When republicans control the White House and control Congress, then Mitch McConnell says, “Elections have consequences. Winners make policy. Losers go home. “ When Democrats win elections and control the White House and Congress, republicans expect to co-author legislation with democrats and to get to set out the basic contours and fundamental nature of policy. This can’t be what unity means. Voters chose candidates who ran on policies. Candidates are obligated to implement the policies that they ran on. Otherwise, voters lose incentive to vote for that candidate.
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."They had their shot in the election. ... But in this country when you win the election you get to make policy. I always remind people, winners make policy and losers go home."
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The reason why Congress is so evenly divided and why 40,000 votes in three states determined who won the presidential election is not because about the same number of voters voted for democratic candidates and republican candidates. The reason for that outcome is because the Constitution values geography far more than people and gives the party which wins a much smaller minority of the vote much more power in the federal government than the percentage of the vote that they won. While Joe Biden only won the electoral college by 40,000 votes in three states, he won seven million more votes than Thing did. . Democrats in the US Senate represent 41 million more voters than republicans in the US Senate. If we add up all the votes for all of the senators who caucus with the Democratic Party and we add up all of the votes for all of the senators who caucus with the Republican Party, then we find that the senators who caucus with the Democratic Party won far more votes than the senators who caucus with the Republican Party. The median voter is eight percent more progressive than the median state. If we add up all the votes for democratic candidates for the US House of Representatives and we add up all the votes for republican candidates for the US House of Representatives, then we find that the democratic candidates won five million more votes, a consequence of gerrymandering. Thus, far more voters wanted democrats to be in charge of the federal government than republicans. It wasn’t close.
Since even though Congress is fairly evenly divided democrats won a lot more votes, then democrats should determine the basic structure and contours of legislation. Cumulatively, in the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 general elections for US Senate , democratic candidates for US Senate won 146,472,000 votes. Cumulatively, in the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 general elections for US Senate , republicans won 119,246,000 votes . Cumulatively, in the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 general elections, democratic candidates for US Senate won 27,226,000 more votes than republican candidates for US Senate. Yet, the US Senate is evenly split 50-50. Democratic candidates for the US House of Representatives won approximately 77,545,000 votes in the 2020 election cycle. Republican candidates for the US House of Representatives won approximately 72,877,000 votes in the 2020 election cycle. Thus, cumulatively, democratic candidates for the US House of Representatives won approximately five million more votes in 2020 than republican candidates.
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So, in summary, the Democratic Party candidate for president, Joe Biden won approximately 7 million more votes than the Republican Party candidate for president, Democratic Party candidates for US Senate won approximately 27 million more votes in the general elections of 2016 and 2018 and 2020 cycles than the Republican Party candidates, and Democratic Party candidates for the US House of Representatives won approximately five million more votes in 2020 than Republican Party candidates. Think about that: 5 million more votes in the House, 27 million more votes in the US Senate, and 7 million more votes for president.
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These numbers show that American voters clearly favored the Democratic Party and our policies. Republicans, if you want an equal say in the legislation, then you need to win an equal amount of votes. American voters chose our policies and so we set the contours, the parameters, the basic structure of legislation. We may consider including some of republican contributions to legislation, but because we won so many more votes, we will set the fundamental structure of any and all legislation. Unity means that we are putting policies in our legislation that are broadly popular in legislation. It does not mean that Congressional republicans get an equal say in and set the fundamental structure of legislation. It does not mean that republicans can pick some absurd number like $600 billion which eliminates or makes severe cuts across the board for COVID relief bill. This is a third of the investment that our COVID bill makes. President Biden’s bill is $1.9 trillion and includes $1400 direct payments for individuals making $75,000 or couples making $150,000 . The republican bill makes a third of the investment, offers only $1000 in direct payments to individuals making $50,000 a year or couples making $100,000 a year. In California and New York among other places, $50,000 a year is not enough to live off of. Then, there are single parents who will have much greater expenses than a person living alone. Senators Ossoff and Warnock both campaigned heavily on $2000 direct payments and defeated sitting US senators in run off elections in Georgia, a reddish state. It was a major reason why they won.
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When their legislation only includes a third of the financial investment, then it means that they must have cut major investments that President Biden’s bill makes. This demonstrates why we must use budget reconciliation because it shows how drastic the cuts must be in order to gain ten Senate Republican votes to go through regular order. If they had come in with a $1.5 trillion plan and kept the direct payments as they were, then it would have shown that it was possible to go through regular order . There is no way to eliminate two thirds of the investment of President Biden’s proposal and have the same impact of President Biden’s proposal and meet the needs created by this pandemic. This isn’t even close to President Biden’s proposal ; it can’t be. It’s not a serious proposal. It’s not a serious attempt at working with President Biden.
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The only reason that they included direct payments at all was for public relations purposes. This was a pitch in the dirt that they wanted us to swing at. It’s what republicans wanted in a bill except including smaller versions of a direct payment which excludes too many people who need help and doesn’t meet the needs of those who have been struggling through the pandemic. There are many people who are underemployed and many gig workers who don’t meet requirements for unemployment. There are people who have been struggling financially for almost a year. One thousand dollars doesn’t cover all of the expenses for a single month for a single person and the pandemic has been here almost a year.
