When I talked with Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Pete DeFazio recently about the fate of mass transit in the stimulus bill, one sentiment came through loud and clear. Nadler put it more subtly: “There are some people in the administration who are not enamored of infrastructure,” he said.
Hmmm, could these unnamed infrastructure foes have a name that rhymes with Marry Plummers? DeFazio was less shy about his discomfort with the centrist brand of economics espoused by some Clinton vets in the new administration.
DeFazio deemed it “very unfortunate” that former Clinton economic adviser Larry Summers has claimed a similar hold on Obama’s ear. “Harvard had it right,” the progressive Democrat quipped — referring to the Ivy League university’s jettisoning of Summers from its presidency in the wake of a scandal over his remarks on women’s intellectual abilities.