This morning, the front page of the Washington Post contends that “Biden poised for big wins in Congress.”
The supporting evidence for this surprising assertion is “the first major prescription drug legislation in nearly 20 years. More than $50 billion to subsidize computer chip manufacturing and research. A bill that would enshrine protection for same-sex marriage.”
Compared to recent months, and the seemingly endless merry-go-round that is the negotiations over Build Back Better, yes, the coming days and weeks look productive.
But what Washington Democrats – and for that matter, the national media – think is big and consequential legislation is not necessarily what the general public thinks is big and consequential legislation. Less than a week ago, Politico reported, “eight months after Congress cleared the landmark legislation to overhaul the nation’s roads, bridges, rails and broadband, only 24 percent of voters are aware it’s now a law, according to new polling by the center-left think tank Third Way and Impact Research that was shared first with POLITICO.”
More than $550 billion in new spending, a fairly bipartisan vote for passage in the Senate, a big signing ceremony, plenty of Biden speeches and trips outside Washington to tout it, lots of news coverage… and three-quarters of Americans didn’t even notice it!
You’re telling me that a giant bill giving money to the U.S. semiconductor industry is going to break through the noise of the news cycle? At least roads and bridges are the sorts of things that people see as they drive around their communities. Maybe the prescription drug bill or gay marriage bill will make bigger splashes. But these are side issues while the country struggles with runaway inflation, and the totally-not-a-recession-we-swear news about declining GDP.
By August 10, we’ll get new inflation numbers — reminding the country of the problem foremost in their minds. Eight months from now, will Americans be thinking about the semiconductor bill, or the gay marriage legislation, or the prescription drug bill? Chances are, those will be as well-remembered and widely-recognized as the infrastructure bill.