No Climate, No Deal: For Real?

The three questions Democrats are asking themselves these days are:

· Can we afford not to pass an infrastructure/climate bill before the end of the year?

· Can we do it on our own, i.e., without Republican votes?

· Will Senators Manchin (D-WV) and Sinema (D-AZ) agree to vote for a reconciliation bill that includes many of the climate and family provisions in the American Jobs Plan?

For readers in a hurry, the answers in order are no, possibly, and that’s a really good question.

For readers with a bit more time, allow me to elaborate.

Can the Democrats afford not to pass an infrastructure/climate bill before the end of the year?

The running joke in Capital City for the past four and a half years is that every week is infrastructure week. It’s agreed by both Republicans and Democrats that US infrastructure is in woeful condition.

The World Economic Forum ranks US infrastructure 13th overall in the world behind Singapore (1) and countries like South Korea (6), Germany (8), France (9), and the United Kingdom (11). The Forum lists the US as 24th in the transition to renewable energy.

Biden ran as the “Build Back Better” candidate — a phrase picked up by most Democratic candidates running in…