Democrats Are Being Outflanked on the Left…by Republicans?
By: Lauren Elizabeth
Tags: Elections, Donald Trump, Democrats, Government, Politics

Democrats Are Being Outflanked on the Left…by Republicans?

Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

As I have addressed a number of times, every so often there is a stark reminder of the fact that some among the Republican party have understood the obvious appeal of publicly embracing ideas and policy proposals that the public is in favor of. Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley has joined Bernie Sanders as a staunch advocate of a new round of $1200 coronavirus relief stimulus checks for the American people, making impassioned speeches about the necessity of these checks and posting them online for his constituents and the country to see. Recently, it’s also been reported that Donald Trump not only continues to be in favor of sending out another relief check, but one totaling up to $2000.

Jeff Stein with The Washington post writes:

“White House aides intervened Thursday to prevent President Trump from issuing a statement calling for substantially larger stimulus payments for millions of Americans, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the private exchange. On a phone call Thursday afternoon, Trump told allies that he believes stimulus payments in the next relief package should be “at least” $1,200 per person and possibly as big as $2,000 per person, the officials said. Congressional leadership is preparing a stimulus package that would provide checks of $600 per person.”

Why, of all people, would Senator Jeff Hawley and President Donald Trump be arguing for more relief than even the vast majority of Democrats are currently arguing for?

While it has already been widely reported that Donald Trump is considering a 2024 run and is considered the favored candidate, one only has to search ‘Hawley President’ on Twitter to get an idea about how Trump’s own base feels about the Republican Senator.

Patrick Crain wrote:

“Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri will be one of our future Republican Presidents!”

In response to the video of Josh Hawley telling his fellow lawmakers that they must go home and explain their vote to the people of their state after Senator Ron Johnson rejected his plan for $1200 stimulus checks, another Trump supporter wrote:

“@SenRonJohnson So happy you keep getting a check. You need to get behind the people. It is not their fault that you idiots keep locking them down!”

Needless to say, it feels safe to assume that Josh Hawley has some political ambitions of his own.

Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Democrats don’t seem the slightest bit bothered by the fact that the proposal of $600 checks won’t cover rent in most of the country, let alone that they’re being outflanked on the left by the current face of the Republican party and one of their rising Senators.

Of course, most of the Republican party’s lawmakers still fall behind Mitch McConnell and their corporate overlords. That being said, could any of us really deny that if Donald Trump had gone with his instincts and pushed for this $2000 check before the election he probably would have won re-election, or at the very least come much, much closer to doing so? Can we really be surprised when, as predicted, a few up and coming lawmakers have embraced his strategy of at least pretending to care about the meat and potato issues in order to get elected?

Frankly, Democrats should be embarrassed. Embarrassed by this $600 check that’s nothing less than a slap in the face to every American receiving it, embarrassed that someone like Donald Trump showed better political instincts when it comes to this issue than they did, and embarrassed that they’re being outflanked on the left by two prominent Republican figures who undeniably view all of this as a game. While Democrats shrug their shoulders and say this check was the best they could do because McConnell holds a firm red line while they refuse to, Josh Hawley is on the floor of the Senate telling his fellow lawmakers to go home and explain their objections to a robust stimulus package to the people of their states.

If this is at all indicative of what’s to come, 2022 and 2024 are going to be a bloodbath for the current Democratic party.