I haven't written about politics in a while, so I figured I'd lead off this entry with some thoughts on the debt ceiling and the "infrastructure" bills and the like.
The Dems recently passed a resolution to raise the debt ceiling to fund the federal government until December, which is good, I guess. The Reps made them do it alone, saying if the Democrats were going to be the ones doing the spending then they should be the ones to raise the limit. This is nonsensical because a) the Democrats haven't actually passed any spending bills yet (that's their whole problem); b) the debt ceiling applies to debt that's already been accrued (not future debt), and the Reps are responsible for more than their fair share of current debt, because, despite their rhetoric, they love the big-money programs (Medicaid, Medicare, social security) just as much as the Dems, but they also want to cut taxes, so their solution is to just not pay for anything and blame it on the blue team.
It makes no sense, but the point isn't to make sense -- it's to play politics. Although, I also don't really see what's to be gained politically, by making Dems go it alone. People hate shutdowns and it would be terrible if the US started defaulting on its debts (so say many smart people, at least -- nobody really knows for sure what would happen). So saying, Hey Democrats you have to avert disaster and take credit for it all by yourself, doesn't seem particularly smart to me.
The debt limit is such an absurd thing, anyway. It's a completely unnecessary annual political fight. Basically congress votes to run up the credit card and then also has to vote to pay it off. The much better way to do it: if you don't want to pay it, don't spend it in the first place. That's how it should be. I really wish the Democrats would just raise the debt limit to an unreachable number and effectively get rid of it.
And the debt limit was the easy vote.* The more difficult negotiations are going on right now with the Dems' dueling infrastructure bills. Basically there is a "moderate" bill for traditional infrastructure -- roads, bridges, and the like -- and a "progressive" bill for a bunch of stuff people like Bernie Sanders want -- basically a vastly expanded social safety net. The moderate bill has already passed the Senate and could pass in the House but for the fact the Congressional Progressive Caucus won't vote for it unless their bill is voted on first. They feel, probably rightly, that if the moderate bill passes, then their bill will basically be ignored.
*No, it’s not, apparently. I thought the suspension of the debt limit until December was law, but the bill only passed the House. Something still has to pass the Senate by October 15 and it’s not clear how that happens.
Meanwhile Biden is like, Please just pass something! My approval ratings are in the 40s, and I need some good news. That's where I am too, more or less. I'd be fine if the progressive bill passes, but I've become an ardently pro-compromise incrementalist as I've gotten older -- not because I think slow, little-c conservative fixes are inherently good, but because it's typically that or nothing. I've just become more of a realist. I mean, Joe Manchin -- one of the main senators against the progressive bill -- represents West Virginia. The fact a Democrat could win in such a deep red state is a minor miracle. He's not going to be Pramila Jayapal (Seattle shout out). You need to consider what you're working with. Maybe the progressives' gambit pays off, and they get their bill passed, but I think it's more likely that they don't, and they are then left to choose if they want a quarter loaf or nothing.
In non-politics news, I took another little trip to New York this past week. I rode the train up Tuesday afternoon, met some friends, saw a show, stayed the night, and then took the train back Wednesday afternoon. The train is definitely the way to go. I like it because DC to NYC is perfect movie watching length, so I get to cross a couple films off my (ever-growing) "To Watch" list, which is something I don't normally have the time to do. (Casino on the way there; Little Women on the way back, if you were wondering.)
I got into the city a few hours before my friends, so I got a slice and then walked around a bit. That's really the thing I like to do in a city. The museums and landmarks and all that are cool, but they are mainly just an excuse to move through the city, watch the people, sense the vibe. The show was in Brooklyn, so I went down to Prospect Park and meandered my way through it.
After I met my friends DK and JR, we Citi-biked down to the Williamsburg waterfront, which provided some nice vistas and some nice places to have a beer -- we took advantage of both. We had an awkward moment in which we went to eat dinner at some sort of trendy Korean restaurant, lured in by their promise of rooftop seating, and then almost instantly realized it was a mistake. For one thing, we were the only patrons in the establishment, literally. For another thing, their "rooftop" was basically just another room, covered with a tent-like roof and walls. You couldn't see out over the city or anything like that; there was no rooftop feel to it. Also, they had a limited menu and everything was on the pricey side.
So, we just got up and left before we ordered. It was kinda embarrassing, but worth it. It's one of those things where you lean in to a few minutes of awkwardness now to put yourself in a much better situation in the future. I need to be better about making that deal. Too often I don't do something because it's temporarily awkward or embarrassing (in my head, at least), and then later I'm like, Damn, why didn't I just do that when I had the chance?
The place at which we actually ate dinner was much better, although not totally devoid of weirdness. The guy at the table next to us was drunk, seemingly for the first time in his life, and rambling on to us about this and that. He told us about how great the TGI Friday's by MSG is, so I snapped a photo of it on my out of the city. Something tells me it's a lot like the TGI Friday's I worked at in Tacoma, Washington in the summer of 1997.
The show itself was awesome. We saw a band called Deep Sea Diver, mainly because we know the drummer, but they legit rocked the house (Music Hall of Williamsburg). The band that played before them was pretty cool too. I forgot how fun it is see live music. I haven't gone to many shows the past few years. Even before Covid, I didn't go very often. It was super fun.
We actually ran into the drummer P randomly on the street (actually it was in the street, in a crosswalk), so we chatted for a few minutes. That was cool as we probably would not have seen him otherwise. The venue is pretty big, so the audience and band members can't really interact, and P and I aren't, like, BFFs or anything,* so it would be weird to try to impose on his band activities pre- or post-show. So, it was perfect to just give him a high five and say what's up for a few minutes.
*I've long said that we need a word between friend and acquaintance, and P is a perfect example of why. I have so many people in my life where it feels weird to call them a friend because we were never that close and we don't really make it a point to keep in touch or anything like that. But acquaintance is far too impersonal. I sometimes hear people fill this void by saying "we're friendly with each other," which is an accurate way to described it, but it would be nice if we had a single word for this type of relationship. Frequaintance? I don't think that that's going to take off.
On the train ride back, I sat directly in front of this dude, who I think had Tourette Syndrome or something like that. He kept making spastic noises and muttering to himself, saying completely inappropriate stuff. He didn't seem to have control over it because when people would glance over at him, as I did once, he would say "pardon me," and then go right back to doing it. It probably wasn't his fault, but it was still very discomfiting for me. (You can have sympathy for somebody and still not want to be around them.) Thankfully, he slept for most the trip, so I could fully engross myself in the exploits of Jo and Meg.
Alright, I gotta go now. We are headed to a farm to sit on tractors and pick pumpkins and play farm games and whatnot. S said I don't have to go, but she already bought me a ticket, so I suspect it wouldn't go over well if I didn't. Plus, it's probably better to get out of the house this afternoon anyway. If I stay home, I'll just be watching sports and staring at scores on my phone all day. The Seahawks are playing today, and the Mariners, very improbably, have an outside chance at making the playoffs, but they need like three games to break their way. It probably won't happen, so I'd rather not invest hours in following everything only to be let down at the end. Might as well spend time with my kids and not feel like a deadbeat dad.
Until next time...
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