Punchbowl AM: The ghost of 2009

Dems controlled all of govt. it took them forever to pass obamacare bc they first waited for Rs to support. then they squirmed

They later regretted doing too little too late. unemployment went to 10%. they lost the majority

Fast-forward to today. Democrats control the White House and Congress again. A new Democratic president faces multiple crises, including a pandemic and severe economic downturn. The federal government has spent trillions of dollars to try to prop up the sputtering economy

Dems want another $1.9 trillion for Covid relief. Some Rs are suggesting they will cooperate -- just like they did in 2009 -- but this time, Democrats say they won’t go halfway or wait to see if Republicans join their efforts.

The specter of making the same mistakes of 2009 was raised during a Senate Democratic Caucus call on Tuesday. Ask any Democrat, and you'll find out that 2009 is on their mind.

Put simply, nearly 12 years later, Democrats feel like they have no time to waste.