Apologies for getting this week’s episode up a bit later than usual — there were a few World Series baseball games that were taking the bulk of my attention (Go Braves ). But we’re here now, so let’s chat about a few things…
Brandon, uh, Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda seems to be failing pretty dramatically. And it’s really little wonder because Democrats packed so much into their reconciliation bill that it’s beginning to feel like the desperate act of a dying man: checking those bucket list items off before the man in the cloak comes calling. Biden’s even lost his own party support. This columnist at suggests that there may be reasons.The HillIt is important to remain optimistic. He writes that the failure to pass the Agenda Package gives Democrats an opportunity for priority setting.
Nobody said that governing was easy. Most investors believed that the 2020 election would bring about a change in their outlook. Biden, President would have to settle for a pared down legislative agenda because Democrats controlled both houses of Congress by the narrowest of margins. Instead, Biden bought the progressives’ argument to be big and bold after successfully enacting a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. However, it proved much more difficult for Democrats than expected to come to an agreement over the $3.5 billion reconciliation bill that the House of Representatives passed.
People are now wondering if the Democrats have what it takes to govern well in this logjam. Faced with waning public support for Biden’s agenda, they are coalescing around a truncated bill that is roughly one half the size of the House bill. Many of the financing and spending issues remain unresolved.
One positive for investors is the fact that Democrats have been forced to prioritise spending from their lengthy wish list. But some skeptics claim the concessions are “phony.” The editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, for example, contends “Biden is bowing to the left by keeping new entitlements and disguising their cost.”
Acknowledging that chopping up a ridiculous package no one wants into separate pieces no one wants is better for the Democrats, it’s also useful to note that this isn’t so much a success for the Biden administration as it is for the dwindling moderates on that side of the aisle as the progressives within the party overplay their hand.
However, the country is also benefited. If Biden is given some credit, that’s fine. The walk-back toward the less expensive Manchin plan — which also cuts out some of the environmentalist pork — is probably the best the country can hope for as we survive the Biden administration. And we’re not even a year in. It feels like 90.
I talk about all that on the show today, as well as delve into how the NRA and Hollywood have always enjoyed a cozy affair no one really talked about, which makes the tragedy on the “Rust” film set that much more avoidable if Baldwin et al had simply followed the industry’s own guidelines. NewsweekThis was a great piece. Money paragraph below:
Hollywood, an industry known for its liberal reputation, has a surprising close relationship with the firearms sector. Gun makers don’t have to woo Hollywood because Hollywood goes to them to ask for real guns to use in movies. Guns that are used in movies can be icons. Dirty Harry wore the Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum. This revolver isn’t a very good firearm: it’s huge and unwieldy; it packs a ferocious recoil and it holds only six bullets. It’s essentially a novelty gun built around the .44 Magnum handgun cartridge, once the most powerful handgun round in the world. It still sells pretty well because it is immediately recognized as “the Dirty Harry gun.” We all remember John Rambo firing an M-60 machine gun; John McClain in Die Hard with his Beretta 92FS and MP5; James Bond’s Walther PPK; and of course, John Wayne’s Colt Single Action and his Winchester 92.
Hollywood has a lot to do with guns and the violence that they symbolize.
Below is a trailer that contains my opinions on the Muppets’ Halloween Special on Disney. It’s a safe one to plop your kids in front of this evening with their candy haul.
Ghoulies, happy Halloween
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v71MIMp1mSE
The show lives on Spotify and you can also find me at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, FCB Radio’s Spreaker, and Deezer.
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