The Democratic message for 2020 is that this is the most important election in history, that President Donald Trump must be defeated to save democracy and the country, that four more years would be a catastrophe for immigrants, minorities, the poor, the sick and the climate. Yet Democrats in Congress have pushed a huge stimulus bill that would give the president’s reelection campaign a major boost.
Republicans have still said no. The White House negotiating position before Tuesday was that Trump wouldn’t accept anything larger than $1.6 trillion—and it’s never been clear whether Senate Republicans would be willing or able to pass any new stimulus at all.
It certainly isn’t unusual to see Washington paralyzed by partisan strife. It’s just odd to see the partisanship so apparently detached from electoral self-interest.because it’s been hard to square their consistent push for maximum stimulus with their supposedly single-minded determination to defeat Trump.
The Occam’s Razor explanation is that Pelosi truly wants to go big on stimulus. Most Democrats like government stimulus, and Biden’s economists are concerned that if Congress doesn’t go big now, he might inherit a depression if he wins. Democratic insiders point out that Pelosi has also faced intense pressure from unions and other progressive constituencies to go big, especially on state and local aid designed to prevent layoffs of public employees.
As former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau argues: “Democrats are cursed with the responsibility gene.” The Covid relief from the spring has helped prevent a total economic collapse, but unemployment benefits and small-business assistance already began expiring this summer—and Democrats believe that if Biden wins, there’s zero chance that Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate would provide any additional relief after the election.
Still, some Republican operatives are baffled why Trump hasn’t just cut a deal with Pelosi that would let him send checks to grateful voters, boost the economy before the election and reinforce his initialpersona as a businessman who gets things done. He’s never shown any concern about the deficit before; it had doubled even before Covid, thanks to his tax cuts and military spending increases, and it’s now at a record high.
I know you guys just have to both sides everything but maybe one party has just enough decency to want to give some relief even if it helps their opponent?
Strange “both sides” article. Dems understand it’s a crisis and people need a relief. Mitch and Adderal Don care about themselves, and their monomaniacal focus on SCOTUS choice Judge Superspreader.
Isn’t it possible that the dems care about suffering people?
People are suffering....and SpeakerPelosi is doing the right thing
TeamPelosi SpeakerPelosi you know that the majority of us are hurting financially and emotionally; we are sick & mooning. Please don’t give in into the GOP and trump’s games. We have waited this long, we can wait a few more weeks. Is all about our Democracy💙not their victory!
She is asking for shit that's not related to covid. Like voter Id removal, allowing inmates to vote, allowing illegals to get the stimulus and climate change policies. She needs to wake up these dont help..SpeakerPelosi is the reason it's not passed yet.
Pelosi has an obvious hidden agenda that’s not good for America.
Because ppl matter over politics. And trump plans to cheat anyway
We, the American people in states that actually have people in power that don't waste our money do not support Pelosi's bid to bail out those states run by corrupt dems who can't balance their own bank accounts. We don't pay their bills.
Gee, maybe because it is the right thing to do and democrats want to help American citizens who are crushed by Trump’s disastrous bungling of Covid?
It's called ' Doing what's right for the American people'. just STOP IT!