A CNBC/Change Research survey of voters in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin found overwhelming opposition to the Senate Republicans’ coronavirus stimulus approach. Sixty-nine percent want the federal government to give aid to states to help them avoid massive budget cuts. Sixty-two percent want an extension of the federal $600-a-week unemployment insurance enhancement. And 58 percent are opposed to giving legal immunity to corporations from COVID-19 related law suits.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell found it impossible to get any consensus within his caucus for a bill. The end product satisfied no one. For example, Senator Rick Scott served two terms as the governor of Florida, so you might expect him to be sympathetic to the concept of aiding states that are now facing huge budget shortfalls. But he’s too much of an ideologue to have any empathy for his successor: “I’m very concerned about the amount of money we’re talking about. What I don’t want to do is bail out the states. That’s wrong.”
Maybe Sen. Scott would be less perturbed if he actually read his party’s bill:
The Republican proposal would not allocate any new aid to states and municipalities, instead giving them more flexibility in how they spend relief money approved earlier this year.
Senator Rand Paul was so concerned about the cost that he stormed out of a caucus meeting, despite the fact that the bill “would slash the extra federal unemployment benefit to $200 per week, [and] then shift to a 70% replacement of an individual’s previous wages.” As to the unpopularity of his position, he was defiant: “I think they have the misguided notion that you have to spend this or you can’t get elected.” Based on the survey results, Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Martha McSally of Arizona probably think Rand Paul is out of his mind.
The liability protection provision is not only included in the GOP bill, but McConnell insists it’s the one thing that is non-negotiable.
Pelosi and Schumer questioned McConnell’s willingness to reach an agreement, saying the Kentucky Republican has indicated he wouldn’t compromise on his demands for liability protections for schools and businesses in the next bill.
“That is no way to negotiate particularly when his provision is so extreme,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
Drawing a “red line” on a policy that is supported by only 33 percent of voters in battleground states seems like dumb politics, but McConnell is serving his funders here, and money can shape opinion.
Sen. Lindsey Graham tried to sound optimistic, saying “I think if Mitch can get half the conference, that’d be quite an accomplishment.” But, of course, that comment makes little sense. McConnell needs near-unanimity from his caucus to pass anything without Democratic votes. And his bill will have to be merged with Nancy Pelosi’s completely different House bill and then go through the Senate a second time. McConnell has zero leverage because his caucus is not behind him and the public hates his proposal. Pelosi is happy to walk away and blame the Senate for pursuing toxic policies.
However, the further he moves in her direction, the fewer votes he will have from Senate Republicans, so he’s at risk at passing something that is only supported by only a handful of his caucus. If nothing passes, it will badly hurt his party’s chances in the fall, and he knows this even if Rand Paul does not.
O/T another thing everybody hates
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/rep-gohmert-tests-positive-for-covid-after-perennially-refusing-to-wear-mask
Isn’t this where Boehner used to find himself?
And how do these idiots survive saying stupid shit like: “What I don’t want to do is bail out the states. That’s wrong.” On what planet does that make any sense? Makes me think I should give my state my tax dollars that I am sending to the feds. Aren’t these the same jokers that say taxation is theft? Well then give it back to the places I live assholes so it helps my community.
Sick of the dishonesty and hypocrisy of the right for the last 40 years.
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He’s gambling that democrats are not willing to kill more people in the short term by holding out. Thats it.
Maybe? But how does that play out?
1) McConnell cobbles together a bill Senate Republicans unite behind.
2) 7-15 Senate Dems cave on the filibuster for reasons close to what you suggest.
3) In conference committee, House Dems cave and accept a bill that’s less than 1/3 of what they passed two months ago.
4) A majority of House Dems vote for a wildly inadequate bill that angers their base and fails to help their constituents.
5) Trump quietly signs the bill into law.
I suppose that’s possible, but it doesn’t seem likely. Right now, where’s the incentive for Democrats to cut a deal that doesn’t include at least (say) 90% of what they want?
