Can’t anybody here play this game?

In assessing the team of all-star political veterans President Joe Biden assembled in the White House and the various departments, I never thought I’d echo the lament of Coach Casey Stengel, sizing up the woeful Mets. But the first 250 days of the new administration bring very mixed impressions.

Pros

President Biden undoubtedly has enormous legislative skills. The American Relief Plan Act is unjustly overlooked as a political triumph and one that worked as planned to strengthen the economy in general and bring a measure of financial security to COVID-19-battered families.

The negotiating skill and sheer perseverance that achieved Senate bipartisan approval of the infrastructure bill are a similar testament to the president’s abilities. It remains to be seen if the bill and the huge, controversial budget package (the so-called “soft infrastructure” bill) can be brought to legislative fruition. But the start has been notable after four years of unfulfilled promises for an “infrastructure week” that never took place.

Cons

Delayed ETS from OSHA. Once you shift your gaze from Congress, it’s difficult to find triumphs and not notice the Mets-like flubs. On Day One, President Biden promised the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would issue an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to bring workplace protection to thousands of beleaguered workers. One delay followed another. Both the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) seemed almost surprised a regulation was supposed to follow in short order.