Will progressives really reject the biggest half a loaf in history?
By any standard, the $3.5 trillion budget package announced by Democrats on Tuesday is a big (bleeping) deal: Its provisions reportedly include making two years of community college free to all Americans; long-term expansion of the new $300-a-month child tax credit; expansion of Medicare to provide dental, vision and hearing benefits; continuation of pandemic-era subsidies for health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act; and a number of hazily defined "climate provisions." If passed, the proposal would enact a remarkable expansion of the welfare state in America — one more sign that "the era of Big Government is over" is over.
It might not be enough for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
"Many in the Squad and Squad-adjacent will vote no," an anonymous "progressive lawmaker" told CNN after the package was announced. The lawmaker called the proposal a "capitulation by progressives" who started out the process aiming for a whopping $6 trillion plan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now this might be a negotiating tactic — a ploy to make moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) more comfortable that a bill negotiated with the help of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is actually the "middle ground," or an effort to bump up the bottom line number just a little bit more. But it's worth taking the lawmaker seriously: Democrats have a thin margin of advantage in the House of Representatives. If only a few members peel off, the bill would be doomed. And that would suggest that progressives aren't up to the task of governance.
A study last year by researchers at Northwestern University suggests many legislators are inclined to reject "half-a-loaf" compromises that move policy closer to their preferred outcome. Why? Because they're afraid of being punished by primary voters for not getting the whole loaf. They rarely get the whole loaf, however — the result is usually gridlock, and no loaf at all.
That would be an unacceptable outcome in this case. Biden-era Democrats have operated on the theory that they must aggressively govern in a way that improves the material well-being of voters. That won't happen if progressives decide to hold out on the budget proposal. They should take the deal, then work to get more next year, and the year after that.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who has spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic, The Kansas City Star and Heatmap News. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Katespiracy: is the media to blame?
Talking Point Public statement about cancer diagnosis followed weeks of wild speculation and conspiracy theories
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
'Restoring life to an ancient watershed'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hur defends description of Biden's 'poor memory'
speed read Former special counsel Robert Hur defended disparaging remarks made about Biden's age in his report
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Democrats litigate; Republicans fight.'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Shut these dangerous and parasitical robots down before it's too late'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Has the government simply become too big to manage?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
What exactly is the role of the DNC and RNC?
In Depth Each major party organ looms large in an election year, but their actual operations are often misunderstood
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'The problem with climate change is the disconnect between action and impact'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Haley's decision to stay in this race could make sense'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published