Voters need to experience the benefits of progressive policies before the 2022 election.
We cannot afford to wait.
The sooner the progressive agenda is enacted, the sooner voters can reap the benefits. In the 2022 election, voters must clearly see the choice between the “do nothing but prohibit abortion” Republicans and the “Build Back Better” Democrats. If the Democrats fail to move fast, none of their policies will have the opportunity to entice the working poor to the polls.
Progressives Must Accept Manchin’s $1.5 Trillion Compromise
Biden’s $3.5 trillion American Families Plan (AFP) was conceived as a ten-year program. Joe Manchin’s $1.5 trillion compromise will fund the plan for three and a half years – the remainder of Biden’s term. Progressives need to take the bait and act fast. The American public needs to fully experience the benefits of early childhood education, lower prescription drug costs, and the continuation of the child tax credit before the 2022 mid-term election.
The Public Will Vote to Maintain Their Benefits
The public needs to experience Biden’s “Build Back Better” program. No rational person will voluntarily give up benefits that substantially improve their lives and those of their loved ones. In 2022 and 2024, Democrats need to run on the “carrot and stick” principle. Carrot: Elect Democrats to get all the original “Build Back Better” provisions that Manchin and Sinema rejected. Stick: Republicans will strip away all your newly-acquired benefits if elected. Time is of the essence, and the Democrats are wasting time.
This Is a Dangerous Waiting Game
Progressives fear that unless the entire $3.5 trillion Reconciliation Plan is adopted, the Republicans will dismantle the plan if they take office in 2024. Of course they will; the Republicans will destroy the “Build Back Better” program whether its investment is $1.5 trillion or $3.5 trillion. Democrats need to wake the hell up and face reality. To quote The Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you find, you get what you need.”
Progressives Need To Act – NOW!
We need the $1.2 trillion American Jobs Plan Hard Infrastructure Bill to put Americans to work NOW! We also need the American Families Plan Social Policies Bill for $1.5 trillion – as a start. We need immediate help for childcare so caregivers can afford to return to the workplace. We need adequate medical care for Americans of all ages, especially voting Seniors who can make or break an election. We need the bold policy provisions in Biden’s climate agenda that are crucial to combating climate change before time it is too late.
Let’s Get This Done
Reach out to your representatives in the House and Senate. Tell them to take the Manchin deal. While it is distressing that key elements of the “Build Back Better” plan have been abandoned like tuition-free community college for two years and dental benefits for Medicare recipients, the longer these negotiations drag out, the less time the American public will have to experience what remains of the “Build Back Better” program. Achieving a strong Democratic majority in the House and Senate in the 2022 midterm and 2024 general elections are dependent on getting these bills passed. Once solid Democratic majorities are secured, additional funding for human infrastructure as outlined in the American Families Plan will follow!
Joyce O’Day 