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I want to make one more point. These motherfuckers didn’t have a problem with Thing’s $1.8 Trillion tax cuts for the wealthy legislation. They voted for that when there was not even a pandemic. If they can vote for a $1.8 Trillion tax cut for the wealthy, then it is clearly not the number that’s a problem. They are absolute hypocrites and we need to point out their votes for that $1.8 Trillion tax cut for the wealthy. They used the same budget reconciliation process that they are attacking the Democratic Party for using.
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.The Senate was able to pass the bill with only 51 votes, without the need to defeat a filibuster, under the budget reconciliation process.
Even Susan Collins voted for it because of course she did
A number of Republican senators who initially expressed trepidation over the bill, including Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Susan Collins of Maine, and Steve Daines of Montana, ultimately voted for the Senate bill
In fact, every single one of the Senate Republicans voted for that bill
The Senate voted 51 to 48, with no Republican defections and no Democratic support.
What happened to their love for unity and bipartisanship ?
and here are the effects as the non-partisan CBO calculated them:
The Act is based on tax reform advocated by congressional Republicans and the Trump administration.[7] The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that under the Act individuals and pass-through entities like partnerships and S corporations would receive about $1.125 trillion in net benefits (i.e. net tax cuts offset by reduced healthcare subsidies) over 10 years, while corporations would receive around $320 billion in benefits. The CBO estimates that implementing the Act would add an estimated $2.289 trillion to the national debt over ten years,[8] or about $1.891 trillion after taking into account macroeconomic feedback effects, in addition to the $9.8 trillion increase forecast under the current policy baseline and existing $20 trillion national debt.
and This was sickening
On December 21, 2017, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its distribution estimate of the Act:
- During 2019, income groups earning under $20,000 (about 23% of taxpayers) would contribute to deficit reduction (i.e., incur a cost), mainly by receiving fewer subsidies due to the repeal of the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Other groups would contribute to deficit increases (i.e., receive a benefit), mainly due to tax cuts.
- During 2021, 2023, and 2025, income groups earning under $40,000 (about 43% of taxpayers) would contribute to deficit reduction, while income groups above $40,000 would contribute to deficit increases.
- During 2027, income groups earning under $75,000 (about 76% of taxpayers) would contribute to deficit reduction, while income groups above $75,000 would contribute to deficit increases.[89][92]
CBO stated that lower income groups will incur costs, while higher income groups will receive benefits: "Overall, the combined effect of the change in net federal revenue and spending is to decrease deficits (primarily stemming from reductions in spending) allocated to lower-income tax filing units and to increase deficits (primarily stemming from reductions in taxes) allocated to higher-income tax filing units
Hell, even many of the wealthy opposed it and didn’t see it as doing much economic good if any
Billionaire and former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg called this tax bill an "economically indefensible blunder" arguing that companies would not invest more because of the tax cuts: "Corporations are sitting on a record amount of cash reserves: nearly $2.3 trillion. That figure has been climbing steadily since the recession ended in 2009, and it's now double what it was in 2001. The reason CEOs aren't investing more of their liquid assets has little to do with the tax rate."[221]
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett also thought that Trump's tax cut would not help businesses.[222] In a CNBC interview, Buffett even said: "I don't need a tax cut in a society with so much inequality".[223]
In a letter made public on the November 12, 2017, more than 400 millionaires and billionaires (which include George Soros and Steven Rockefeller) asked Congress to reject the Republican tax plan. They note that it would disproportionately benefit the wealthy, while adding at least $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to the current national debt. This deficit "would leave us unable to meet our country's current needs and restrict us in advancing any future investments," the letter continues
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I truncated anything after thousands and added up general election votes for each party. I performed all of the calculations. Yeah, all of them.
Democratic candidates for US Senate won 41,891,000 votes in the general elections in the 2020 cycle. Republican candidates for US Senate won 43,859,000 votes in the general elections in the 2020 cycle. Republican candidates for US Senate won 2,032,000 more votes in the general elections in the 2020 cycle. Republican candidates won 20 of the elections for US Senate in 2020. Democratic candidates won 15 of the elections for US Senate in 2020. There were 35 elections for US Senate in 2020.
Democratic candidates for US Senate won 53,063,000 votes in the general elections 2018 cycle. Republican candidates for US Senate won 34,978,000 votes in the general elections in the 2018 cycle. Democratic candidates for US Senate won 18,085,000 more votes in the general elections in the 2018 cycle. Democratic candidates won 24 of the elections for US Senate in the 2018 cycle. Republican candidates won 11 of the elections for US Senate in the 2018 cycle. There were 35 US Senate elections in the 2018 cycle.
Democratic candidates for US Senate won 51,518,000 votes in the general elections in the 2016 cycle. Republican candidates for US Senate won 40,409,000 votes in the general elections in the 2016 cycle. Democratic candidates for US Senate won 11,109,000 votes more in the general elections in the 2016 cycle. Democratic candidates for US Senate won 12 elections in the 2016 general elections. Republican candidates for US Senate won 22 elections in the 2016 general elections. There were 34 elections for US Senate in the 2016 cycle.
Cumulatively, in the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 general elections , democratic candidates for US Senate won 146,472,000 votes. Cumulatively, in the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 general elections for US Senate, republicans won 119,246,000 votes . Cumulatively, in the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 general elections for US Senate, democratic candidates won 27,226,000 more votes than republican candidates. Republicans won 53 total general elections for US Senate in total from the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 elections. Democrats won 51 elections for US Senate in total from the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 elections. There were in total 104 elections for US Senate from the 2016 and 2018 and 2020 elections.