There are times when a small event reveals a large truth. The resignation of the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission leaves the SEC with four members, two from each party.
In ordinary times, one would expect pundits to offer their views on the effect of this and of possible candidates for the vacancy on enforcement of SEC rules about government corporate transparency and the like. Not this time. Most commentators seem more interested in how the SEC will move on climate change and what shade of green the eventual Biden appointee would be. This is a tribute to Biden’s rhetorical effort to put climate change at the center of all government policies – fiscal, agricultural, trade, enforcement. And it puts Republicans in a tough spot for 2022, when 22 Republican and 12 Democratic senators will be up for reelection.
