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**SEPTEMBER 29, 2021**

Kuttner on TAP

Get a Grip: There Will Be a Budget Resolution

One. There has never not been a budget. These partisan games go on, and
on, and on, but in the end there is always a budget.

Two. The U.S. will not default on its debt (see Item One).

Three. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is not the problem. Josh
Gottheimer's gang of ten corporate Democrats in the House plus Joe
Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema in the Senate are the problem. Biden's own
program is almost indistinguishable from that of the House
progressives-they are the Biden loyalists.

Four. If anything is more important than a big bottom line for Build
Back Better, it is voting rights. It's worth sacrificing some public
investment now and coming back for more later, if we can get Manchin to
support one-time filibuster suspension to pass the voting rights bill of
which he is now a lead sponsor. Joe-your name is on the damned bill!

Five. Even a public-investment budget of $2 trillion over eight years is
well worth doing, because there is also over a trillion dollars of
spending disguised as "middle-class tax cuts" such as the Child Tax
Credit, an expanded EITC, and a refundable credit for child care.

Six. Biden needs a win, even with a reduced bottom line, so that the
media echo chamber will stop writing about his "failed presidency." The
lazy, copycat media is always looking for a new morning line. Here's
one: Good old Joe pulled it out. We always knew he would. (Sheee-it.)

Seven. Want to feel a lot better? Have a look at this comprehensive
report on election trends

from Pew. The electorate is unmistakably trending Democratic, especially
younger voters. That's why Republicans want a dictatorship-and why
we need to be sure there will be a real election.

Eight. Enough defeatism! We can do this.

~ ROBERT KUTTNER

Follow Robert Kuttner on Twitter

Robert Kuttner's latest book is
The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy
.

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The Oil Merchant in the Gray Flannel Suit

Why aren't insurance companies aggressively fighting climate change,
and minimizing catastrophes? Look at their balance sheets. BY
ALEXANDER SAMMON

Bernie Sanders to House Progressives: Hold Strong or the Senate Will
Tank Biden's Agenda

Dozens of Progressive Caucus members remain steadfastly opposed to a
bipartisan infrastructure bill without being paired with a more
expansive reconciliation package. BY JULIA ROCK & RYAN GRIM

Wall Street's Attacks on Biden Nominee Are a Red Herring

Industry criticism of OCC pick Saule Omarova for wanting to end private
banking masks their real fear of losing their derivatives businesses. BY
DAVID DAYEN & LEE HARRIS

How to Vaccinate the World

There's a lot more the Biden administration can do to stop the
pandemic-like no more kowtowing to pharma. BY TIMI IWAYEMI & FATOU
NDIAYE

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