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Progressives urge Biden to abandon GOP 'outreach' as Republicans up to their old tricks on spending
January 21, 2021
With Covid-19 killing thousands of people each day in the U.S. and the economy still mired in deep recession, progressives are calling on President Joe Biden and the Democrat-controlled Congress to abandon futile outreach to the GOP and push ahead with a robust relief package after a pair of so-called "moderate" Republican senators voiced skepticism Wednesday about passing another major spending bill.
Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), members of a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling itself the Common Sense Coalition, indicated shortly after Biden's inauguration Wednesday that they would have difficulty supporting relief legislation on the scale of the $1.9 trillion plan the president unveiled last week—a proposal progressives criticized as inadequate.
<p>
"Who cares what Romney thinks. Ultimately the effectiveness of the Biden admin will be determined by how often they ignore what Republicans have to say and jam stuff through reconciliation."
<br/>
—James Medlock, policy analyst
</p><p>
Romney characterized Biden's opening offer as "not well-timed" given that Congress "passed a $900 billion-plus package" last month. Some economists
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/08/how-much-emergency-relief-will-it-take-revive-us-economy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">argue</a> that between $3 trillion and $4.5 trillion in spending will be necessary in the short-term to bring the U.S. out of recession and pave the way for a speedy recovery.
</p><p>
"Let's give that some time to be able to influence the economy," Romney said of the December relief measure.
</p><p>
Murkowski
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-20/biden-stimulus-gets-skeptical-response-from-republican-moderates" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">echoed</a> Romney's concern, complaining that "the ink is just barely dry on the $900 billion." Biden's relief proposal—which includes $1,400 direct payments, a boost to unemployment benefits, and other key measures—would require "a fair amount of of debate and consideration," said the Alaska Republican.
</p><p>
Given that Biden would likely need the backing of both Romney and Murkowski—as well as other Republicans—to achieve his hope of passing a relief bill with bipartisan support, progressives said the two senators' comments further bolster the case for ignoring the austerity-obsessed GOP and using unified Democratic control of government to swiftly pass an ambitious package.
</p><p>
"Who cares what Romney thinks,"
<a href="https://twitter.com/jdcmedlock/status/1352054531866071040" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted</a> policy analyst James Medlock. "Ultimately the effectiveness of the Biden admin[istration] will be determined by how often they ignore what Republicans have to say and jam stuff through reconciliation."
</p><p>
Medlock was referring to the expedited, filibuster-proof process that allows passage of certain kinds of legislation with a simple majority rather than the usual 60 votes—a threshold that would require the support of at least 10 Republican senators.
</p><p>
Biden has not explicitly endorsed passing coronavirus relief through reconciliation if Republicans obstruct his agenda. But White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during the new administration's first press briefing Wednesday that while the president's "clear preference is to move forward with a bipartisan bill," Biden is "not going to take tools off the table for how the House and Senate can get this done."
</p><p>
With the reconciliation process a possibility, another—and, according to some progressives,
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/19/reconciliation-nuclear-strike-filibuster-progressive-memo-details-steps-biden-can" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">much better</a>—option is to quickly eliminate the legislative filibuster, a move that would allow passage of legislation without any Republican support.
</p><p>
Democrats control the Senate by the narrowest possible margin, meaning they would need the backing of the entire caucus plus a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Kamala Harris to pass legislation in the absence of the filibuster, which Democrats can kill with a simple majority vote.
</p><p>
"A Republican minority shouldn't be allowed to hold the nation's economic recovery and public health hostage," progressive organizer Ilya Sheyman said, urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to use one of the two tools at his disposal to pass a major relief bill.
</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1352056156919910402" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1352056156919910402&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawstory.com%2Fr%2Fentryeditor%2F2650052865%23&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 418px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet">
</iframe>
</div><p>
Amid <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/01/15/biden-stimulus-gop/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">growing GOP hostility</a> to additional coronavirus relief spending, Biden's economic advisers are expected to meet with the Common Sense Coalition in the coming days, continuing outreach to Republicans and conservative Democrats—such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)—that began before the inauguration.
