I know your piece was not satire.

Your sweeping presumption that Biden will not run in ’24 is a leap; yes, he would be quite old, but I would say it hinges much more on the success of his first term. In that sense we agree that Democrats need to be focused on passing his agenda, but as I stated: a) it seems clear that they very much are, and b) they can do so while still holding Trump accountable. This bill is only the smallest piece of the latter.

It is far more presumptuous to believe that Trump can win (or will even run) given how badly he was beaten this past November, the legal woes that are about to come crashing down on his head, how widely he is disliked in the general population, and the legacy of his botched response to the pandemic and fomenting of a violent insurrection, a reckoning with which is only beginning to unfold. If Biden succeeds in stemming the pandemic and righting the course of the nation, Trump’s failures (and crimes) will be cast in an even harsher light.

I did not say that “there are no other Democratic candidates at present who could beat Trump who is the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate” — you did. I noted that Biden did so and could again, but that is not to say that there are not others. November 2024 is a long way off and the strength of the Democratic candidate, be it Joe or Kamala or someone else, is impossible to forecast, let alone definitively declare hopeless. Who, in 2015 thought Trump would arise and win? Who, as recently as the summer of 2020, when Bernie seemed poised to be the Democratic nominee, thought Joe would sweep to victory they way he did? The fact that Trump still commands a passionate minority cult creates an illusion about his political might going forward.

As to this bill being a total waste of time, you have made it clear that you feel that way. I respectfully disagree, and point you to my remarks re accountability. You can read more here:

https://edwardsrobt.medium.com/crime-and-punishment-5d5be58f152d