Much has been written about why Republicans have refused to approve more pandemic relief for the unemployed, small businesses and state governments. Most get it wrong.
It’s not about “blue state bailouts,” and it’s certainly not about fiscal prudence, not after the GOP promoted $2 trillion dollar deficits to pad the incomes of the top 1% long before the pandemic struck and 240,000 people died (about 60,000 as a direct result of Trump’s incompetence).
Republicans are not helping Americans because they know relief is needed to avoid national misery. But they want that misery, not relief, to be identified with the administration of Joe Biden. They want the misery to stick to Democrats, they want to be able to blame “socialism” and fan fears about loss of liberty (which is a lie).
Yes, this is callous to the point of incomprehension, but there’s more. They are backing an utter incompetent for appointment to the Federal Reserve. Their hope in this? So that conservative fictions will block money needed to start a recovery.
Republicans prolong the declaration of Biden’s victory through support of worthless legal maneuvers, and prevent a smooth transition of power because they want the pain and suffering to continue.
The surging stock market means nothing to working Americans. The waitress with two kids doesn’t have a 401K. She doesn’t even have a job as the pandemic flares again across America. The guy stacking apples at the market is not investing in Apple. The 70 year-old breathing hard while struggling to help customers at the hardware store is as likely to paddle down the Amazon River as own stock in Amazon The Retailer.
Republicans in Congress know that Americans need help as millions have lost jobs and with those jobs, lost health insurance. They know families are in crisis, that farmers have lost crops and cattle, that machinists have lost jobs. Republicans are good with this!
Because Republicans in Congress will sacrifice the institutions of democracy and the welfare of Americans in order to hang on to power at all costs and for as long as possible. Which means ignoring the plight of the American people in the midst of a pandemic and economic meltdown.
Republicans in Congress do NOT want relief to come during an administration with a Democrat in the White House, so they sit on their hands rather than do what they can to help America.