</p><p>
"We can do 1,000 straight days of this song and dance or we can just zoom ahead and enjoy a glorious, filibuster-free existence," <a href="https://twitter.com/rp_kearney/status/1352064310885953539" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Ryan Kearney of the LGBTQ Victory Fund. "Your choice!"
</p><p>
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the new chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said Wednesday that while he has "no problem with reaching out to Republicans" and "would prefer to do it that way," he has no intention of wasting precious time trying to bring intransigent GOP lawmakers onboard.
</p><p>
"If we hear very early on that Republicans do not want to act in a way that meets the needs of working people in this country or the middle class, sorry, we're gonna do it alone," the Vermont senator said in an appearance on <em>ABC</em>.
</p><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" class="" data-tweet-id="1351981209388154881" frameborder="0" id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1351981209388154881&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawstory.com%2Fr%2Fentryeditor%2F2650052865%23&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 568px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet"></iframe></div><p>As progressive Democrats and advocacy groups demand quick action, the timeline for movement of a coronavirus relief package remains unclear. <em>Punchbowl News</em> <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1351903264548261890" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported</a> Wednesday morning that "Democrats do not expect to be able to send Biden a Covid relief bill until early March," when emergency unemployment benefits are <a href="https://twitter.com/msainat1/status/1352028517416972293" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">set to expire</a> for millions of Americans.</p><p>Progressives made clear that waiting until March to pass a relief bill would be unacceptable, given the enormity of the public health and economic emergencies that are ravaging the country.</p><p>"We urge the President to continue to act swiftly and boldly to address the multiple crises our nation faces," Rahna Epting, executive director of advocacy group MoveOn, said in a statement late Wednesday. "People's lives depend on it. We cannot allow Washington gridlock or Republican obstruction to stand in the way of the urgent needs of the nation."</p><p>Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued a <a href="https://progressives.house.gov/press-releases?ID=41E70E68-1A8D-48A2-A293-31C1B27B2624" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">similar call to action</a>, demanding that the Biden administration and Democratic Congress work toward "the swift passage of a comprehensive and bold relief package that meets the scale of this crisis."</p><p>"We have no time to waste," said Jayapal.</p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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‘The terror hotspots were Trump rallies’: Former Whit House official slammed after attacking Biden on Twitter
January 21, 2021
Stephen Miller, perhaps the most despised member of the Trump administration who is not the former president, apparently decided to test the waters of his personal Twitter account just hours after Joe Biden was sworn in to office as the 46th President.
It did not go well.
<p>"Today, <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" data-focusable="true" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/POTUS" role="link">@POTUS</a> pledged to be a president for all Americans," he tweeted about President Joe Biden. "It's unclear how all Americans are served by opening travel from terror hot spots, proposing a giant amnesty, or halting the installation of security barriers along the Southwest border."</p><p>He was immediately "ratioed," Twitter slang for getting significantly more comments than retweets or likes.</p><p>Currently, his tweet has over 9000 comments, but just 1600 retweets and just 700 likes.</p><p>Miller, who has been characterized as a white nationalist and a white supremacist, is responsible for some of President Trump's worst policies. Among them, separating children from their parents at the border to intentionally terrorize them into telling others from Central America to not attempt to enter the U.S. </p><p>He was also the architect of Trump's Muslim ban.</p><p>Here are some of the responses.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It turns out the terror hotspots were Trump rallies, so.<br/>— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1352001544812593152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Your rock awaits. Slither back under it now.<br/>— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/HelenKennedy/status/1352007311389298689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Says the person who advocated for a "zero tolerance" immigration policy, leading to hundreds of families separated at the border. <br/><br/>To this date, children are without parents because of your and your boss's failures.<br/>— Aaron Parnas (@AaronParnas) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronParnas/status/1352001957066629127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">You're genuinely one of the worst people on the planet<br/>— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) <a href="https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1351996388960333829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Is this not Gab? I think he was looking for Gab.<br/>— Tim Miller (@Timodc) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timodc/status/1352006707740766209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Looking forward to seeing you chained in a crate. <br/><br/>🇺🇸<br/>— Benjamin Dreyer (@BCDreyer) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCDreyer/status/1351994927564124163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">don't you have a flight to Argentina to catch and an assumed name to get used to?<br/>— Kelsey D. Atherton (@AthertonKD) <a href="https://twitter.com/AthertonKD/status/1351996513128476673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">Hey, hopefully one day you will be held accountable for your crimes you white supremacist pos<br/>— SPIRAL CURSE DEMARCO (@Clarknova1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Clarknova1/status/1352000963243028482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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They were among the almost 75 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump and refuse to recognize Joe Biden's presidential victory as legitimate.
