First up? Mayor Pete, er, I mean, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was asked, re: the current supply chain issues, if "Americans need to prepare ourselves for it to get worse before it gets better?" He said that "a lot of" the challenges from this year "will continue into next year," but said that it's not just supply issues, it's demand issues, too.
Demand is off the charts. Retail sales are through the roof. And if you think about those images of ships, for example, waiting at anchor on the West Coast, you know, every one of those ships is full of record amounts of goods that Americans are buying, because demand is up, because income is up, because the president has successfully guided this economy out of the teeth of a terrifying recession.
The ports are handling record volume, he added, but the supply chain - mostly private business interests - can't keep up. He said the administration's role now is "to be an honest broker," and bring everyone together, get commitments and "get solutions that are going to make it easier."
Tapper asked if President Biden would consider lifting the Trump-era tariffs on China, saying it's not a panacea but it would help alleviate some of the supply-side pressures. Secretary Pete said that "every idea is being taken seriously," but the focus now is on the operations side of things, including getting commitments to keep the ports of L.A. and Long Beach open 24/7.
But, he acknowledged, that's only a part of what's needed. We also have to get the containers out of the port, onto trucks, and off to where we need them. He said the Transportation Department is working with states on getting CDL licenses issued faster, "so we can get more qualified, safe truckers on the road." Passing the infrastructure bill would help, too.
Tapper pointed to the delay on that, and wondered if Buttigieg was "frustrated" by the delay, and if the progressives erred demanding the human infrastructure bill needed to be passed first. He said "the reality is" we need both bills,
not only to make sure that we have the right kind of infrastructure, but to make sure that life gets better in this country for people trying to raise children and for people trying to participate in the work force.
And on whether it would make sense for Americans to do their holiday shopping early, or if that would make things worse, Buttigieg was rah-rah about things - including that the holidays will be better this year than last.
... a year ago, millions of Americans were sliding into poverty who now have jobs. And a year ago, a lot of us were gathering with loved ones over a screen. It's going to be different this year because of the president's leadership, because of being able to get more and more Americans vaccinated and make that available free to every American.
Finally, on the exceedingly rude comments made by Tucker Carlson about Buttigieg taking paternity leave, he said he wasn't apologizing to Carlson (or anyone else), and that all Americans deserve the same opportunity. He also said it was unnecessary to name an acting secretary while he was on leave, in part because he was available to them the whole time.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger was next. As one of the two Rs on the House January 6th committee, he's a guy everyone loves to hate, right?
Near the top of the interview, Tapper asked if Biden saying he thinks the DOJ should prosecute Steve Bannon for not complying with the committee's subpoena makes it harder for the group to do their jobs. Kinzinger said he thought Biden's comment was appropriate.
I think the president has every right to signal. I think he has every right to make it clear where the administration stands. I mean, God knows the prior administration, every two hours, was trying to signal to the Justice Department.
He also thought "the vast majority of Americans" agree with Biden on this, and noted "it is the first shot over the bow."
It's very real, but it says to anybody else coming in front of the committee, don't think that you're going to be able to just kind of walk away and we're going to forget about you. We're not.
And, Tapper also asked about the committee not ruling out subpoenaing Former Guy, and questioned if they can "do a thorough investigation" without doing that. Kinzinger admitted he wasn't sure, but said that they "really want to do is make sure we're getting every piece of this puzzle." That will come from folks who've already been before the committee, or from those who might be subpoenaed in the future "whose name you probably have never heard of, who have very good incentives to come in and talk," and it also could mean subpoenaing Trump.
He also said if they "all of the sudden" subpoena Former Guy, everyone knows what a mess that'll be - "kind of a circus" were his words - but he said if Trump has information the committee needs, they'll do it. He also clarified for Tapper, and for everyone sitting in a booth in a corner in the dark in the back, what this is really about.
This isn't about necessarily even getting answers for tomorrow and hoping that the people that believe the insurrection was really some Antifa false flag thing are going to believe it. When I think about what we're doing on the committee, I think in terms of, yes, I hope we can change minds tomorrow, after we get the report, basically, sometime in the future, but this is about the 10-year argument. What are our kids going to think when they read the history books? Who's going to win that argument? And I have always believed since I have been a kid in Sunday school that truth needs to win out.
Honing in on Kinzinger's opposition to the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, Tapper wondered first, why he opposed the bill, and second, if there was "a bipartisan effort that you and other Republicans could get behind that could actually protect the rights of voters" AND make it to Biden's desk.
I certainly hope there is. I think there is. I think there's been discussions in the Senate, from last I have heard. Look, you can call a bill the Voting Rights Act, and then left-wing Twitter goes nuts about this, by the way, and they can say, you voted against voting rights, without even looking to the details of this.
And buried in those details? Re-implementing the policy that the DOJ must 'pre-clear' changes to voting laws in certain states. Kinzinger said that policy was intended to be temporary when it was implemented back in the 60s, but it lasted until the Supremes tossed in back in 2013.
We can't keep pretending like it's 1965. And so, for the last eight years, we have not had that provision in. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would, simply put -- to reimplement that provision to have again the Justice Department make any approval to any changes. By the way, that would have been the Trump Justice Department and anything like that.
Many people believe that the Supremes made a very bad decision when they tossed that out, and that history hasn't changed all that much in some places, and that the decision opened the door for some of the changes being made now at the state level. He went on to say
So, yes, we can get to a solution. The problem is -- I admonish my side all the time about playing politics. The Democrats have to quit playing politics on some of this too. You can call it the For the People's Act, which was the other one. And, really, what that is public funding for campaigns, among other a whole host of things. If we actually went into this as adults with real discussions, I think we can solve stuff. But, instead, we just wait for these Twitter comments of "Adam voted against whatever". And then I can put a bill out there, the God and Puppies Act and see people vote against that, and say they're against God and puppies.
I can't disagree with him on that last part - because that's exactly what happens. I wish he spoke at least a little about the positives in the bill, and that he had complained about the non-voting-related provisions it includes, which is what I did a while back, instead of just focusing on the pre-clearance issue. Sigh.
See you around campus. Unless, of course, you're any of the folks involved in this childish, dangerous behavior, or you're Tucker Carlson or one of his fans, in which case there's no need for you to come back to class.
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