Ezra Klein

But other countries do it. Like Singapore, I think, what is it? 80% of people live in some kind of social housing there. There are countries that do a lot of this well. And one thing I think that the left, and for that matter, liberals, often just don't pay enough attention to is what stands in between them and their agenda that is not Republicans.

But other countries do it. Like Singapore, I think, what is it? 80% of people live in some kind of social housing there. There are countries that do a lot of this well. And one thing I think that the left, and for that matter, liberals, often just don't pay enough attention to is what stands in between them and their agenda that is not Republicans.

Because they can really see when Republicans stand between them and their agenda. And Republicans often do. But one reason a bunch of this book is focused on governance failures in California, in New York, and places like that, is because these are places Republicans hold no power. So you can't say, oh, if only the mean Republicans would let us do it, we'd get it done.

Because they can really see when Republicans stand between them and their agenda. And Republicans often do. But one reason a bunch of this book is focused on governance failures in California, in New York, and places like that, is because these are places Republicans hold no power. So you can't say, oh, if only the mean Republicans would let us do it, we'd get it done.

You're actually left looking in the mirror thinking, why haven't I made my own bed here? And if you want to do what AOC and Bernie Sanders want to do, If you want to do a green new deal of the size of their green new deals, we just flatly do not have the laws that will allow you to build that much green infrastructure. And we definitely – like nobody disagrees.

You're actually left looking in the mirror thinking, why haven't I made my own bed here? And if you want to do what AOC and Bernie Sanders want to do, If you want to do a green new deal of the size of their green new deals, we just flatly do not have the laws that will allow you to build that much green infrastructure. And we definitely – like nobody disagrees.

We definitely don't have the fucking laws that will let you lay down transmission lines across the country to get all that new clean energy you're generating to the places it needs to go. And if we don't have those laws, then your bill will fail. Right. One thing that liberals get very – and leftists get very stuck on is the price tag.

We definitely don't have the fucking laws that will let you lay down transmission lines across the country to get all that new clean energy you're generating to the places it needs to go. And if we don't have those laws, then your bill will fail. Right. One thing that liberals get very – and leftists get very stuck on is the price tag.

The economist Noah Smith calls this checkism where it's like we sort of judge how good or ambitious legislation is on how big the estimated price tag on it is. It's like we got $300 billion for green energy. I mean good, but that was bullshit compared to my $900 billion plan. Right, right.

The economist Noah Smith calls this checkism where it's like we sort of judge how good or ambitious legislation is on how big the estimated price tag on it is. It's like we got $300 billion for green energy. I mean good, but that was bullshit compared to my $900 billion plan. Right, right.

But money – like look, we've – like you could spend a lot of money on California high-speed rail and build nothing, right? Like money isn't – the end goal here. It's particularly when you're building things, built infrastructure, right? It's the number of people hooked up to rural broadband, et cetera.

But money – like look, we've – like you could spend a lot of money on California high-speed rail and build nothing, right? Like money isn't – the end goal here. It's particularly when you're building things, built infrastructure, right? It's the number of people hooked up to rural broadband, et cetera.

Our sort of provocation in the book, what we're telling all these stories for is not to come down on like one set of policy solutions, because honestly, the problem in transmission lines is different than the one in housing. The problem in housing is different than the one in kind of supply of healthcare, right? There's all these things here.

Our sort of provocation in the book, what we're telling all these stories for is not to come down on like one set of policy solutions, because honestly, the problem in transmission lines is different than the one in housing. The problem in housing is different than the one in kind of supply of healthcare, right? There's all these things here.

but is to try to get people to ask a question much more regularly than we do, which is simply this. Like this is the whole book boiled down to one question. What do we need more of? And why is it so hard to get it? That's like the whole thing that we just don't ask well.

but is to try to get people to ask a question much more regularly than we do, which is simply this. Like this is the whole book boiled down to one question. What do we need more of? And why is it so hard to get it? That's like the whole thing that we just don't ask well.

I think some of the criticism that isn't as strong comes from a tendency that we all have to just group certain means into ideological buckets. Deregulation, that's a thing Republicans.

I think some of the criticism that isn't as strong comes from a tendency that we all have to just group certain means into ideological buckets. Deregulation, that's a thing Republicans.

That's a thing Democrats do. Critiquing government, Republicans do critiquing government. Thinking the private sector can solve some things, that's a thing Democrats do. But sometimes you need to flip it. A bunch of the things we're talking about here. I want to deregulate the government enough that it can build high-speed rail itself. So I am trying to make a much stronger government.

That's a thing Democrats do. Critiquing government, Republicans do critiquing government. Thinking the private sector can solve some things, that's a thing Democrats do. But sometimes you need to flip it. A bunch of the things we're talking about here. I want to deregulate the government enough that it can build high-speed rail itself. So I am trying to make a much stronger government.