Political Round-Up with Dr. Bart Rossi

Political round-up with Dr. Bart Rossi this week of August 13, 2021. Political psychologist Dr. Bart Rossi, Ph.D. on Florida ABC affiliate Wink News.

AFGHANISTAN

As we land on the infamous Friday the 13th, we take a look at the headlines in news. Among those is Afganistan. The war in Afganistan was ignited by the Al Queda 9/11 attack in New York, and then-president George W. Bush launched attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001. Despite ousting the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, they remained a determined opposition force, and by 2018 controlled almost 2/3 of the country.

The Obama administration made finding Al Queda leader Osama Bin Laden a top priority. On May 11, 2011, it was announced that U.S military forces, with assistance from the C.I.A., had killed Bin Laden in a late-night raid in Pakistan.

However, with little progress fighting the Taliban through three presidencies, in February 2020 President Trump announced his plans to withdraw all troops from Afganistan within 14 months.

When Joe Biden took office he was faced with a full withdrawal plan set for May 2021, previously negotiated by the Trump Administration with the Taliban, and the Afghani Government. Mitch McConnell was a loud voice in opposition. In an article from the BBC, they noted:

Speaking on the floor of the upper chamber on Monday, the Kentucky senator said: “

We’re playing a limited – limited – but important role in defending American national security and American interests against terrorists who would like nothing more than for the most powerful force for good in the world to simply pick up our ball and go home. They would love that.”

A U.S. Today article opined that ”

‘Any way you cut it, we are headed for a messy outcome’

INFRASTRUCTURE

Dr. Bart Rossi discusses, who wins on infrastructure. There hasn’t been much debate by the GOP and Democrats about the need for an infrastructure bill. The debate has been about what to include, how much to spend, and how to pay for it. Still, The Biden administration seems on the cusp of passing a monumental bipartisan $1 trillion dollar deal despite Trump and others urging the Senate to vote NO.

However, the bipartisan deal has to pass the House Of Representatives. And the Speaker has said, repeatedly, that she will not bring it up for a vote until the larger $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill passes the senate first.

 

COVID-19 

Well past a year since the initial outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. is still divided on how to deal with it, as the Delta variant has surged among a large portion of the unvaccinated. And while the Delta variant is now killing children, certain GOP lawmakers and Governors continue to resist any mandates to protect kids going back to school. Parent too has been stoked into opposing any mask mandates. The argument they make is that the government is attempting to subvert their freedom.  But how does a right of freedom hold up against causing imminent harm to others?

Stay tuned for upcoming commentaries on the resignation of Gov Andrew Cuomo, COVID-19 booster vaccines, and more. 

Political Round-Up with Dr. Bart Rossi

In this episode, Dr. Rossi discusses the above-aforementioned topics. What is the psychological impact of withdrawing from Afghanistan, for America and the Afghanis? Who gets credit for the bipartisan infrastructure bill? And how do we as a society contain a deadly disease?

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