WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, we wrote about how California’s likely recall illuminated progressive governance in the Golden State.
And today, we turn our attention to how power cuts in Texas started a debate about conservative governance in the Lone Star State.
It turns out that most Texans are on a completely different power grid than the rest of the country, and it is on purpose – to avoid federal regulation.
And by the way, this philosophy of evading regulation is still strong in the state’s Republican Party today. Former Texas governor (and energy secretary!) Rick Perry said “Texans would be without electricity for more than three days to keep the federal government out of their business.”
“Texas’s deregulation philosophy has made them put far less stringent rules on generators and system operators to be prepared for cold climates than other systems, where extreme cold is more common,” an energy expert told Kevin Collier from NBC.
Yes, this was a “perfect storm” weather event. Yes, there is a lot of guilt for everyone. Yes – as with the pandemic – there are nuanced policy debates about what problems to fix and how.
But none of that changes that fact: it wouldn’t be happening without choosing the state’s decades-old energy policy to focus on cost over reliability – and to avoid federal oversight by setting its own rules.
Governor Greg Abbott (who is on a cycle, don’t forget) and his GOP predecessors will have to answer for that choice.
And – it doesn’t matter where else does he try to place the blame – this small government philosophy will be a big part of what is in the polls after this storm.
Data download: the numbers you need to know today
2.7 years: The drop in life expectancy for black Americans during the first half of 2020, according to a new government study. (It was a 1.9 year drop for Latinos and 0.8 year for whites.)
Almost 12 million: The number of Texans facing water problems in the midst of the winter storm and the blackout.
27,948,973: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, according to the latest data from NBC News and health officials. (There are 68,968 more than yesterday morning.)
492,592: The number of virus deaths in the United States so far, according to the latest data from NBC News. (There are 2,416 more than yesterday morning.)
63,398: The number of people currently hospitalized with coronavirus in the United States.
338.6 million: The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.
56,281,827: Number of vaccine doses administered in the USA
15,471,536: Fully vaccinated people in the USA
70: The number of days left for Biden to reach his 100-day vaccination goal.
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Chat policy with Benjy
Biden’s public option? Remember Democratic primaries, when presidential candidates spent 11 debates discussing whether to get Medicare for All or a public option?
It was somewhat overshadowed by the following year of national turmoil, but with Democrats back in power in the middle of a pandemic, a bill could be passed in a few months. This means that there will be a high-risk struggle to define what exactly the Democrats’ position on a public option means.
On Wednesday, Senators Michael Bennet, D-Col. and Tim Kaine, D-Va. have launched an impulse to enact their version of a public option, which they call “Medicare X”. Compared to other Democratic public option proposals, it is a modest reform: the new “Medicare X” option would only be available to people who obtained insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
Kaine and Bennet have presented similar bills in the past, but this time they are aggressively trying to market them as the right choice for President Biden to endorse and sign as soon as possible.
Kaine and Bennet deliberately adjusted their legislation to more closely match Biden’s campaign proposal, which called for a public option, but also increased subsidies for ACA plans and limited premiums for those who earned the most by 8.5 percent of revenue (a two-year increase is soon to come Covid-19 Account). They have also started talking to potential undecided votes, like Sens. Joe Manchin, DW. Va. And Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., And potential critics of the left, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. And they structured their plan to be able to go through reconciliation, making it a ready option for the next big bill after Covid-19 cleared.
It is worth keeping an eye on the reception “Medicare X” has. Can progressive lawmakers gather support for an alternative that is more comprehensive in a 50-50 Senate? Will conservatives, who have focused almost exclusively on attacking Medicare for All, be able to pose a convincing challenge to a smaller public option? And how will moderates react if hospitals and doctors object to a public plan that pays them less than private insurance?
Here comes the immigration law
The White House is releasing details of its immigration plan this morning, and the full plan will be presented to the House today and the Senate when it returns from recess.
Here are the highlights:
- An eight-year path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants
- Undocumented immigrants will be able to maintain temporary status for five years and can apply for a Green Card
- DREAMers with temporary status from January 1, 2017 will be able to receive a Green Card without waiting
- Repeals the three-and-10-year unlawful presence penalty, which prohibits undocumented immigrants from returning to the United States for a period of three to 10 years
- Gives DHS the authority to regulate the number of employment Green Cards based on “macroeconomic conditions”
The immigration plan adds an additional proposal to the Biden administration’s long list of tasks for Congress. Congress is planning to transfer Biden’s Covid-19 aid package before the second week of March.
ICYMI: What else is happening in the world
A US attorney and the FBI began an investigation into how the Cuomo administration handled data on Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes.
What is the schedule for Covid-19’s $ 1.9 trillion relief account? (And what are the impending struggles over a second spending measure?)
On March 11, Biden will mark the one-year anniversary of the country’s initial coronavirus blockade.
Here are the latest news about the immigration bill that Biden is supporting – and what activists and some skeptics are saying about it.
GameStop is back in the spotlight today.
It’s not just David Perdue – Doug Collins may be looking for a return to Georgia as well.