There's a fire? What fire?

Otto von Bismarck noted that "politics is the art of the possible, the attainable." No one seems to have let our politicians in on that piece of wisdom. Senator Mitch McConnell is intent on making almost anything unattainable except for making Joe Biden "a half-term president." The response from the often-prickly president and his fractious party? Silence. Which leads to the obvious question: Just what does this administration plan to attain and when?

Urgency missing

After the burst of activity during Biden's first weeks, with the progressive agenda he presented—and the activist appointees he named—most of us expected a "pedal to the metal" approach to governing. To be fair, the American Rescue Plan was a demonstration of what can be attained. The organized and coordinated efforts to vaccinate the public and otherwise address COVID-19 showed what an effective federal government can do. Each achievement was significant and deserves more recognition and praise. But, especially in the face of McConnell's defiant challenge, you would have thought the Democrats would be galvanized into action. Instead, there does not appear to be any sense of urgency at all.