Tomorrow the House will vote again on the new stimulus bill. The bill contains provisions to expand the child tax credit, to send stimulus checks to qualifying people, and to maintain unemployment benefits at $300 a week. It does not contain a $15 hourly minimum wage boost, nor does it provide $2000 stimulus checks.
Depending on where you live in the country and when your state began to impose COVID-related restrictions, this week may mark a full pandemic year in your life. Social media platforms are full of retrospectives — the last time we went to a restaurant or saw a concert or knocked on doors for a presidential candidate — while, at the same time, the material stability that we need to be able to process these absences in our lives has never felt further away. Entire Senate campaigns made their cases by acknowledging that two thousand dollars added to Americans’ bank accounts would change lives drastically. Knowing that 1400 + 600 = 2000, though, won’t change the fact that the new checks are means-tested enough to keep them out of the hands of 17 million people who received the original $600. They’re months too late, hundreds of dollars too little, because the Democratic Party establishment is worried about Republican votes it won’t win.
The child tax credit, health care subsidies and other programs will significantly reduce poverty. But all of these measures are temporary. A nice short-term bandaid on a gaping wound and with Biden ruling out changes to the filibuster, it’s may also be the only significant piece of legislation that will pass in Biden’s first term. This bill has been called the most significant anti-poverty legislation in a generation. If so that’s more of an indictment of this generation than an accolade for this bill.
What will come in the next year? Hopefully, people around the world will continue to be vaccinated, and the immediate threat of the coronavirus upon everyday life will diminish. The retrospective of how our lives have changed and how our government has failed us in the past year is sobering, and it offers insight into the political struggles that we must organize to win. For example, as we wrote last week, Kyrsten Sinema’s theatrical display of animosity toward the working class speaks volumes about the “unity” at the heart of Democratic politics: a unity based upon corporate fawning. And while seven other Democratic senators chose to vote more discreetly against a higher minimum wage, their message was clear. People in minimum-wage jobs — those who have made it possible for others to eat, shop for essentials, and avoid exposure to COVID-19 — are being told that their labor is worth the occasional grandstanding tweet from Washington politicians, but it’s not worth compensation that will allow them to lead a stable, secure life. Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders was right to propose a different approach; the Biden administration showed its elitist colors by allowing the Senate parliamentarian to exclude the wage increase. But every day proves that poverty wages are killing people, and the politicians who cheer for those poverty wages deserve to be met with a reckoning.
We hope that the coming year is better for all of us. The unionizing efforts of Amazon workers and the militancy of teachers’ unions suggest how this will be possible. In the midst of crisis, we’re inspired by the people who understand the collective power of organized labor: power that can shut down workplace abuse, secure healthcare, win living wages, and improve the lives of all. Capitalism, the economic system that has given us privatized vaccine rollouts, GoFundMe pages instead of universal healthcare, and a country where $2000 in the hand means life or death, won’t give up without a fight. Now, people who are getting their workplaces organized show us what that fight will look like.
Thanks for reading. We can’t wait to share our weekly conversation with you this Friday. This week’s guest will be John Nichols of the Nation who has been a strong voice for labor and working class politics from his home state of Wisconsin. Audio will be available on Substack and streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pandora, and more starting Saturday.
Incredibly well written summary of the issues we've been facing, and will continue to face in the coming years under a Joe Biden presidency and a barely Democratic Senate.
Looking forward to your next interview, Krystal and Kyle!
:-)
Thank you K&K - another good intro to your forthcoming interview - this time with John Nichols. I would also like to call your attention to an important article on Brazil and Lula in today's Glenn Greenwald's substack -- it is of major importance to the situation in our beloved USA...
Below is my comment on GG's article that you may be interested in:
First - congratulations on your courage and major efforts !! Bolsonaro clique is a very dangerous crime family, much adored by right-wing extremists in the US security apparatus. Like you, I am still grieving about horrible assassination of another Brazil's political star, Marielle Franco. Please take care to protect yourself and your family.
Your warnings for the US are very timely. We all know how The Intercept, which you co-founded, silenced you regarding massive corruption in Biden's family. Since that time, despite that Trump defeated himself by his incompetence in virus handling, there has NOT been a peep in the corporate press about that huge and global corruption case.
Biden administration and oligarchs behind it totally control HiTech monopolies (Amazon, Google/YouTube, Facebook, Tweeter, etc.) - all for years deeply integrated into huge US surveillance/"security" apparatus. The recent letter by two California House "lifers" and otherwise for years useless Democrats Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney to CEO's of cable companies are truly unparalleled and represents the rise of fascism in the US -- under a guise of "fighting fascism." All these multiple attacks (note similarities with Brazil) are clearly carefully choreographed and coordinated -- easily predicted and well understood since we should always keep in mind that there is one HUGE elephant in the room:
The scam of the century - the now 5-year long Russia-gate hoax initiated by Obama/Biden administration
The Russia-gate hoax and two-impeachment “entertainments” were concocted by neo-liberals Obama/Hillary/Biden/Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, Maxine Waters, Jamie Ruskin, etc., etc. -- and their intelligence and DNC executives on behalf of their Wall Street and military and security industry donors, i.e., the War party
By far the absolutely highest need of Biden government and its DNC oligarch cabal is that Russia-gate immense hoax – the scam of the century -- will NOT / will NEVER be exposed.
This represents a new phase of US domestic politics -- on foreign policy oligarchs of both parties are united.
Hence immense obligations to primary corrupt propagandists for their roles, including despicable Kamala Harris (Hillary’s protégé), Neera Tanden, Melissa Hodgman (wife of the Comey’s infamous Peter Strzok), Pete Buttigieg, etc, and media and HiTech executives.
And -- bravo for Lula -- long time ago Business Week quoted his outstanding solution for oil profits when price rises: Sharing between Brazil and oil companies in such profits; so simple and logical... Yet we overturned democratically elected and US educated economist - first president of Iran Mohammad Mossadeq for similar decision -- long forgotten in the US and always fresh in mind of every Persian.
Wishing well to Brazil (and to our beloved USA) with immense thanks, BP