Not Our First Rodeo
Not Our First Rodeo — we’ve seen this dance before. Call it the McConnell Macarena: send bill to Floor before negotiations are complete; force vote you know you’ll lose; send Vitriol Squad to Floor and cable shows to whip up Fox News; try to stampede Democrats.
While the Macarena show was going on, Schumer was in constant productive negotiations with Trump and Mnuchin, Democratic Committee leaders were working well with Republican counterparts, and good progress resulted.
Result is more help to hospitals, frontline healthcare heroes; better controls on corporate bailouts; workers getting more help (not CEO stock buybacks); unemployment insurance boosted more; transparency and IG eyeballs on “slush fund”: and lots more relief for more people — NGOs, students, self-employed.
I‘d call that a good day’s work, never mind the McConnell Macarena. None of that good work would have happened if we’d let ourselves be stampeded. Thank you to all Republicans who participated — quietly, steadily, through long hours — in that good work.
And re yesterday Floor Show, where was that ire/urgency when Trump ignored intel and public health warnings of coronavirus? refused to send administration to Senate coronavirus hearings? lied about danger/spread of coronavirus? failed at coronavirus testing? sat on PPE stockpile while hospitals begged? Weeks were lost, and now they’re irate about one day of successful negotiations? “Do the Macarena.”
