t. We’re gonna have to borrow maybe up to $400 billion to pay for it. They told us there were no tax increases. There are. My state’s gonna have to pay 1.3 billion dollars in new taxes on our petrol chemical industry. They told us, as you pointed out, that the Democrats were really wary of this bill and if we passed this bill it would make it harder for them to pass their five trillion dollar tax and spending binge reconciliation bill. Well, if that’s true how come every Democrat voted for this infrastructure bill. And finally, they told us it’s not gonna add to inflation -- but it will."
Kennedy's remarks typifies the Republican perspective on the issue. Further, according to NPR, "Republicans who opposed the bill cited its cost and said plans to offset that were not robust enough. The Congressional Budget Office found last week that the legislation could add $256 billion to the deficit over 10 years."
Yet, in spite of all this, 18 Republican Senators helped pass the bill. Of these, four are up for re-election in 2022 and, as such, there should be an overt push to vote them out of office, including:
Sen. Kevin Cramer (ND) - normally considered a conservative, Cramer's vote was considered bewildering.
Sen. Deb Fischer (NE) - the same as Cramer.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) - a well known moderate, she is also one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. In turn, she was censured by the Alaska Republican Party.
Sen. Mitt Romney (UT) - perhaps the most recognized RINO of the party, Romney also voted to find Trump guilty in both impeachment hearings. He has also protested with Black Lives Matter. Make no mistake, the former 2012 GOP presidential candidate is a Democrat in sheep's clothing and should be censured by Utah Republicans.
Replacing these four Republican politicians with more qualified conservatives cannot help but produce better results as we approach the 2024 presidential election.
Among the other Republicans voting for the bill, but claim not be running again in 2022 include:
Sen. Roy Blunt (MO)
Sen. Richard Burr (NC)
Sen. Rob Portman (OH)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA) - has indicated he will decide to run early in 2022. He has been a US Senator since 1980; over 40 years. That's enough.
The remaining people on the list will not be up for re-election until 2024. These are the people who should be watched closely.
Sen. Shelley Capito (WV)
Sen. Mike Crapo (ID)
Sen. John Hoeven (ND)
Sen. Jim Risch (ID)
Sen. Thom Tillis (NC)
Sen Roger Wicker (MS)
Sen. William Cassidy (LA) - He was among the seven Republican senators to vote to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. Consequently, he was censured by the Republican Party of Louisiana. It is time for Cassidy to go.
Sen. Susan Collins (ME) - She is a well recognized RINO. She too was one of the seven Republican senators to vote to convict President Trump in his second impeachment trial. Collins is spineless.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) - His vote to accept the infrastructure bill surprised a lot of people. He has been a US Senator since 2002 and has flipped-flopped depending on who is in office.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY) - He has been a US Senator since 1984; over 35 years. He was also Senate Majority Leader from 2015 to 2021. Republicans tend to see McConnell as a closet moderate. While he supported several of President Trump's policies, McConnell often butted heads with the president.
The Democrats have no problem keeping their people in line, but the GOP cannot claim the same. As such, these Republicans bear scrutiny as we approach 2024. I do not believe these politicians understand the angst they have created within the party and the tempest they have set off within the ranks of conservatives. We need leaders of integrity who will stand up to the Democrats and spend less time doing political tap-dancing. This is one reason why we need term limits for Congress.
Republicans used to be known for fiduciary responsibility, trying to live within our means, but the Biden Infrastructure Bill means returning to the era of "tax and spend." By voting for this bill, these few Republicans are accepting the fiscal policies of the Democrats. Because of this, it is time for them to go.
As President Trump recently wrote about the Infrastructure Bill (Aug. 11, 2021) - "It destroys our Borders and the rule of law by granting dangerous amnesty that will flood America’s beautiful cities. It will overwhelm our schools, and make our Nation less safe. It raises taxes like we have never seen, while also making many things you buy everyday more expensive (gas, groceries, and much more). And don’t forget the crazy Green New Deal. America, you are being robbed in the dark of night. It’s time to wake up!"
Before we ever hope to free the Capitol of Democrats such as Schumer and Pelosi, we have to first clean up our own house of milquetoast Republicans who simply want to play political games and not do what is best for the country. Thus the need to clean house.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is an author, freelance writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com
For Tim's columns, see: timbryce.com
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