AFP spoke to some Trump supporters about what they think Trump will do next and what they believe life will be like under the new Democratic administration.
<h1>'I believe they cheated'</h1><p>"When Trump was inaugurated, I was so happy," said Gia Maxson, a yoga teacher and devout Catholic from Hickory, North Carolina.</p><p>"I went to two Trump rallies. They were wonderful, uplifting, positive experiences," she added.</p><p>Maxson refuses to believe that Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol two weeks' ago, even though it was caught on countless cameras. </p><p>"That was all staged so they could shut them down. They tried everything in their power to get rid of him in the beginning. They finally figured out a way to assassinate him." </p><p>"I am fearful, angry, absolutely stunned this could happen in America," she said. </p><p>She usually watches inaugurations but decided not to tune in this year. </p><p>"I believe it is completely illegitimate, I believe they cheated. There is no way Biden got 80 million votes," says Maxson, referring to unfounded claims of voter fraud.</p><p>Maxson believes Trump won't go away. </p><p>"I hope a new party can be launched -- the Patriot Party. That would be the best case scenario, the end of the two-party system."</p><h1>Impeachment 'unconstitutional'</h1><p>Doug McLinko, a local Republican representative in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, worries that the Democratic Party might try to scrap the Electoral College system.</p><p>"Rural America will have no voice, only major metropolitan areas," he said. </p><p>"This country has never been as divided," added McLinko, saying he takes issues with some on the left referring to Trump supporters as neo-Nazis. </p><p>"You call somebody a Nazi -- I don't think there is a worse phrase and yet that's what they do and next they talk about healing the country," said McLinko.</p><p>"I think the impeachment is completely unconstitutional. They seem to forget that 75 million people voted for him," he added, also believing that Trumpism is here to stay.</p><p>"The national populism is more than Donald Trump and that is going nowhere."</p><h1>No confidence in Biden</h1><p>"I feel like Biden's going to undo everything that Trump's done," said Sharon McGettrick, a health insurance worker from Clearwater, Florida. </p><p>"I was hoping that we would still continue with this immigration situation, with the wall which now they're saying that they're not going to. </p><p>"We're not going to have those choices anymore, to have that freedom of speech. They're trying to take guns away too," she added.</p><p>McGettrick believes the Covid-19 pandemic was "orchestrated" by China to damage the United States financially.</p><p>"There is no middle class anymore. You're either rich or you're poor. I'm making $31,000 a year, which if you look at the statistics means I'm in poverty.</p><p>"Maybe I should not be so presumptuous and think that he's not going to do things for our country but I just don't have the confidence in him like I get with Trump," she concluded.</p><h1>Trump 'not going away'</h1><p>Tim Hearn, a small business owner from the Charlotte area of North Carolina, says politicians in Washington have "created an environment within Congress that has become more of a job and a lifestyle than a position of service to the country."</p><p>"Trump brought jobs back to America that were sent overseas by previous administration, whether they were Republican or Democrat. It wasn't just a red versus blue scenario. It was America versus the globalists," said Hearn.</p><p>He thinks energy costs are going to go up under Biden's administration, which will kill his business.</p><p>"If he wants to raise the minimum wage, it is going to hurt us as well," he added.</p><p>Hearn thinks Biden's government will do "everything they can" to "cancel" Trumpism. </p><p>"It's not going to go away. People are going to still have the movement inside of them," he added.</p><p>"If Trump doesn't run again, I think if there's a place for Don Jr to run. I think he's the only one that could take the torch and go with it."</p>
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