WALK. DON'T CHEW GUM. — The Weekly Opine

Democrats, now is not the time to multi-task. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Change the play

President Joe Biden’s agenda is anchored by his Build Back Better plan. BBB calls for repairing America by creating jobs via a massive infrastructure program along with funding for COVID-19 relief, social services, and welfare. Biden has a grand vision that evokes FDR’s New Deal and LBJ’s Great Society, both instrumental in opening the American Dream to citizens who otherwise would have lived a nightmare.

However, before Biden could get on track two events became obstacles not to be ignored or mismanaged. Exactly one year ago, the Republican-led coup attempt to overthrow the U.S. government, along with the surprisingly persistent 2-year-old (and counting) coronavirus pandemic, are giving Biden Extra Strength Tylenol-level headaches.

While you cannot question Biden’s sincerity, his administration has sorely lacked when it comes to clearly communicating his plan. If BBB was “sold” properly the people of West Virginia, Arizona, and other wayward states would put so much pressure on their senators that Biden’s agenda would sail through lickety-split and become law.

The failed insurrection on January 6 and the pesky, resurgent pandemic, that rises and falls and rises like a monster roller coaster, have the Biden administration squarely on the defensive. The two related events – insurrection and pandemic – roil the best laid plans…go ahead, say it…of mice and men.

To borrow a football term, President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Democrat progressives need to call an audible. BBB should take a backseat to an ironclad, singular focus on saving American democracy, which includes handling the pandemic.

Because if we do not hold accountable those in the Trump administration, and the Republican Party, who are responsible for the insurrection, and those (some of the same people) who dilly-dallied as the pandemic overwhelmed our hospitals and funeral homes, then the growing authoritarian movement will win in 2022 and 2024. If that happens, whither democracy?

Look at the Big Picture. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Prioritize, focus, concentrate

Build Back Better and tenets such as addressing climate change are not as important as rectifying what happened on January 6, along with getting the pandemic under control. The bullseye fixation should be on rapidly finishing up the work of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee and beating the coronavirus. Those are the things that really matter right now.

Why do I say the coup attempt and the virus are intertwined? Because lies about the virus – and conservatives’ glad acceptance of those lies – paved the way for lies about a (not) stolen election to ferment and take hold, leading to the insurrection.

The perpetrators, starting with Trump all the way down to the hoodlums who did the dirty work of trashing the U.S. Capitol, must be imprisoned. Severe punishment is the only way, not the slap on the wrist too many of them are receiving. If treasonous fake patriots get away with their blatant attempt to destroy American democracy then Build Back Better will be dead, along with reestablishing voting rights in the growing number of states hellbent on taking away your right to cast a ballot.

What happens if MAGA GOPers win in 2022? Restoring a woman’s right to choose…gone. Resurrect voting rights…forget about it. Combat climate change…not happening. Negotiate sensible reductions in the global nuclear arsenal…doubtful.

(Have you forgotten the perverse glee the Trump administration displayed, with full support from Republicans at the federal, state, and local level, when Trump reversed much of what the Obama administration accomplished?)

One year ago the U.S. Capitol Building was under attack. Will those responsible ever be held accountable? (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Slow arm of justice

Trump has committed numerous, obvious crimes yet is still a free man. He has not even been charged, never mind prosecuted. If pressuring Georgia’s top election official to “find” 11,780 votes to change the election result is not a crime, what is? It’s on audio tape! We first heard the audio of this phone call one year ago. Why the delay in prosecuting Trump for his part in a conspiracy to commit election fraud?

In February 2019, Michael Cohen testified before the House Oversight Committee, telling the world that Trump wildly inflates the value of his real estate properties to secure financing. Then Trump turns around and wildly deflates the value to avoid paying taxes. That is tax fraud. A crime. The documentation is all there.

What is New York State Attorney General Letitia James waiting for? This week, as part of a civil probe, James sent subpoenas to Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Don Jr. That’s nice but you’ve been at this for two years! How about criminally indicting and prosecuting them?

