Working people want to see the Squad stand up to the establishment. Progressive leaders and leaders of major labor unions need to harness that desire and publicly urge that the Squad use their numerical balance & refuse to vote on the MUST PASS stimulus bill unless $15 is in it.— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) March 6, 2021
Or has the moment passed and the House already voted on the bill?
If I'm understanding correctly, they could have put the minimum wage increase back into the bill, but it would then go back to the Senate, where it likely would be rejected.
Don't get me wrong here, I think the left should have done more and put the onus on people like Manchin, but I also don't see a scenario where they win.
What they could do is refuse to vote to pass it without a wage raise. Then that leaves Biden to either let his stimulus die, which he can't and won't, or actually fight for the thing he promised when running.
This would get the left blamed for delaying checks and unemployment funding, and would hurt working people right now.
Biden wouldn't be forced to do anything -- he ran and won on "nothing will fundamentally change," and his supporters and the media are happy to hurt people and blame the left for it.
The slim chance of Democrats seeing the light and reversing course on everything they've done to tank the minimum wage increase thus far is likely exceeded by the chance of them further slashing checks or unemployment funding to attract a handful of Republicans.
Everything the left does they get blamed for as some negative. This is the exact same argument made against Sanders, that they'd call him a communist.
Biden WON running on $15 minimum wage as his main policy, hold him to it. People won't be very mad for long after we have a $15 minimum wage thanks to them.
Biden WON running on $15 minimum wage as his main policy
His main policy was "I'm not Trump, let's forget about all that and go back to the Obama years." He was by far the most conservative candidate in the field.
He put a bunch of progressive stuff on his website solely for the purpose of browbeating the left into voting for him -- he never believed it, his supporters never cared about it, and no one who isn't already on our side is going to be bothered by him blowing all that stuff off.
The folks who voted for him didn't care about his policies. Before he won the nomination all they talked about was his electability, and afterwards all they talked about was how shitty Trump was.
Whatever they did think about his policies, they're not going to hold him to. Look at how obvious the promise of "$2000 checks" was, and how many rank-and-file Democrats are fine with means-tested $1400 checks (and lower unemployment funding). There's no way to hold Biden accountable to his campaign promises period, and that goes double for policies his supporters knew to be insincere, to the extent they knew about them at all.
They didn't though, the $15 minimum wage was stripped out of the Covid Stimulus because the parliamentarian said a higher wage wouldn't have an affect on the budget therefore it cannot be a part of reconciliation.
Edit: Sorry, I meant $15 attached to Covid relief. Senate rejected $15 outright (thumbs down heard round the world), but dare them to reject the Covid Bill over $15/hour.
I gave three or four other reasons this won't work. "The left will get blamed for it" is just a counter to the idea that Biden would take heat for the squad very prominently holding this up.
I can't say who will or won't get heat, but imo the only purpose of electoralism is to heighten contradictions by showing the Democratic Party cannot pass any kind of non means tested redistributive policies. Democrats political power comes from immiserating people, Pelosi/Biden/Kamala ect aren't going to do something that hurts their political power. The sooner this fact is drilled into people's heads the better.
If we're assuming from the start that Democrats would never ever pass a $15 minimum wage, than we can't really blame the squad for not somehow forcing it through. It was never a realistic possibility to begin with, per our initial assumption.
If the goal is to highlight who does and doesn't support the $15 minimum wage, we already know that.
The goal should be radicalizing as many people as possible by showing what the Democratic Party's true colors are. The $15 min wage vote didn't get much media play, rejecting the Covid bill would suck up all the oxygen in the room.
Force Manchin/Sinema/Tester to reject $15/hour by killing the Covid bill. I doubt AOC/Ilhan ect would do this because they see some redeeming qualities in the party, but I'm well past that point.
The $15 min wage vote didn’t get much media play, rejecting the Covid bill would suck up all the oxygen in the room.
