Ezra Klein

I have some real problems. So there's a lot in the liberal agenda that works and we get right. But I think there is a – look, man, it didn't work. Right? Right. There was a theory of the Biden administration, and that was a couple of things.

I have some real problems. So there's a lot in the liberal agenda that works and we get right. But I think there is a – look, man, it didn't work. Right? Right. There was a theory of the Biden administration, and that was a couple of things.

But what were the Biden administrations, at least in terms of what it was able to pass, what were its major... What differentiated it, maybe is the best way to say this, than Obama?

But what were the Biden administrations, at least in terms of what it was able to pass, what were its major... What differentiated it, maybe is the best way to say this, than Obama?

Green energy and infrastructure. Sure. This was a building liberalism. Yes. Right? The main achievements of Obama, if you go down and list them, It's like you'll say the Affordable Care Act. You'll say the Dodd-Frank regulations. It'll be a bunch of things like that. And what's interesting about those is that they're all etched into regulation.

Green energy and infrastructure. Sure. This was a building liberalism. Yes. Right? The main achievements of Obama, if you go down and list them, It's like you'll say the Affordable Care Act. You'll say the Dodd-Frank regulations. It'll be a bunch of things like that. And what's interesting about those is that they're all etched into regulation.

They didn't require a lot to happen in the physical world, right? Bank capital requirements does not require the laying of a lot of transmission line. But Biden, it wasn't like that. Lunch Pail Joe, Scranton Joe, they had an agenda. I mean, they lost a lot of their care agenda because of Manchin. But they had then an agenda that was very much about building.

They didn't require a lot to happen in the physical world, right? Bank capital requirements does not require the laying of a lot of transmission line. But Biden, it wasn't like that. Lunch Pail Joe, Scranton Joe, they had an agenda. I mean, they lost a lot of their care agenda because of Manchin. But they had then an agenda that was very much about building.

Yeah. Liberals passed $7.5 billion for a nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers. We also get $42 billion, and this is a big thing they tout a lot, to do world broadband. There's a lot of parts of this country that are not hooked up to broadband.

Yeah. Liberals passed $7.5 billion for a nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers. We also get $42 billion, and this is a big thing they tout a lot, to do world broadband. There's a lot of parts of this country that are not hooked up to broadband.

And in both cases, and these were passed early in the administration, particularly the rural broadband money, by the end of the administration, by the election, by the time I'm fact-checking the book, they just have not happened. And you look into why, and we did look into why. And what you get are these incredibly baroque internal processes.

And in both cases, and these were passed early in the administration, particularly the rural broadband money, by the end of the administration, by the election, by the time I'm fact-checking the book, they just have not happened. And you look into why, and we did look into why. And what you get are these incredibly baroque internal processes.

I'll focus on rural broadband for a minute here because that one was a good idea. Still a good idea. And they liked it. That was the one they went around, when they talked about the infrastructure bill, they were like, roads and rural broadband, right? And if you look into what happened, they created, not in the bill, but this is really important.

I'll focus on rural broadband for a minute here because that one was a good idea. Still a good idea. And they liked it. That was the one they went around, when they talked about the infrastructure bill, they were like, roads and rural broadband, right? And if you look into what happened, they created, not in the bill, but this is really important.

We have this whole little schoolhouse rock song about how a bill becomes a law and it's sitting on the steps of the Congress. I'm not going to ask you to sing it, Ezra, if that's what- I'm so- I've been practicing. I have been practicing.

We have this whole little schoolhouse rock song about how a bill becomes a law and it's sitting on the steps of the Congress. I'm not going to ask you to sing it, Ezra, if that's what- I'm so- I've been practicing. I have been practicing.

We don't have the song about how the law becomes reality, how the law becomes a series of implementation rules, then a notice of funding opportunity, then there's a comment period, then there's a challenge period for the comments, then there's a series of court cases. And so for rural broadband, for instance, what you end up having is a 14 stage process.

We don't have the song about how the law becomes reality, how the law becomes a series of implementation rules, then a notice of funding opportunity, then there's a comment period, then there's a challenge period for the comments, then there's a series of court cases. And so for rural broadband, for instance, what you end up having is a 14 stage process.

Like there's a period where the Commerce Department needs to draw up a map of which parts of the country don't have the right amount of broadband and then there's a challenge period on the map and da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da. Fifty-six states and jurisdictions try to apply for this money. Again, this passes at the end of 2021. They have time. By the end of 2024, three

Like there's a period where the Commerce Department needs to draw up a map of which parts of the country don't have the right amount of broadband and then there's a challenge period on the map and da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da. Fifty-six states and jurisdictions try to apply for this money. Again, this passes at the end of 2021. They have time. By the end of 2024, three