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., said to be sharing information with AG James, slow-walked his criminal probe of the Trump Organization. On January 1, Vance handed the investigation to his successor, Alvin Bragg Jr. Hopefully, Bragg will prosecute Trump, post haste.

Meanwhile, Biden’s choice for U.S. attorney general, Merrick Garland, so far has turned out to be a lollygagging disappointment. When Biden tapped Republican Garland to be U.S. attorney general there was, among Democrats, widespread support. It was a “take that” moment, following Mitch McConnell’s refusal to hold hearings when President Barack Obama nominated Garland for the Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, Garland has shown as much interest in prosecuting those who conspired to pull off the January 6 riot as “Bull Durham” players showed for hustling (“you lollygag the ball around the infield, you lollygag your way down to first, you lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Lollygaggers!”).

Garland’s declination to get tough on insurrectionists is reminiscent of Nancy Pelosi’s dilly-dallying regarding impeaching Trump. In his speech yesterday, Garland claimed tough sentences are being handed down. I disagree.

The QAnon Shaman received 3 1/2 years. He should have gotten 15 years. The Texas real estate agent who bragged she’d never go to prison received two months. She should have gotten five years. Five years should be the minimum sentence if you entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, even if you just roamed the halls for five minutes without doing any damage. These people illegally entered the Capitol Building intent on overthrowing our government. Wrist-slapping is not commensurate with the crime.

The Trump Klan and Stop the Steal conspiracists and Jan. 6 insurrectionists should spend many, many moons locked up in prison. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

In hindsight, Biden’s attorney general should have an attack mentality, like Kamala Harris. Harris, a snoozer as vice president, has the force-of-nature temperament to aggressively prosecute criminals. Biden needs a Democrat version of Bill Barr, sans the unconstitutional, crooked behavior.

This moment calls for fierce, dogged pursuit of Trump and his henchmen. Instead, the Jan. 6 Committee and the Department of Justice slow-poke like sophisticated, elderly ladies leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.

Jan. 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) sometimes exhibits the same wobbly mannerisms as Biden and Pelosi. His slow-motion cadence does not elicit confidence that he is the right person for the job. Thompson’s committee is too nice, offering suspected criminals unwarranted latitude by politely asking for testimony rather than going straight to subpoenas. The committee takes days to contemplate contempt charges instead of immediately laying down the hammer.

For example, this week the committee requested that Sean Hannity make an appearance. Why extend polite niceties to a lying jerk? Just send him a subpoena with a note that says contempt charges will be filed the moment he declines to appear. At this rate, will the committee even send criminal referrals to the DOJ, and will the DOJ act in time?

There is an election in November 2022. Thompson recently said there will be public hearings featuring Watergate-style testimony during the first half of 2022. Maybe that timing will bear fruit, revealing the truth about January 6, as voter’s eye Election Day. We shall see.

Just remember this: If Democrats and the DOJ permit the organizers, who conspired with the on-site thugs, to get away with attempting to overthrow the U.S. government who will stop them from stealing the 2022 and 2024 elections? Who will prevent Republicans from not counting your vote - if you are allowed to vote? Who will block the assault on women’s rights? Who will stand up to protect the planet from the ravages of climate change?

My favorite politician, Georgia’s Stacey Abrams, plainly says the filibuster must be removed so the Senate becomes a functioning body that can save American democracy. That’s correct but Chuck Schumer…lollygags.

World War III

The world is at war with the coronavirus. So said the Trump administration. At the onset of the pandemic, with “generals” at the helm like hapless former-Vice President Mike Pence, unqualified former-U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and the incompetent Dr. Deborah Birx, we got our butts kicked.

The Trump/Pence coronavirus task force legacy is cemented with 835,000 dead Americans (as democracy peers into the drain). For perspective, during World War I and World War II combined there were 522,000 American dead.

President Biden needs to focus, focus, focus. First point, focus on sending to prison those responsible for January 6, which is connected to the second point; focus on ending the pandemic. The third point is to focus on clearly communicating the first two points.

That’s enough to keep the president busy right now. Walk. Hell, run! But don’t chew gum.

After democracy is saved and we are safe from the virus Biden can Build Back Better, perhaps in 2023 or during a second term.