Bernie Sanders accused of 'diva behavior', 'The Five' reacts
Liberal senator reportedly asks for king-sized beds and 60-degree rooms among other requests; 'The Five' weighs in
Concerned about the skyrocketing cost of everything? Shocked at what you have to pay for chicken, for gasoline, for rent today? Don’t look now, but Bernie Sanders has a plan that will drive prices even higher.
Despite inflation soaring to the highest level in 30 years, the Vermont senator and his progressive colleagues want to throw another $6 trillion onto an economy already on fire. As Joe Biden might say: this is no joke.
Under cover of "infrastructure" investment, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and other far-left Democrats aim to push a gigantic new spending package through the Senate using reconciliation, choosing to plow ahead with zero Republican votes.
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Progressive Democrats are aggrieved that some of their colleagues have brokered a smaller (actual) infrastructure deal with the GOP, which omits some of their more grandiose ambitions. They want to bloat the budget with a vast expansion of Medicare, subsidies for child care and elder care (a thank-you to the teachers’ unions and the SEIU), spending to combat climate change and perhaps to provide a path to citizenship for people in the country illegally.
Liberals’ major gripe appears to be that the bipartisan compromise plan only requires half a trillion dollars in new spending. For progressives, unconcerned about last year’s $3 trillion federal budget deficit, that is not good enough. As reported in The Hill, "Asked how Democrats came up with the $6 trillion spending target, Sanders replied: "Don’t overthink it."
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who should overthink it, is all in.
It’s a gamble by progressives that would rattle even Wild Bill Hickok, one of history’s greatest poker players. The surge in spending would risk stoking even higher inflation, putting at risk the slight edge Democrats currently have in Congress as well as the economic recovery. If it misfires, it would also slam Leftists’ standing within their own party.
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Progressives beware: Hickok was shot dead by an aggrieved loser, even as he held two aces and two eights – a winning hand.
You can’t blame Sanders; he is an ideological zealot who has long been criticized by colleagues like former Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., for his refusal to compromise and lack of political pragmatism. And, Democrats, after all, put Sanders in charge of the Budget Committee. The self-described democratic socialist, once a mitten-wearing curmudgeonly outlier, is giddy with power and opportunity.
But what could possess his fellow Democrats to jeopardize our economy? Simple: they are scared they will lose the support of progressives in 2022 unless they follow through on campaign promises to radically upend our energy industries, provide cradle to grave welfare, open our borders and generally grow the federal government’s control of the economy.
Transforming the nation, as Biden promised to do, turns out to be quite expensive. It will also prove – count on it – extremely unpopular.
Democrats running for reelection in swing districts in 2022 are nervous, and rightly so. They see voters connecting the dots, and already blaming Biden and Democrats in control of Congress for the rising cost of living.
Sanders claimed in a recent interview that the progressives’ proposed bill includes "what the American people want." Polling suggests otherwise.
A recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed 88% of registered voters "very" or "somewhat" concerned about increased inflation; asked what causes inflation, a plurality cited "massive government spending," money being injected into the economy by the Federal Reserve, and "uncontrollable government deficits."
Sanders claimed in a recent interview that the progressives’ proposed bill includes "what the American people want." Polling suggests otherwise.
For instance, leftists are pushing costly climate change initiatives, such as granting taxpayer rebates for electric vehicles, large-scale spending to blanket the nation with charging stations, and subsidies for renewables to eliminate cheap fossil fuels from our power industry.
But a recent Rasmussen poll reports that only "29% of Likely U.S. Voters agree with Biden’s statement that climate change is ‘the greatest threat facing America.’ Fifty-four percent (54%) disagree with Biden’s claim about global warming and 17% are not sure."
Moreover, a recent poll from HarrisX and Americans for Tax Reform found 58% of voters (including 59% of independents) not willing to raise taxes to fund climate change initiatives, compared to 42% who were.
Indeed, the HarvardCAPS poll cited earlier found 69% of the country opposed to raising income taxes and 55% think Biden’s plan to raise taxes only on the wealthy will have a broader impact than just on that group. That poll also shows a majority opposes raising taxes on corporations, expecting those higher fees to "trickle down" into increased prices.
Democrats have zero mandate to push an extreme progressive agenda. Biden won the presidency by falsely campaigning as a moderate and because people wanted to boot Donald Trump, not because they were willing to sign onto Sanders’ socialist agenda.
Moreover, Democrats currently hold a whisper-thin advantage of only six seats in the House; they lead a 50-50 senate by dint of Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to break a tie vote. That does not suggest a mandate; that suggests status quo.
Biden should be the authoritative voice of his party, advocating moderation in light of rising inflation and his party’s vulnerability. He promised not to hike taxes on Americans earning less than $400,000 but increased prices on everyday goods is a tax on everyone, and especially our most vulnerable.
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Unhappily, Uncle Joe has big personal ambitions – to be the next FDR – which are being encouraged by the liberal media.
Biden may truly believe Americans elected him to transform the nation; it is also possible he does not understand the situation.
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