Disappointing and Surprising: All Senate Republicans and Eight Democrats Vote Against Raising the Minimum Wage to $15.00

 It was not surprising that the Bernie Sanders attempt to put the $15.00 Minimum Wage Increase into the Senate version of the American Rescue Plan failed.

All the Republicans were going to vote against it and Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin were on the record saying they would not support it.

What is surprising is six other members of the Democratic Caucus voted with all the Republicans, Sinema, and Manchin against raising the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour.

These members included:

• Maggie Hassan
• Jeanne Shaheen
• Chris Coons
• Angus King
• Jon Tester.

In the immortal words of Desi Arnaz, these Democrats have "a lot of explaining to do."

This is very disappointing.

Democrats made compromises on the number of people getting cash payments, how some state and local aid would be allocated, and the weekly amount and duration of unemployment insurance.

Democrats should have been able to huddle together on a compromise minimum wage provision, overrule the Senate Parliamentarian, and include it in the American Rescue Plan. They should not pretend compromise was not possible. At the very least, they should have come out with a plan on moving forward with separate legislation on passing a minimum wage increase.

This is gross political malpractice and poor governing on their part.

The people that rely on the minimum wage need a raise.

They can not live on $7.25 an hour.

The 58 Senators that voted against this amendment should try living on $7.25 an hour for a month and see if they can cope. 

The time for a minimum wage increase is now and Democrats should attempt again to include a version of it in either the coming infrastructure legislation (which will probably go through the reconciliation process,) an add on to a bill Republicans favor like the Defense one, or a separate bill that is combined with tax credits/cuts that will peel off ten Republicans in the Senate.

If a minimum wage increase does not pass in this Congressional Session, Democratic and Progressive Activists should run ads against every person that votes against it, even if some of them are Democrats.

The time for punting on this issue is over. Get to work people.

 

 

Florida Scu...Governor Ron DeSantis Plays Highest Bidder with Vaccine Distribution

 Most people realized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was a real piece of work before the COVID 19 Pandemic.

His actions (or inactions more accurately) of denying the science and promoting individual choice during the height of the virus spread were indicative of an individual who put political gain over public service responsibility.

Now, he is under scrutiny for helping to ensure COVID 19 Vaccinations make it first to wealthy senior citizens in two gated retirement communities. Some of these grateful Floridians expressed their gratitude to the Trumpist Governor with campaign donations.

One of these donations was for $250,000 from former Illinois Governor and now Florida resident Bruce Rauner.

DeSantis of course denies any involvement in setting up these vaccination drives. He should give the donations back then if he is being sincere.

Unfortunately for him, his bull fecal denial was exposed when email communications from Vanessa Baugh, the chair of the Board of County Commissioners of Manatee County, showed Mr. DeSantis had communicated with the head of the Lakewood Ranch Community about setting up a vaccine drive.

Potentially more incriminating is the fact that the two retirement communities that were part of the vaccination drive (Kings Gate and Grand Palm) were developed by a DeSantis donor.

Former Republican Florida Governor and now Democratic House Representative Charlie Crist called on a federal investigation of his successor.

There should be.

No Governor should abuse his or her power over the lives of their citizens.

That includes what may have happened in New York with Andrew Cuomo and the nursing home fiasco.

It definitely includes Mr. DeSantis and his playing favoritism to the highest bidder with Floridian seniors in order to garner easy campaign donations.

 

Another Week: More Examples of Republican Stupidity and Hurting the American People

 There appear to be only two governing strategies Republicans know how to play. Act and do stupid things and support ideas and legislation that hurts the American People.

This week has shown several examples of Republicans in action on both fronts.

Examples of Stupidity

Arizona Governor Doug Let me Jump Ahead in Line Ducey: Mr. Ducey once said at a press conference (when he gave them) he would wait his turn to get a COVID 19 vaccine.

He was honest about that as long as his age group was not eligible.

However, once the 56-year-old Governor's age group became eligible, guess who jumped in front of practically everyone at State Farm Stadium to receive a vaccination from Dr. Cara Crist.

That was bad optics and poor politics from someone who still has dreams (delusions perhaps) of seeking higher office.

