Monday, March 23, 2020

Democrats need to get real

Nancy Pelosi has emerged as one of the worst Speakers of the House and that was before the coronvirus.  Since it's been declared a pandemic, she has only gotten worse.

Senator Bernie Sanders observed today:



Some of my Republican colleagues are calling for a $1,000, one-time check to Americans. Really? That'll last you two or three weeks. What happens after that? We need to give every person in this country $2,000 a month for the duration of this crisis.


$1,000 a month -- even every month -- which some Democrats have proposed is nonsense.  You might be able to cover rent or a mortgage payment and some basic bills with that -- might be.  As for eating and covering any extra -- internet, NETFLIX, forget it.

It has to be $2,000 a month minimum.

That's a real issue and Nancy needs to be addressing it.

As noted at COMMON DREAMS:

"This is a pivotal moment for our healthcare system and our economy," Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus, said in a statement. "We need to give workers the financial resources to stay healthy and ensure our health system is equipped to provide life-saving, universal care to everyone in our country."
In a letter (pdf) to Pelosi on Thursday, Jayapal and Pocan outlined a dozen policy priorities they said must be included in any stimulus package to ensure adequate relief for individuals and families harmed by the coronavirus-induced economic crisis.
"We provide urgent recommendations for legislative action to address the gravity of this moment and provide economic security and peace of mind to families at this critical time," said Jayapal and Pocan.
Among the progressive leaders' demands are monthly cash payments of up to $2,000 for each adult and up an additional $1,000 for families with children for up to six months, with eligibility based on income.
As Common Dreams reported on Wednesday, Pelosi has thus far refused to support direct cash payments as a way to put more money into the pockets of Americans during the worsening economic downturn.



It's is March 22nd, the first of April will be here in no time.  That's when many Americans -- who aren't part of the super rich like Nancy (estimated worth is at least $34 million) will have to pay first of the month bills.  As Bernie Sanders noted this evening, "There is enormous economic anxiety taking place in this country."  Nancy needs to get off her ass and start addressing the needs of the American people in a serious way.

The pandemic is stressful enough.  Stress from worrying about how to keep a roof over your head during it should not be added to that.  We should never again have to see a headline like this "Refusal by Pelosi to Consider Universal Cash Payments in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic 'Maddening,' Say Progressives."  Nancy better offer some real damn leadership or accept the fact that her legacy is gone and history will see her as the ineffective joke she actually was.