The friendship between Biden and Dole, the former Senate Republican leader who recently revealed that he has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, was forged over the many years that the two men served together in the Senate. Biden often speaks with nostalgia about his working relationships with GOP leaders during that less polarizing time when negotiation was the rule rather than the exception. The Senate will also take up more of his nominees this week as he looks to fill out his Cabinet. He'll need GOP votes, for example, to get Office of Management and Budget director nominee Neera Tanden confirmed. In this first glimpse of Biden's presidential salesmanship, he has not been shy about calling out Republicans who are wary of supporting his American Rescue Plan, despite its popularity — urging them to offer their ideas for potential compromise.

Source: The Nation February 21, 2021 19:52 UTC