To be fair to Governor Ducey, at least he is not Governor Andrew Cuomo who saw his Presidential ambitions and plans for a fourth term as New York's Governor evaporate after his poor handling of allegations of unwanted advances toward women.

Arizona do not drop those off at our front door Senate: The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors after losing a court decision to turn over all voter related material from the 2020 election to the Arizona State Senate (whose members actually had a vote to arrest the Supervisors for contempt) packed most of the material and was ready to deliver it, per instructions on the Court Order to the Senate.

The only problem was the Senate had not made plans to take custody of the many tons of material they have subpoenaed.

Now they want to do their own 2020 election audit at the Maricopa County Offices to which the Board of Supervisors are resistant, saying they are busy holding municipal elections and do not have the space for the auditors the Senate wants to hire.

Of course, the Arizona Senate Republicans never made that request to the judge.

Good thinking and forward planning Arizona Senate Republicans.

Nethanderal Thinking Republican Governors

COVID 19 vaccines are coming to the states on a more regular basis. Coronavirus cases have dropped and plateaued.

So what is the logical step to take even though there are new COVID 19 variants out whose impact has not been measured yet?

Why do away with mask mandates and fully reopen states as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Mississippi Chief Executive Tate Reeves are doing in their states.

Dr. Anthony Fauci called this move by the two Governors who miserably handled the winter storms and resulting power outages and water shortages two weeks ago "inexplicable."

President Biden calls their thinking "Nethanderal." He is right.

To be fair to those two Governors. Doug Ducey was stupider. He never put forth a mask mandate.

Examples of Hurting the American People. 
 

The Arizona State Senate: They make the list in both categories. Yesterday the Arizona State Senate passed SB1783 on a party-line vote. This bill, if it does pass the State Legislature and is signed by Governor Ducey will hurt children and teachers in public schools by giving the wealthy a way to avoid paying taxes that would have been allocated toward the Proposition 208 coffers. Honestly, supporters of public education should stage a march on the state capitol to protest this bill. Educators should consider a walkout to pressure Republicans to pull this bill from the floor. It is so outrageous that Republicans are spitting on the people and trying to circumvent their vote that passed Invest in Ed.

Ron Johnson: Mr. I believe in all conspiracies hurting Donald Trump Johnson wants to delay passage of the American Rescue Plan by forcing a ten-hour reading of the whole bill. How many unemployed people will be harmed if Johnson's antics delay the passage of the bill after the March 14 expiration of expanded unemployment benefits?

What an ass.

Tom Cotton: Mr. Republican psychopath and I want to be President (chuckle, chuckle) Cotton has forced a delay on the confirmation of Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland because he can and claiming the Judge did not answer all his questions.

What a schmuck. The people need an Attorney General to help oversee the investigations of all the Domestic Terrorists and Trump Zone residents (in other words, Cotton supporters) that were involved in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Nation's Capitol.

Tune in next week for more examples of Republican stupidity and attempts to hurt the American People.

 

 

Neera Tanden Deserved Better

This evening, the Office of Management and Budget Nominee Neera Tanden asked the Biden/Harris Administration to withdraw her nomination after it became clear there was no pathway to secure her confirmation.

In a letter written to President Biden, Ms. Tanden, the head of the Center for American Progress wrote:

"I am writing to you to withdraw my nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget. It has been an honor of a lifetime to be considered for this role and for the faith placed in me.

I appreciate how hard you and your team at the White House has worked to win my confirmation. Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation, and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities.

I am incredibly grateful for your leadership on behalf of the American people and for your agenda that will make such a transformative difference in people’s lives."

President Biden released a short statement afterward, relaying:

"I have accepted Neera Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience, and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my Administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work."

What non-Senate confirmation role Tanden will have in the Biden/Harris Administration has not been revealed yet.

Neera Tanden deserved better from the Republicans and straggling members of the Democratic Caucus (Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin, and Bernie Sanders.)

To deny her confirmation because of tweets is the height of hypocrisy for those Senators that enabled Donald Trump for five years and voted for lesser (and more repulsive) nominees to serve in the Trump/Pence Administration. It is also potentially a sign of petty vindictiveness among the Senators Ms. Tanden tweeted about.

