Michael Kinsley may no longer be at the forefront of American political commentary, but he is well remembered for coining the phrase “Kinsley gaffe,” which refers to when a politician tells a truth that they were supposed to never say out loud. We had a doozy of a Kinsley gaffe this past week from President Joe Biden, whose name was almost synonymous with “gaffe” as a senator, but who has been disciplined as the chief executive.
Biden, responding to press questions after signing off on a bipartisan infrastructure agreement reached with ten senators, explained that it was just one half of an agenda that also included a separate public-investment bill, the American Families Plan, which included spending on education, welfare benefits, the care economy, and more. Both halves would “move through the legislative process promptly and in tandem,” Biden said. He then added that if the two bills didn’t arrive at his desk, he wouldn’t move forward with just the bipartisan measure. “If this is the only thing that comes to me, I’m not signing it,” he concluded.