Then we're back to the issue of who gets blamed in the media. The answer, of course, would be the left. Here's what you'd get non-stop from corporate media:
We were all ready to get you checks and unemployment funding, but the socialists threw a fit and blew the whole thing up. We already addressed the issue of the minimum wage. Not only will it not get past the Senate, but it couldn't get through the Senate even if all 50 Democrats got on board with it -- the parliamentarian already ruled on this. These socialists are in over their head, and their incompetence is keeping $1400 and unemployment funding from you. If they don't get with the program soon enough the adults in the room will have to cut a deal with Republicans to try and get some relief out.
Now this is all horseshit, and you can make all sorts of great arguments against it, but this is where the narrative will start and where the weight of the media will try to keep it. If we're focused on how this will play in the media, this is a bad fight to pick.
I'm sure the corporate media will blame the left, but no one can spin the optics of voting against Covid to prevent a $15 min wage increase. Preventing checks AND a $15 min wage would be a true sight to behold. And it would basically give the 'left' of the party swag to do it again.
Th spectacle of Sanders awakened so many people politically, the spectacle of the party refusing to improve people's lives beyond a single check would push people left. Worrying about minutiae at this point or who wins or loses the day's headlines is putting the cart before the horse.
no one can spin the optics of voting against Covid to prevent a $15 min wage increase
Which is why we would never come close to getting such a vote. The vote we had was up or down on the Covid bill without the minimum wage increase. So it would be the squad voting against the Covid bill, not centrist Democrats. And they would get all the blame for it because they're the reason it didn't pass.
Worrying about minutiae at this point or who wins or loses the day’s headlines
I'm not seeing a coherent position here. Is the media narrative we'd get from this important or not?
Which is why we would never come close to getting such a vote. The vote we had was up or down on the Covid bill without the minimum wage increase. So it would be the squad voting against the Covid bill, not centrist Democrats. And they would get all the blame for it because they’re the reason it didn’t pass.
It would be the squad voting against stripping the $15 min wage.
I’m not seeing a coherent position here. Is the media narrative we’d get from this important or not?
You're being a little pedantic here - Sam Seder is that you? Spectacle is important, winning the media headlines as decided by corporate media is not. You are basing this argument by the rules set by corporate media.
It would be the squad voting against stripping the $15 min wage.
No, the bill as-is includes Covid relief but not the $15 minimum wage. There was an up/down vote on that. The squad would have had to vote against the Covid relief bill and then make the case that this was justified because it lacked the minimum wage increase.
There is not a bill with Covid relief and the minimum wage increase that other Democrats would have to vote against.
You are basing this argument by the rules set by corporate media.
Corporate media does in fact play an enormous role in the overall media landscape. Ignoring their role is foolish.
If I'm understanding correctly, they could have put the minimum wage increase back into the bill, but it would then go back to the Senate, where it likely would be rejected.
Don't get me wrong here, I think the left should have done more and put the onus on people like Manchin, but I also don't see a scenario where they win.
What they could do is refuse to vote to pass it without a wage raise. Then that leaves Biden to either let his stimulus die, which he can't and won't, or actually fight for the thing he promised when running.
This would get the left blamed for delaying checks and unemployment funding, and would hurt working people right now.
Biden wouldn't be forced to do anything -- he ran and won on "nothing will fundamentally change," and his supporters and the media are happy to hurt people and blame the left for it.
The slim chance of Democrats seeing the light and reversing course on everything they've done to tank the minimum wage increase thus far is likely exceeded by the chance of them further slashing checks or unemployment funding to attract a handful of Republicans.
Everything the left does they get blamed for as some negative. This is the exact same argument made against Sanders, that they'd call him a communist.
Biden WON running on $15 minimum wage as his main policy, hold him to it. People won't be very mad for long after we have a $15 minimum wage thanks to them.
His main policy was "I'm not Trump, let's forget about all that and go back to the Obama years." He was by far the most conservative candidate in the field.
He put a bunch of progressive stuff on his website solely for the purpose of browbeating the left into voting for him -- he never believed it, his supporters never cared about it, and no one who isn't already on our side is going to be bothered by him blowing all that stuff off.
But if anyone could name a single policy of his, it was $15 minimum wage. It's the one he talked about the most, after simply, winning the presidency.
The folks who voted for him didn't care about his policies. Before he won the nomination all they talked about was his electability, and afterwards all they talked about was how shitty Trump was.
