Every few weeks, I've been calling up Slate's Jordan Weissman to check in on Congress,

specifically whether Congress is planning to vote on additional coronavirus stimulus anytime soon.

His answer was usually no.

In September, Jordan said the economy was bumping along just well enough to squelch any motivation for a deal. In October, the president seemed ready to make stimulus happen, but Congress couldn't agree on what it should look like. Now it's December. We've got a stimulus deal.

But is anyone happy with what we got here?

I think Democrats are relieved.

Different than happy.

I don't know if anyone's like, you know, no one's popping champagne corks.

It's a B plus work, right?

Like, I mean, and, you know, I hate being one of those journalists being like, Congress

didn't do a great job because like Congress isn't really one, you know, isn't a person, right?

Like, you can't yell at Congress.

Like, it's different competing interests.

In this case, all these competing interests meant everybody got a little something,

and everybody lost a little something, too. The lesson for me, looking at what's happened over

the last six months, is that it's got to get really bad for everyone to come together and actually agree on something in this political environment, like really bad.

I think that's actually almost too optimistic of a read of what's taking place here.

I think there's just sort of a sense of realism now that this could be their last best shot

to get a lot of relief money before Joe Biden is president. Mitch McConnell might not pass

something after this. So you kind of have to take what you can get right now.

Today on the show, is this stimulus plan a congressional Christmas gift or more like a white elephant?

I'm Mary Harris. You're listening to What Next? Stick with us.

...