Background Briefing: August 8, 2021

On By gram

 

Our Broken Senate’s Pyrrhic Victory Today

We begin with the Senate back in session on Sunday after overcoming the filibuster threshold handily, with amendments being debated and pressure on Republicans from McConnell not to pass what he calls a far-left socialist bill while Trump threatens not to endorse “foolish” senators who vote for the bill. Joining us is Alex Pareene, a contributing editor at The New Republic who has covered politics and the senate since 2004 and we discuss his article at  The New York Times “A Pyrrhic Victory in a Broken Senate.” With immigration reform, healthcare reform, a serious climate bill, the PRO Act and the For The People Act stalled while the Senate calendar is eaten up by the bi-partisan infrastructure bill which Alex argues will be a pyrrhic victory assuming it passes then will be taken up by the House in September, we assess whether Biden should have stuck with the budget reconciliation process requiring 51 votes instead of wasting time searching for 60 votes.

 

The For The People Act Should Be the Democrat’s Top Priority

Then we follow up on how the For The People Act should be the top priority for the Democrats and speak with one of the leading experts in campaign finance and government transparency and accountability Fred Wertheimer, the Founder and President of Democracy 21. He joins us to discuss his article at CNN, “How to loosen the hold rich people have on our elections” and another article at The Hill, “No Senate Recess Until Voting Rights Protected.”

 

Hong Kong’s Fate As 10,000 Are Arrested

Then finally we speak with Samuel Chu, the founding and managing director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council about the Biden Administration’s visa extensions for 18 months offering a “safe haven” for Hong Kong residents in the U.S. We discuss the fate of Hong Kong’s residents who grew up free and now are under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party which has already arrested 10,000 under the new national security law.