Washington Post: “A week and a half into the Biden presidency, Democrats are adopting a more muscular approach to dealing with Republicans, essentially declaring they will work with them if they can but are prepared move past them if they must. Top Senate Democrats are now working on dual tracks, planning to hold a speedy impeachment trial to avoid derailing President Biden’s legislative agenda while also laying the groundwork for Biden’s covid relief package to pass shortly afterward. The moves come after Biden launched his administration without Republicans in his Cabinet and started by issuing dozens of executive actions, a clip far more rapid than any of his recent predecessors. Taken together, the moves are energizing Democrats eager for the party to flex its political muscle. But the tougher approach could also jeopardize one of Biden’s chief goals: achieving more bipartisanship in a capital that has been gripped by polarization.”

“Many Democrats are concluding that Republicans are unlikely to work with them and that waiting for them to do so would be a mistake. Biden seems to be heeding that argument to some degree. ‘I have zero tolerance for delay and no interest in diminishing the rescue plan,’ said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), referring to Biden’s $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief package. ‘We need to use all of the tools and techniques that promote fast, fair, decisive action. We’re in a unique historical crisis.’ The two parties will still have numerous opportunities to work together, of course, on issues like infrastructure and foreign policy. But Biden, despite his longtime emphasis on bipartisanship as a principal campaign theme, is signaling that once he has asserted his willingness to work with the GOP, he will not delay his initiatives in hopes that will happen.”