Good Morning from the Nation’s Capital…
It is (finally) Infrastructure week in Washington. Shortly before 11:30pm Friday, the House of Representatives passed the infrastructure bill by 228-206.
Six Democrats—all members of “the Squad”—defied President Biden and Speaker Pelosi and refused to vote yes (including New Yorkers Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). Republicans were also warned by their leadership to vote no and yet thirteen moderate members defied Minority Leader McCarthy. They included Andrew Garbarino, John Katko, Nicole Malliotakis, and Tom Reed of New York.
After a great deal of handwringing, and an Election Day shellacking, moderates issued a statement agreeing to vote for Build Back Better after they had “fiscal information” from the Congressional Budget Office. The White House then provided a detailed cost estimate to convince moderates that the plan was fiscally sound while Biden personally called key House moderates to nail things down.
There was still a lot herding cats to be done and, as usual, Speaker Pelosi deserves a great deal of credit for finally getting the bill over the finish line. In the end, the rebellion by the 6 members of the Squad and the support of the thirteen Republican members, was a political blessing for many Democrats who had handed President Biden the biggest victory through this first year of his term. Nonetheless, the wrangling was best summarized by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.): “The whole day was a clusterf—, right?
If Democrats are able to move past the infighting and drama, what they accomplished is pretty significant. The $1.2 trillion bill creates $500 billion in new spending and it could result in the creation of over 660,000 new jobs by the end of 2025. Specifically, the bill includes:
- $110 billion for roads and bridges
- $73 billion to upgrade the electric grid
- $66 billion for rail (passenger and freight)
- $65 for broadband (including rural)
- $55 billion for water quality
- $50 billion for climate change measures
- $21 billion for environmental cleanup
- $15 billion for electric vehicles
- $39 billion for public transit
- $42 billion for ports and airports
Read more from the AP and the Washington Post.
In addition, three of the five Constitutional Amendments on the ballot failed. Significantly, these ballot questions—a redistricting amendment, one that allowed same-day voter registration, and one that allowed for no excuse absentee voting—all failed. They failed under a withering last minute attack by the Conservative Party and without any effort or support from the New York State Democratic Party (except for a small campaign by the Senate Democrats). All this further illustrates the absence of any real Democratic Party in New York.
A final big winner was Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. After being surprised and overwhelmed by a well-coordinated campaign in the June Primary, Brown rallied his forces and voters across Buffalo responded. Challenger India Walton garnered support from Progressive Democrats around the country (Sanders, Warren, Jumaane Williams, and so on) as well as some more mainstream voices (Schumer and Gillibrand) while Brown had support from real estate, police, firefighters, building trades, and strong and active support from some members of the Common Council (especially Scanlon and Golombek). Of course, the official count will not be final until November 16th or 17th—and is on track to be certified around November 27th—but in a race watched across the county, the story is not just that Brown won but that he engineered a landslide.
- At Somos political conference, James says she doesn’t want to focus on politics
- NYC Politicians Parade in Puerto Rico, With Races From Governor to Council Speaker at Stake
- Gov. Hochul taps Robert Rodriguez for secretary of state, courts Hispanics
-Jack O’Donnell
OD&A in the News
Analysis: Could Tim Kennedy Be the One to Succeed Byron Brown as Buffalo’s Mayor?
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown appears headed to an unprecedented fifth term after there were more write-in ballots than votes cast for Democratic nominee India Walton. But who might be Buffalo’s next mayor following the 2025 election? [Read more.]
Guinness and Jameson Ice Cream Float Recipe
Back in 2015, an Imgur user revealed her recipe for a Guinness Jameson Ice Cream Float on the online image sharing site, and it went viral in a matter of days. People went wild for the delicious and simple frozen treat. [Read more.]