By the time you read these comments, Joseph Biden will have been inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States and a political coup based on President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ claim the election was “stolen” will have failed. This second scenario was not very likely to succeed, but there are real problems that this reflects: (1) the endless attack on the election process—while never the most representative and certainly, given Republican efforts at voter suppression, biased—is a serious assault on what passes for Democracy in the world’s biggest capitalist economy; and (2) it portends a very disruptive 4 years for the Biden presidency as once again Senator McConnell and the Senate Republicans will likely stonewall all legislative efforts at passing any meaningful (albeit limited) progressive programs dealing with the challenges facing this country. At this point we have already seen the pernicious nature of the Senate as they fuss over providing immunity for companies that force workers to come to work during the pandemic and refuses to consider aid to local governments at all levels. At best any program put forward proposes inadequate assistance to workers and their families and even suggest there be cuts to the meager benefits essential to survive.

中文翻译：

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导航新十年

到您阅读这些评论时，约瑟夫·拜登将就任美国第46任总统，基于特朗普总统和国会共和党人声称选举“被盗”的政变将失败。第二种情况不太可能成功，但这反映了一些实际问题：（1）对选举过程的无休止的攻击是严重的，尽管从来没有最具代表性，但鉴于共和党压制选民的努力，这肯定是有偏见的攻击世界上最大的资本主义经济对民主的影响；（2）它预示着拜登总统的任职将是一个极具破坏性的四年，因为麦康奈尔参议员和参议院共和党人将很可能阻碍一切立法努力，以通过任何有意义的（尽管有限的）渐进式计划来应对这个国家所面临的挑战。在这一点上，我们已经看到参议院的有害性质，因为他们在为在大流行期间迫使工人上班而拒绝考虑向各级地方政府提供援助的公司提供豁免权而大惊小怪。提出的任何计划最多都没有建议对工人及其家庭提供足够的援助，甚至建议削减对生存至关重要的微薄福利。在这一点上，我们已经看到参议院的有害性质，因为他们在为在大流行期间迫使工人上班而拒绝考虑向各级地方政府提供援助的公司提供豁免权而大惊小怪。提出的任何计划最多都没有建议对工人及其家庭提供足够的援助，甚至建议削减对生存至关重要的微薄福利。在这一点上，我们已经看到参议院的有害性质，因为他们在为在大流行期间迫使工人上班而拒绝考虑向各级地方政府提供援助的公司提供豁免权而大惊小怪。提出的任何计划最多都没有建议对工人及其家庭提供足够的援助，甚至建议削减对生存至关重要的微薄福利。