Whatever they did think about his policies, they're not going to hold him to. Look at how obvious the promise of "$2000 checks" was, and how many rank-and-file Democrats are fine with means-tested $1400 checks (and lower unemployment funding). There's no way to hold Biden accountable to his campaign promises period, and that goes double for policies his supporters knew to be insincere, to the extent they knew about them at all.
I kind of feel like there are some people who voted for him because he promised an improvement in their material conditions.
And even more people who would understand the progressives actually holding him accountable for it.
Who cares if the left is blamed by the media. Force Biden or the Senate to not vote on $15.
They...already did that?
They didn't though, the $15 minimum wage was stripped out of the Covid Stimulus because the parliamentarian said a higher wage wouldn't have an affect on the budget therefore it cannot be a part of reconciliation.
Edit: Sorry, I meant $15 attached to Covid relief. Senate rejected $15 outright (thumbs down heard round the world), but dare them to reject the Covid Bill over $15/hour.
I gave three or four other reasons this won't work. "The left will get blamed for it" is just a counter to the idea that Biden would take heat for the squad very prominently holding this up.
I can't say who will or won't get heat, but imo the only purpose of electoralism is to heighten contradictions by showing the Democratic Party cannot pass any kind of non means tested redistributive policies. Democrats political power comes from immiserating people, Pelosi/Biden/Kamala ect aren't going to do something that hurts their political power. The sooner this fact is drilled into people's heads the better.
If we're assuming from the start that Democrats would never ever pass a $15 minimum wage, than we can't really blame the squad for not somehow forcing it through. It was never a realistic possibility to begin with, per our initial assumption.
If the goal is to highlight who does and doesn't support the $15 minimum wage, we already know that.
The goal should be radicalizing as many people as possible by showing what the Democratic Party's true colors are. The $15 min wage vote didn't get much media play, rejecting the Covid bill would suck up all the oxygen in the room.
Force Manchin/Sinema/Tester to reject $15/hour by killing the Covid bill. I doubt AOC/Ilhan ect would do this because they see some redeeming qualities in the party, but I'm well past that point.
Then we're back to the issue of who gets blamed in the media. The answer, of course, would be the left. Here's what you'd get non-stop from corporate media:
Now this is all horseshit, and you can make all sorts of great arguments against it, but this is where the narrative will start and where the weight of the media will try to keep it. If we're focused on how this will play in the media, this is a bad fight to pick.
I'm sure the corporate media will blame the left, but no one can spin the optics of voting against Covid to prevent a $15 min wage increase. Preventing checks AND a $15 min wage would be a true sight to behold. And it would basically give the 'left' of the party swag to do it again.
Th spectacle of Sanders awakened so many people politically, the spectacle of the party refusing to improve people's lives beyond a single check would push people left. Worrying about minutiae at this point or who wins or loses the day's headlines is putting the cart before the horse.
Which is why we would never come close to getting such a vote. The vote we had was up or down on the Covid bill without the minimum wage increase. So it would be the squad voting against the Covid bill, not centrist Democrats. And they would get all the blame for it because they're the reason it didn't pass.
I'm not seeing a coherent position here. Is the media narrative we'd get from this important or not?
It would be the squad voting against stripping the $15 min wage.
You're being a little pedantic here - Sam Seder is that you? Spectacle is important, winning the media headlines as decided by corporate media is not. You are basing this argument by the rules set by corporate media.
No, the bill as-is includes Covid relief but not the $15 minimum wage. There was an up/down vote on that. The squad would have had to vote against the Covid relief bill and then make the case that this was justified because it lacked the minimum wage increase.
There is not a bill with Covid relief and the minimum wage increase that other Democrats would have to vote against.
Corporate media does in fact play an enormous role in the overall media landscape. Ignoring their role is foolish.
We're just arguing semantics on the first point.
Sure, they play a role, but they aren't all powerful. Look at the success Trump and Sanders - both hates by corporate media.
I mean they did put the onus on Manchin, he and 7 other Democrats told us to fuck off.
The left can't do anything to Manchin. He's not up for re-election until 2024.
If anyone could, it would be Biden or Democratic leadership, but they agree with him.
Even then, Manchin will probably run to Governor rather than Senator in 2024.