Never Satisfied

 Reading some of the online comments from my more-liberal friends, following passage of the $1.9 trillion recovery package and President Biden's speech last night, I have come to the conclusion that some of them will never be satisfied by any practical accomplishment.

I have seen remarks such as "If Bernie were president, that bill would have included a minimum wage hike, universal basic income, student debt forgiveness, police defunding...." and for all I know "peace in our time". Of course, the problem is, no matter who the president might have been, none of that would have gotten through the House, let alone the Senate. Not even all Democrats support all those positions.

There's a line delivered by the Che character in Evita: "Politics, the art of the possible." It's one of the truest things in that play and movie. Every politician has to decide what he wants...and what it is possible to get. He has to remember that not even all the people who voted for him support all his proposals--many simply support most of his proposals, or more of his proposals than those of his opponent. And if he insists on getting everything, he may (and probably will) wind up with nothing, which will disappoint all his supporters.

"Half a loaf is better than none." "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Those are also wise political thoughts. If you get the half loaf now and the public sees that it was a benefit to everyone, you can convince them to support the other half in the future. If you pass the "good" bill now and the public sees the benefits, you can pursue the perfect one later. Medicaid led to Medicare, which led to the ACA. Workers comp led to OSHA.

It's time for the far left in this country to realize that, no matter how much good their plans might do, they need to win first.