it was hard this time so we didn't but we'll try harder next time

I don't mean to be the contrairentarian, but it's even funnier (funny in the same way it's used in the beginning of the song Mad World) because the Parliamentarian did something else to undermine his argument. They were the scapegoat for making the economic bill in COVID (another hehexd moment) shittier. Abortion slipping through during Biden's watch just happened anyway. Trump probably would have passed the same neutered efforts to sure up necessary infrastructure against increasing climate related effects. Either way the US is going hard AF trying to dominate energy.

The economics are devestatingly bad, the domestic policy is barbaric, and the foreign policy is so bad WW3 probably doesn't happen because the US crumbles before something mobilizes, but it doesn't stop the US from putting its whole soul into reenacting all the shit that made people want to stop Hitler.

I'd argue that they're extremely good at the kind politics they're paid to be good at.

They are good at politics, the problem is that their politics are being good cop to Republican bad cop.