July 23, 2020

What Good Are Republicans?

Stefani Reynolds/CNP via ZUMA

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With only a week to go until benefits run out, Republicans can’t even agree among themselves on a new coronavirus relief package:

Senate Republicans killed President Trump’s payroll tax cut proposal on Thursday but failed to reach agreement with the White House on a broader coronavirus relief bill. This set off a frantic scramble with competing paths forward, as administration officials floated a piecemeal approach but encountered pushback from both parties, and the entire effort appeared to teeter chaotically on the brink of failure.

…If the bill is not released on Thursday, it would likely slip to Monday, giving lawmakers just a few days to reach some sort of agreement before enhanced unemployment benefits will expire for more than 20 million Americans.

What a worthless bunch of cretins. I mean, forget the details. Forget percentages of GDP. Forget 11-dimensional campaign strategies. We have millions of working-class Americans who are barely hanging on to their lives thanks to a pandemic they obviously have no control over. So just pass a goddamn bill. I don’t care if it’s means tested or not. I don’t care which party it “helps” more. I don’t care if it increases the national debt. People are suffering and they need help. Small businesses need help. States and cities need help. Schools need help.

So for God’s sake, help them. Just do it. If Republicans aren’t willing to help out Americans during the biggest pandemic of the past century, what the hell good are they?

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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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