While I am perfectly willing to bash the Democratic leadership for their fecklessness and learned helplessness, particularly the Steny Hoyers of the world, Mitch McConnell is not hoping that Democrats will cave, he was hoping he could force his caucus to cave. And as I said in another thread, all Mitch has done is shoot himself in the dick. His leverage, such as it is was, is down to near zero, for multiple reasons:
1. His own caucus is in danger of not only losing, but losing every state that is in contention. We are talking about levels that involve losing South Carolina, perhaps even his own seat in Kentucky (Trump will win KY no problem, however).
2. His caucus is split about what to do, and he can’t pass a bill without a lot of Democratic votes. It’s not even “I just need to peel off Manchin and Sinema”. He needs over half of the Democratic caucus to have the necessary votes. So now it’s a question of balancing “how much shit can Democrats force Mitch to eat” (it’ll never be enough, largely because they are feckless…but it won’t be anything to sneeze at, either).
3. The Democrats are united and already passed a bill in the House. Every day Mitch shows he doesn’t have the votes is another day he’s pressured to just passing the House bill.
The darkest scenario available is that they’ve decided they’re going to lose everything anyway, so they might as well make cleaning up as difficult for Biden as is possible. Furthermore, extending unemployment benefits increases the potential of being made permanent, and they value ideology more than power. They will accept their beatings for the sake of The Movement.
As I was saying:
There is zero incentive for the Democrats to help. The bill is toxic for them and DOA in the House.
Unless attitudes swing wildly, letting the Republicans show how heartless and inept they are has no political downside. The cost in real terms will be high. But every preventable illness helps break the right wing media talking points.
Democrats have done as much before. I see the incentive as the Slotkins of the caucus are convinced Trump is far stronger than he appears and this is the opposite of the bipartisan solutions stuff they ran on (and she is running again on) as well as see people dying and getting evicted and want to help a few rather than none.
It’s fair to question whether McConnell thinks passing nothing is better than passing something. Emotionally of course he doesn”t care but if he thinks the majority is doomed already, then he’s going to sabotage as much of Trump’s successor as possible and that means passing nothing and then obstructing a new president is the plan.
Thanks for your response. For what it’s worth, as much as Slotkin (and some of her red-to-blue 2018 rookie MOCs) is (rightfully) running scared to hold her seat this fall, she hasn’t hesitated to vote to impeach Trump, to call him out on the Russian bounties scandal, to vote for the $3 trillion House pandemic relief bill two months ago, etc.
Good stuff, Martin. I’d be interested in a post where you game out how this situations ends.
Is it: McConnell goes to Schumer and offers whatever it takes to get enough Dem votes to pass a bill?
Is it: Schumer cuts a deal with Mnuchin and Meadows(?) and forces it on McConnell?
Is it: Pelosi plays “bad cop” and forces Republicans to accept the House bill (perhaps with a couple of tiny face-saving compromises), since her caucus has zero incentive/pressure to back down given how the election is unfolding?
Or some other scenario (including, Republicans are so dysfunctional/divided that nothing gets done)?
Glad to see this blowing up publicly. It sure seems likely he will have to cave since he can’t get his own caucus to agree on anything. The Democratic Senators have zero incentive to lift a finger to help given how bad this bill is.
My bet is the House and Senate Democrats negotiate with Mnuchin again. McEvil cuts loose the really vulnerable “moderate” Senators to vote for it as an election year stunt. Unless something is very rigged or they have assurances of wingnut welfare upon losing, passing nothing earns them a well-deserved clobbering.
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To me the most telling comment is “I think they have the misguided notion that you have to spend this or you can’t get elected.”
The ONLY thing that matters is to get elected. NOTHING ELSE!
Vote all Republicans out of office. Until the current avatar of this party is burnt down to the ground, a new principled opposition cannot emerge.
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