Why is there so little public debate about the substance of Biden's economic plan?

Even apart from economic policy, the relative absence of structured debate is striking. Texas’s recent legislation restricting abortion may lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and sets up a highly controversial system of private bounties for enforcement. It has certainly attracted widespread attention. Still, as recently as a few years ago I would have expected this story to dominate the news every day for months. In my rather obsessive media diet, it is simply one story of many.

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What should we make of all of this?

One possibility is that the substantive conversations are occurring on private channels, such as WhatsApp, or in person. This leaves the public sphere a relatively empty shell. Another possibility, more depressing yet, is that the main debate is now about political power and tactics, rather than policy per se. Squabbles over symbols are more common than disagreements over substance, and the influence of various interest groups matters more than the strength of any argument.

My evidence for all this may be only anecdotal. But I fear it heralds broader and very negative political trends. Is America now more a polity of force than a republic of ideas?

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