That said, if Mitch McConnell can say he would still vote for Donald Trump after all the things he has tweeted and done, 100 United States Senators should have found a way to vote and confirm Neera Tanden.

Hopefully, Ms. Tanden will soon serve in a White House Position that makes the most of her expertise and talents.

It will be to the Country's benefit.

President Biden Announces Major Vaccination Supply News and Prioritizes Educator Access to Receive Shots

 President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, announced two major developments with regards to the COVID 19 vaccination.

First, by invoking the Federal Defense Production Act, the President announced that Johnson and Johnson have partnered with the drug manufacturer Merck to produce massive supplies of its vaccine "24/7." 

This development should, according to President Biden, enable enough vaccines to be produced for the United States adult population by the end of May.

That is two months ahead of the original projection of the end of July.

In another major announcement, Mr. Biden, noting that twenty states have not prioritized administering Coronavirus Vaccinations to their educators, has more or less nationalized the vaccination distribution in those states.

Starting the week after next, all educators, school staff, and child care workers in those 20 states can receive vaccinations at pharmacies the federal government has directly supplied.

The President justified this step by stating that educators and parents were leery about reopening schools without staff being fully vaccinated.

Commenting on the Biden announcement as it pertains to Arizona schools, Morgan Dick, the Public Information Officer for the Arizona Department of Education relayed:

"Thankfully, teachers, school staff, and childcare workers were prioritized in Phase 1B in Arizona. The Superintendent (Kathy Hoffman) continues to urge all who are eligible and able to get the vaccine to get it."

These are tremendous steps forward from the Administration that should expedite the reopening of schools and society as a whole.

At the end of his announcement, Mr. Biden stressed that even with the increase in vaccination supplies and the likely acceleration of vaccine distribution, it is vital that people should still follow mitigation measures like wearing masks.

Someone should remind Texas Governor Greg Abbott of the need to remain patient with regards to mitigation measures.

Building on his failed leadership in the Texas blizzard and power/water outages from two weeks ago, the Texas Governor, ignoring health care specialist warnings, decided earlier today to remove the state's mask mandate and to fully reopen all businesses.

How many innocent people in Republican-controlled states have to suffer because their leaders are stupid science deniers who cater to the whims of their reactionary ignorant political base?

At least the people do not have to worry about that now with the current occupant of the White House.

 

 

What is Hard Left about the Biden/Harris Agenda? In a Word Nothing

It is very amusing (and nauseating) that some news accounts portray Republicans as reasonable people that want to work with President Joe Biden but his Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. and Senator Chuck Schumer are leading him down the path to a hard-left agenda.

Realizing that Biden is very popular (especially compared to them and the former Chief Executive Demagogue they worship, even as a Golden statue-and I thought the Republican Evangelicals believed idolatry was a sin,) Republicans have tried to imply that the President is weak and not in charge.

That is rich considering Republican legislators and White House staffers steered mostly policy inept Presidents like Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump in their two Administrations.

Do not be fooled by this deceptive and duplicitous strategy from the members of the former Party of Lincoln.

The Biden/Harris team and their allies in Congress, having learned the lessons of Republican obstructionism in Democratic Presidential Administrations (Clinton and Obama) past, have decided not to play their legislative game anymore.

Good.

As to the assertion that the Biden/Harris is hard left, ask the following questions:

• How is raising people's wages a hard-left agenda?
• How is making sure everyone is vaccinated from the COVID 19 agenda a hard-left agenda?
• How is helping people stay in their homes a hard-left agenda?
• How is assisting people to make sure they have food on the table a hard-left agenda?
• How is working to safely reopen schools a hard-let agenda?
• How is helping state and local governments keep cops, firefighters, and teachers on the payroll a hard-left agenda?
• How is reducing poverty and creating job opportunities a hard-left agenda?
• How is modernizing roads, bridges, the electric grid, railways, airlines, and broadband a hard-left agenda?
• How is fixing the broken immigration system a hard-left agenda?
• How is combatting climate change and making sure the air we breathe, the water we drink, the ground we walk on, and the energy we use is clean a hard-left agenda?

What is hard-left about the Biden/Harris Agenda? In a word, nothing.

