It's quite easy to pass laws that no one cares about. Congress passed a law modernizing duck hunting permits. Maine was very happy.
I'd argue politics in this country is angry and seems to lack respect for opposing political stances. I found the parent's post perfectly adequate
This is true for issues with national currency. Pennies aren't in this category. Instead, it's more subject to the interest-group problem [1].
It would be about inflation. Just as only Nixon could go to China, it's probably only Republican initiative that can nix the penny--they could brand it as thriftiness.
Unfortunately, zinc is mined in red states and districts [1]. A President would have to lead the charge.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_mining_in_the_United_Stat...
The only reason it wasn't already abolished is lobbying by Zinc producers.
Because the Left would be galvanized by a million blog posts and academic papers (basically the same thing these days), arguing that it's racist because people of color are more likely to be underbanked and use cash. Yes I realize that's nonsense, but it wouldn't matter.
Because the Right would probably be galvanized too, by complaints that the government was meddling too much in the familiar and somehow ripping people off. Yes I realize that's nonsense, but it wouldn't matter.
It's so hard to make anything happen in U.S. politics today... eliminating pennies, nickels, and dimes wouldn't even make my Top-10,000 list of priorities.