Photo from the Arizona Department of Economic Security
Shortly after the November elections, I presented an article calling for Democrats to articulate a pragmatic progressive program that would move the country forward and lift working and middle-class Americans up.
Borrowing the phrase "A Better Deal," the policy proposals included many ideas that the Biden/Harris Administration proposed in their original Build Back Better Agenda that were left out when the final version of the Inflation Reduction Agenda passed.
In the article, I remarked that perhaps the one error the Biden/Harris and later the Harris/Walz Campaign made in the last campaign was putting forth a more robust progressive program followed up by saying on the trail:
"We know things have been difficult since the Pandemic and we know there is still more to do to help lower costs and allow you to achieve the American Dream. During the first four years, we passed legislation that turned the tide on the Coronavirus and helped rebuild America, providing many good-paying jobs, especially blue and green-collar ones. We know our work for the American People is not done and if you give us four more years and more Democrats in the House and Senate, we will do this to help you live a better life and help achieve the American Dream."
In states like Arizona, Democratic Leaders Priya Sundareshan and Oscar De Los Santos have presented their ideas for how to lower costs and make lives better for Arizonans.
Democrats in Congress and on the national stage need to offer that pragmatic progressive program today even though they did not prevail in November.
With Donald Trump coming into office with slim majorities in Congress, promising retribution, advancing policies that hearken back to America's Plutocratic Gilded Age and Manifest Destiny/Imperial Empire, and a domestic program already plagued by broken promises to lower prices and no real solutions to help lift up Working and Middle-Class Families.
Earlier today (January 8, 2025) when House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked about Mr. Trump's insane comments about renaming the Gulf of Mexico, taking over the Panama Canal, Greenland (at the expense of Denmark, a N.A.T.O. ally,) and Canada (a sentiment frighteningly shared by several Congressional Republicans,) he responded:
"House Democrats believe we are not sent to Washington to invade Greenland, rename the Gulf of Mexico, or seize the Panama Canal by force. We were sent to Washington to lower the high costs of living in the United States of America. America is too expensive for working-class families and middle-class folks all across the country. That should be our mission and that's what we're going to focus on over the next few years."
Democrats need to offer their own solutions to lower costs for Americans.
These should include:
- Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit.
- Expanding the Child Tax Credit.
- Providing subsidies-tax credits for child care.
- Providing free breakfasts and lunches in the nation's public schools.
- Expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program.
- Providing additional subsidies for people applying to the Obamacare/Affordable Health Care Marketplaces.
- Universal Full Day Pre-School and Kindergarten.
- Free Community College with increased opportunities for paid apprenticeships in blue and green-collar professions.
- An increase in the Federal Minimum Wage.
- Increased tax credits to buy a home.
- Expanding Medicare to include dental, vision, and home care.
- Tax cuts on tips.
- Student Loan forgiveness for individuals in blue and green-collar professions.
These programs can be paid for by not renewing the 2017 Trump tax cuts for the rich.
Democrats need to offer this compelling alternative to the American People.
History has shown that trickle-down economics, from Reagan to Bush II to Trump only works for one group: the wealthy. Everyone else suffers and the nation's fiscal ledger always bleeds more red when these tax policies are enacted.
Democrats should put forth a pragmatic progressive agenda like the one mentioned above that is fully paid for and fiscally responsible.
History has proven that these programs, like other investments like Head Start, Pell Grants, and Research and Development Tax Credits, do benefit the country and the people.
Democrats should also take the lead in reminding people that they are the ones for fiscal discipline, smart government, law and order, and immigration reform.
Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden are the last three Presidents who have presided over budgets that have reduced annual deficits.
Clinton left office with a fiscal surplus that Bush II and his Republican allies squandered on tax cuts for the rich and two misguided wars that blew up the nation's debt.
Not one Republican President since Ronald Reagan can make the claim that they were trustworthy fiscal stewards.
Remember the Republican's Incoming President is a convicted felon, adjudicated sex offender, and an enabler of a Domestic Terrorist attack on the Nation's Capitol that injured over 100 law enforcement personnel.
Most Republicans also voted against the American Rescue Plan which included funding for local police forces.
Nothing law and order about the Republican Party these days.
Also, remember that it was the Democrats that have advanced bipartisan immigration reform and border security which MAGA-type Republicans have repeatedly obstructed since 2004.
For Republicans to say that they are the party of the people, fiscal discipline, law and order, and strong borders are four of the biggest lies in recent political history.
Commenting on what Democrats should consider, Third Way Senior Communications Director Kate deGruyter offered:
"It’s clear that voters are deeply frustrated with the status quo and hungry for change. Too many associated Democrats with more of the same and enough were willing to back Trump, who they thought represented more change. We have supported the child tax credit, for example. But there is more work to be done on an economic message that resonates broadly with Americans frustrated by high prices and a sense that Washington is out of touch with their struggles. We also believe that there is a space for Democrats to recognize the need to embrace fiscal responsibility and smart government reform as tax policy takes center stage under the Trump Administration.
Interest on the debt already exceeds spending on children and Medicaid spending and it is likely to exceed all defense discretionary spending by 2027. A nation that spends more on past obligations and older generations than it does on future-oriented spending on children and investment is not positioned to lead a new generation. Our Economic team noted in a paper last year that if the enhanced child tax credit returned, it would only increase children’s share of the federal budget by about one percentage point. And the challenges facing the party on Social Security are real and the fixes are not simple.
Undoubtedly, as we discussed, Democrats will need to be mindful of policies that will be meaningful to workers without degrees, who significantly outnumber Americans with college degrees. With that said, we aren’t at a point yet where we are weighing in on individual policy proposals you outlined in the two emails. We discussed some broad ideas, like standing for order at the border and emphasizing accountability alongside prevention in public safety."
Democrats need to better engage with the people in as many media venues and get out the message that they are the ones that are out for them and the country.
Do not give the perp
No comments:
Post a Comment