So when a Republican operative in Arizona, Washington D.C., or across the country says the Biden/Harris is moving the country to the hard-left, ask them what are their plans to steer the country forward and do the hard work to make it happen.

Otherwise, they should shut up and get out of the way (and political office) for the people who want to make the United States better for everyone.

 

Time to Make a Deal to Raise the Minimum Wage

Photo from Chief Organizer Blog. 

The Democrats need to make a deal to raise the minimum wage.

Yesterday, (February 28, 2021,) Senate Democrats announced that they would not pursue their "Plan B" of placing tax penalities on billion-dollar corporations to entice corporate leaders to ensure their workers make at least $15.00 an hour. Apparently, tax credits for small businesses that raise their minimum wages have been abandoned as well.

Last week, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that Democrat's Plan A, a straight rise of the minimum wage to $15.00, could not be included in the American Rescue Plan COVID relief measure passed by the House of Representatives because it violated budget reconciliation rules.

With Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin devoted, right now, to not doing away with the filibuster and not overruling the Senate Parliamentarian, the Biden/Harris Administration is inclined to move forward, at least publicly, with the American Rescue Plan without a Minimum Wage Increase.

That would be a mistake.

While there are Republican proposals to raise the minimum wage (at less than $15.00 an hour,) that MAY be the basis for negotiations on a separate bill (history shows that Republican reliability on crossing the finish line in such situations is virtually nonexistent,) Democrats should first leave no stone unturned on getting Senators like Sinema and Manchin into a socially distanced room and try to work out a deal that could still get a minimum wage increase into the American Rescue Plan.

How would this deal work? This may be overly simplistic but perhaps if:

• Manchin wants to raise the minimum wage to $11.00 an hour. Take it and campaign in 2022 about finishing the job by electing more Democrats.
• Sinema wants more targeted state aid allocated toward the restaurant industry. Let her have it in exchange for her support for the minimum wage.
• Aid to state and local governments may need to be organized to more targeted sectors like expanding broadband or where these entities have to demonstrate need and commit, in writing, to what would be done with the funds.
• Cash payments to individuals and families may need to be trimmed so people who do not need the money do not qualify.

If Sinema, Manchin, and other on the fence Senators who caucus with the Democrats agree to a less than $15.00 an hour Minimum Wage, they could then vote to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian and pass the American Rescue Plan with a minimum wage increase.

Otherwise, Democrats will need to find ten Republicans to go along with a separate bill on a minimum wage increase.

Can it be done?

Possibly. The hard part is getting ten Republicans in the Senate to vote for it.

As mentioned earlier, there are Republican proposals from Mitt Romney and Tom Cotton to raise the minimum wage to $10.00 an hour.

Election Denier and Coup Plotter Enabler Josh Hawley has proposed (similar to parts of the Democrats Plan B proposal for the American Rescue Plan) billion-dollar corporations be required to pay their employees at least $15.00 an hour.

On ABC News This Week, former House Representative, White House Chief of Staff, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed similar legislation to what was passed when the Minimum Wage was last increased in 2007: a minimum wage increase coupled with increases in the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits along with business tax cuts.

Unfortunately, the 2021 version of the former Party of Lincoln is not the same as the 2007 one. Again, history has shown that Republicans, during the Obama Presidency, perfected the art of obstruction and hostility to social justice programs that help people (including the many gullible ones that vote for them.)

That said, If Democrats can not find a way to include the minimum wage in the American Rescue Plan, they should process a Minimum Wage Increase proposal at the same time as the Biden/Harris Infrastructure/Build Back American Plan and fight like the world is on fire to pass it.

As mentioned in an earlier article, there are 40 states that have a lower minimum wage than Arizona's which stands at $12.15 an hour.

Twenty of those 40 have their minimum wage tied into the current federal level.

Everyone knows no one can live on $7.25 an hour.

Senate Democrats need to huddle together and find a way to include a minimum wage increase in the American Rescue Plan.

This is the best opportunity to help give the American People who rely on the minimum wage a raise.

A separate bill may arise but evidence shows that Republicans will probably not be there when the roll call is taken.

The time to make a deal to increase the Minimum Wage in the United States Senate is now.