How Mitch learned to stop worrying and love a bill

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2021

⏱️ ? minutes

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Summary

What’s behind Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans embracing a big Biden agenda item? Infrastructure. Plus, a delightful story about a man, his hobby and his dog.

The big bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed the Senate this week is being hailed as a moment of unity, with politicians from both sides of the aisle finding common ground in building roads, repairing bridges and expanding broadband technology. But the reality is a bit more complicated. Mike DeBonis reports on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s thinking behind his support of President Biden’s agenda item.

Along with being The Post’s art and architecture critic, Philip Kennicott is also an avid piano player. The thing is, his dog hates it when he plays piano, particularly Bach’s Goldberg Variations. He tries to solve the mystery of why.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, I never felt that we ought to be perceived as being opposed to everything.
0:12.2	Mitch McConnell is one of the 19 Republican senators who voted with Democrats on the
0:16.9	massive infrastructure bill.
0:19.3	People are calling it a political miracle, but the reality is a little bit more complicated.
0:25.1	From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports.
0:28.2	I'm Martin Powers.
0:30.2	It's Wednesday, August 11th.
0:33.4	Later in the show, we are going to hear a story about a dog who has a problem.
0:37.7	I can think of absolutely no imperfections in this dog, but there is one thing that he
0:42.3	does that has made my life really, really complicated.
0:46.0	And that is that he hates me.
0:48.2	But first, on Tuesday afternoon, the Senate passed a $1 trillion infrastructure package,
0:53.5	with votes from 50 Democrats and 19 Republicans.
1:02.3	On this vote, the A's are 69, the A's are 30, the bill as amended is passed.
1:10.4	So we saw something that I will say a lot of reporters, a lot of politicians up here,
1:16.5	a lot of staff thought never would be done.
1:20.5	That's Mike DeBonus.
1:21.5	He covers Congress for the post.
1:22.9	Which is to see a bipartisan, multi-hundred billions of dollar infrastructure bill pass
1:31.2	the United States Senate on a bipartisan vote.
1:34.7	This bill is being hailed as a moment of unity for the Senate.
1:39.0	Finally, politicians are finding common ground in building roads and repairing bridges and
	...

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