The GOP might oppose one of the most popular bills in decades. How risky is that?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Republicans have seemingly found themselves on the very wrong side of some big legislative battles in recent years.

The tax cut package they pushed through in 2018, for instance, polled among the most unpopular bills passed — if not the most unpopular — in decades. Their 2017 effort to replace the Affordable Care Act was even more historically unpopular, with support falling as low as the teens in some polls (before Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona ended it with his thumbs-down).

And it would seem to be happening again, with Republican leaders pushing for their party to unite against President Biden’s hugely popular coronavirus stimulus bill. Some are characterizing this as a huge risk.

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The chart below caught my eye Wednesday. It’s from the Economist and compares polls of Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package with other major pieces of legislation in recent decades. As you can see, it’s one of the rare policies that the vast majority of Americans seem to have agreed on for a very long time.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/25/gop-might-oppose-one-most-popular-bills-decades-how-risky-is-that/

[TheRealNorth]

1. Not too risky

People will forget by 2022 and their base will turn out no matter what.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

2. Agreed. The Dems need to start campaigning NOW.

The Republicans already have their eyes on the 2022 prize -- capturing that one seat that will return control of the Senate to their party, and more importantly, restoring Moscow Mitch to his role as the Grim Reaper.

The Dems should also have their focus set on winning at the state level, leaving no seat -- from school board to Congress -- unchallenged. Howard Dean's fifty state strategy was working until it was kibashed by the national organization, which wanted to follow the traditional approach of focusing assets on the battleground states.

[AllyCat]

7. I'm running for re-election to School Board in my town

Would love support. Have a formidable challenger.

[Stuart G]

3. K and R...Thank You for Posting This Article...

[BobTheSubgenius]

4. Fortunately for them, they have a bewildering constituency.

One that falls all over themselves in their eagerness to vote against their own interests.
That said, I bet that if their votes started to significantly swing to the left, the GOP would double down and move even farther to the right.

[dhill926]

5. yet people continue to vote for them...

fucking morons...

[Ford_Prefect]

6. We can be sure they are being well paid to do it. That is their primary motivation..

Whatever their sponsors require.

You can be sure that if there was something in the bill to suit their owners they would be for that, too.

[Mr.Bill]

8. They know it's very risky.

That's why they are putting so much effort into voter suppression.

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Twitter followup:

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[ancianita]

10. It's as risky as our side decides to make it. We must amplify our messaging that they don't care

about Americans, especially their own constituents. We can smash their idea of "conservatism," cast doubt on their votes, by showing how no advancement for Americans has ever been made "conservatively," and that they vote only in the interests of their dark money funders.

We should stop believing they have control over their PR on this.

We should be drumbeating that Republicans' anti-populist voting is not just risky -- it's dangerous for the population.

[Jakes Progress]

11. Easy one. The retrumplican constituents are not their electorate.

Last edited Mon Mar 1, 2021, 02:37 AM - Edit history (1)

They are representing the upper one percent who will give them the money to stay in office. The money will buy them the air time and influencer pages to convince the very dim witted (regardless of education) that republicans will save them from whatever they fear, whatever makes them quail and quiver in the dark.

Their constituents are the corporate monied interests. Their electorate are the easily duped, the scared little whiners, and the generally nasty. Morals and thinking are not a part of their behavior.