A conversation about the precarious state of our economy and society with Minnesota’s most business savvy member of Congress.
Dean Phillips was elected to Congress representing Minnesota’s Third District less than two years ago. The consensus-focused businessman and philanthropic leader gained national attention in recent weeks when he co-authored the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, designed to fix problems in Congress’ Paycheck Protection Act which made it impossible for many small businesses to access. Few members of Congress are as keenly aware of the risks and opportunities in a pandemic economy as Phillips. TCB spoke to him about that and other issues from a conference room at the back of the Linden Hills location of Penny’s, the small coffee shop chain he co-founded in 2016.
Was it possible for a country of our size and geographic and ideological diversity to develop consensus on the pandemic, or was it a pipe dream?
We could have done it better and plans were in place to do it better. Something as simple as mask-wearing, that science indicates stops the spread . . . one person and one person only is responsible for the national division on masks, and that’s the president. It has political elements and the GOP tends to follow his lead. Conversely had he worn a mask, I think transmission would have been exponentially less. There’s no question that more thoughtful leadership would have resulted in better management and better preparation. The world is looking at us with dismay. Continue reading.