Zach Carter, a Huffington Post staff writer, argued in an op-ed (here) that the White House’s latest Covid-19 relief offer is a “very good” deal which Pelosi and the Democrats should accept. They can’t.
The reason why is found in Carter’s own words:
” … [I]n separate letters released Saturday and Sunday, Pelosi assailed the Trump proposal for failing to adequately address virus testing, tracing and vaccine development; refusing to tighten OSHA regulations; excluding economic relief to U.S. territories and Native American tribes; and for ‘cruelly’ doing ‘nothing to address inequities in COVID incidence and impact on communities of color.'”
With Covid-19 still raging out of control, America needs contact tracing and testing. Trump has no national plan, and while he’s offering some money for this to states, it’s inadequate, and has strings attached that will delay implementation. That’s a bad deal, not a good deal, but isn’t a deal breaker. We can wait out the dying days of the Trump administration if we have to.
Republicans want to push workers back into unsafe workplaces, because they only care about reopening the economy, and are willing to sacrifice lives to do it. Democrats want workplace protections from Covid-19, which isn’t asking too much, but that’s not forthcoming. This offer requires Democrats to walk away from protecting workers from sickness and possible death. They can’t do that.
Trump’s latest offer also does nothing for Native Americans, the hardest-hit of all U.S. demographic groups by Covid-19, and another Democratic constituency. This deal requires Democrats to turn their backs on them. They can’t do that, either.
They possibly could accept less funding for the unemployed, families, child care, and schools, and even grit their teeth and sacrifice contact tracing and testing, if they have to. But you can’t betray and abandon your friends. That’s why Pelosi and the Democrats can’t take this deal.
Pelosi needs to accept the deal now. After the election there may be no deal, particularly if the Republicans do lose the Seanate and the Presidency. Her coalition in the House is going to be smaller, and the Democrats may not take the Senate. If she is not agreeing because the Democrats need corvid as a weapon that could well backfire.
There may well be no deal at all after election day, or no possibility of one until after January 20th. That is a long time. So are we closing the country again as flu season is here or right around the corner?