Boston Herald: We will remember Dems’ stimulus holdup
Just a friendly reminder that Democrats put partisan politics before their responsibility to deliver life-saving relief for American businesses and individuals.
Voters won’t forget that.
In case you missed it…
EDITORIAL: We will remember Dems’ stimulus holdup
Boston Herald
Editorial Staff
March 25, 2020
Some of our leaders have acquitted themselves well during the coronavirus pandemic, like Gov. Charlie Baker, who issued a stay-at-home advisory this week in Massachusetts to curtail the disease’s spread.
And then there are the Democrats on Capitol Hill, who took an opportunity to help those economically sideswiped by the outbreak and turned it into a partisan free-for-all.
According to The Hill, more than 200 House Democratic lawmakers held a conference call last week and “laid out a sweeping wish list of provisions” they wanted in the stimulus package, including highway spending and Social Security expansion.
Republicans claimed Democrats in the House were holding up the bill over such items as: collective bargaining power for unions, solar and wind tax credits, forcing airlines to adhere to stricter emissions standards and same-day voter registration.
“Tax credits for solar energy and wind energy. Provisions to force employers to give special new treatment to Big Labor. And listen to this — new emissions standards for the airlines. Are you kidding me?” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
They weren’t. And they’re only kidding themselves if they think the American people aren’t wondering how these pols went from an economic stimulus bill to voter registration. People are paying attention, especially those who are out of a job because of coronavirus restrictions on businesses. They are desperate for those $1,000 or more checks — already earmarking them for food and vital supplies.
And they will remember such brazen stunts, as much as they will remember how President Trump is handling the pandemic. To be fair, Americans get a refresher course on everything Trump is doing wrong, getting wrong, and thinking wrong every time they turn on mainstream media.
Several outlets have asked breathlessly “is the coronavirus Trump’s Katrina?” in reference to President George W. Bush’s much-maligned handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005.
If so, what is the coronavirus to Democrats? They see themselves as champions of the people, the last defense against an apocalypse surely being cooked up by Trump. And yet — when the chips really down, and there’s the chance to vote and quickly get money out to Americans who need it now, they lard the bill with pet policy provisions.
At a time when people are stocking up on staples like beans to last through a quarantine, the Democrats are serving pork.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., defended the move: “This is a policy disagreement, and I have an obligation as a representative of my state to stand up and say when I don’t think a $2 trillion bill is going to fix the problem. It may make a lot of people rich, but it doesn’t have the resources in it today to take care of the most vulnerable in this country, and it’s not going to do the primary job at hand, which is to stop the virus.”
No, it’s not going to stop the virus. But that money will help those who had steady jobs just a few weeks ago and are struggling now.
The coronavirus will end at some point, and there will be many takeaways from how our leaders handled the crisis. “Policy disagreements” that delayed the release of funds to struggling Americans will be one such memory.