G’morning. PLAYBOOK:
MCCONNELL: "I'VE BEEN THROUGH A FEW OF THESE … We occasionally have these great crises. And when they occur, we're able to rise above our normal partisanship and many times our normal positions because these are not ordinary times."
MCCONNELL: "I'VE BEEN THROUGH A FEW OF THESE … We occasionally have these great crises. And when they occur, we're able to rise above our normal partisanship and many times our normal positions because these are not ordinary times."
MCCONNELL IS RIGHT. TYPICALLY, during true national emergencies, Congress sheds its deep-seated partisanship and rises to the occasion to deliver what the country needs.
BUT THE CORONAVIRUS is the first large-scale crisis in a political era without historical parallel, and it will test the efficiency of our government and the theory that elected representatives will respond in a timely and adequate manner when the country needs them.
CONSIDER: The last two crises were 9/11 and financial crisis. Congressional approval was 42% on 9/11. And McCain/Obama issued a joint statement in financial crisis, urging action.
Compare that to today. To put it mildly, we’re in a different political era.
Compare that to today. To put it mildly, we’re in a different political era.
IT FALLS TO MCCONNELL and CHUCK SCHUMER, the Senate minority leader from New York, to cobble together what might be one of the largest and most expansive emergency spending packages in American history.
BUT MCCONNELL AND SCHUMER are playing two very different hands at this point.
MCCONNELL stood aside during the Phase 2 talks, preferring PELOSI cut a deal w MNUCHIN. Now, with financial markets selling off, MCCONNELL is left asking Republicans to "gag" and vote for that bill.
MCCONNELL stood aside during the Phase 2 talks, preferring PELOSI cut a deal w MNUCHIN. Now, with financial markets selling off, MCCONNELL is left asking Republicans to "gag" and vote for that bill.
MCCONNELL CAN'T AFFORD THE SAME INACTION this time around. The majority leader is making it very clear that he is taking charge of the Phase Three talks, and will be the center of gravity in the upcoming negotiations.
MCCONNELL'S 1ST TASK IS TO FIND CONSENSUS among R as the government gears up to spend north of $1 trillion. Intraparty consensus is important for MCCONNELL because he has a less-than-optimal hand here: He'll need 60 votes, and the only person who can get him that is SCHUMER.
AND THAT'S WHY THE MINORITY has a big say right now. HOUSE DEMOCRATS will also need to pass this bill, which also strengthens SCHUMER'S hand. His challenge will be to pare down his wishlist to a few achievables, and quickly.
WORTH NOTING: Markets seem to have baked in that this bill will pass by Friday or Monday. That’s possible but VERY FAR from a sure thing. Congress is working under exceedingly, exceedingly tight circumstances.
