I recently sat down with Ben Weyl of POLITICO Magazine to give my take on what Congressional Democrats are in for as they seek to pass a(nother) multi-trillion dollar reconciliation package, and, somewhat cheekily, my advice for how they can pull it off. The billing:
In a wide-ranging conversation, Republican lobbyist Liam Donovan offers Democrats some friendly advice on how to avoid screwing up Biden’s agenda.
Here’s a taste:
Professionally, Liam Donovan is a lobbyist and former GOP political operative. But he’s also known as a keen, clear-eyed analyst of legislative maneuvering on Twitter (@lpdonovan), and he’s got some friendly advice for Democrats, if they’re willing to listen.
“The key for these guys is don’t lose the plot. You have to fight your battles with the proper perspective. You have to go in knowing that you’re not going to get all of what you want. There’s going to be a half loaf involved,” he says.
“Don’t put yourself in a position where you can’t save face at the end of the day, because that’s what the bottom line is. Everybody has to save face,” Donovan adds. “Give yourselves off-ramps, give yourselves opportunities to take the win. And I think it’s ridiculous coming from a Republican lobbyist, but I think that’s how you get it done.”
Read the full piece here, including “seven takeaways from our conversation on how Democrats got to this point and what they need to do next.”