| As Democrats in Congress start looking for $2 trillion (and probably more) to cut from their struggling reconciliation package, Post columnist Catherine Rampell has a piece of smart advice: Don't try to do everything. "There are a lot of admirable ideas in the Democrats' agenda," she writes. "In a world with unlimited resources (or, at least, more pliable senators from West Virginia and Arizona), they might all be worth doing. But given the constraints, Democrats should prioritize the several policies that represent investments in the future." She instead suggests prioritizing children over seniors and favors a carbon tax to combat climate change. She urges the Democrats to give up their dreams of expanding Medicare and repealing the cap on state and local tax deductions — two items in the reconciliation package that would benefit the affluent. Catherine concludes: "Many times Biden has said, 'Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value.' His party has tried to wriggle out of the moral implications of that statement by pretending its budget can accommodate every desirable program. Now Democrats must prove what they actually value most."  (Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) A grab-bag of partly funded programs is harder to coherently "message" to voters than a few clear top-line takeaways. By Catherine Rampell ● Read more » | | | | Very soon, Republicans may face an incredibly stark choice. By Greg Sargent ● Read more » | | | | Ultimately, Democrats' biggest problem is the fact that they have extremely narrow margins in Congress. By Perry Bacon Jr. ● Read more » | | | Is your child trying on new pronouns for size? Here's a guide. By Tracy Moore ● Read more » | | | | Nearly two years after its evisceration in a Justice Department inspector general's report, a flimsy piece of opposition research still gets some props. By Erik Wemple ● Read more » | | | As long as the social media giant makes money off garbage, it's going to be part of the problems it decries. By Eugene Robinson ● Read more » | | | | The Supreme Court starts a new term, and the 6-3 conservative majority is unleashed. By Paul Waldman ● Read more » | | | | Progressives are seeking national correctives to state excesses. But minority influence needs protecting, too. By Michael Gerson ● Read more » | | | | Alarm bells should be ringing in every Democratic campaign office. By Henry Olsen ● Read more » | | | |
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