Opinion: As House Democrats rush to pass rescue bill, a deep tension surfaces
ADThis captures the core tension: Democrats mostly agree that both the former and latter provisions are crucial over the longer term, given the scale of the crisis. The big infusions of aid obviously are, but so are the stabilizers — Democrats surely know that if they take power, Republicans will try to sabotage the recovery, and such stabilizers would guard against that.
But the idea that the public would be fine with a $3 trillion bill but would recoil at a $4 or $5 trillion bill is questionable. Democrats have a long history of fearing large budget numbers — and Republican attacks over them — but Republicans will never accept these levels of spending anyway, so why not signal ambition to the country?Making this tension stranger, in some areas, it appears Democrats are willing to make a statement of priorities even if it does risk Republican attacks..
Immigration advocates working Capitol Hill tell us moderate Democrats are balking at some of these provisions, because it’s all but certain that they will be featured in millions of dollars of attack ads.One advocate tells us vulnerable Democrats see these provisions as a problem precisely because Trump is so obsessed with this issue. “Stephen Miller’s obsession with immigrants will influence their political playbook,” this advocate says, adding that “moderates are nervous.
The Opinions section is looking for stories of how the coronavirus has affected people of all walks of life. Write to us. What’s puzzling about this tension, at bottom, is that the details don’t really matter since the bill will never become law over GOP objections. It’s really an opening bid for the next round of negotiations, and a message to the electorate about what the Democratic blueprint amid total collapse looks like.What’s important is a simple, broad contrast: Democrats want to do much, much more to help suffering people and revive the economy than Republicans do.
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