Despite the fact that Democrats celebrated an apparent win in this year’s presidential election, serious divisions within the party are already beginning to emerge.
This was evident yet again this week when a left-leaning website known as Jacobin accused vice-president to-be and California Sen. Kamala Harris (D) of being missing-in-action this year when it came to legislation on coronavirus relief.
According to Fox News, the Jacobin article, penned by writers David Sirota and Andrew Perez, pressed Harris to fess up on where she’s been while Americans are in desperate need of relief amid a global pandemic.
“[W]hile she has made some generic comments about Congress needing to pass some form of stimulus, she has not been an aggressive leader on the question of direct aid in the current legislative package,” the pair wrote. “Take a look at her social media feeds and peruse Google News for her mentions — there doesn’t seem to be much of anything from her in the middle of the central budget controversy of the entire crisis.”
Where’s Kamala?
Sirota and Perez also said that Harris’ absence has been “perplexing, considering that she is in a position to play a direct role in the legislative standoff.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden also found himself caught in the crossfire; the Jacobin writers said the president-elect “seems to have completely checked out of the current debate, after helping create a debacle.”
Harris, for her part, may just be “following Biden’s lead,” the pair surmised.
“Or maybe she believes some ridiculous seventeen-dimensional-chess theory that staying out of the fray will help secure a good outcome, in the same way Democrats always come up with rationales to live to never fight another day,” they wrote. “Or maybe there’s a more innocent explanation — maybe she just hasn’t gotten around to it but is about to weigh in.”
Trump weighs in
Whatever the reason, Sirota and Perez said they hope Harris will soon stop the delay and “seize this moment,” Fox reported.
“This is her chance to lead Democrats to a big win over McConnell in support of a policy that will help millions of people,” they said, according to Fox. “Let’s hope she seizes the moment and doesn’t decide to just disappear.”
As of Thursday, the fight is continuing in Congress over how much to give Americans in direct payments as part of a sweeping coronavirus relief package. Congress has passed a measure giving most adults $600, as Fox reported separately, but President Donald Trump has since said $600 isn’t enough.
“Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists, and special interests while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it,” the president said in a video posted to his Twitter feed Tuesday. “I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple. I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation,” he added.
The post Report: Progressive writers complain that Kamala Harris was MIA on COVID-19 relief first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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