January 2022 is the two-minute drill heading to the midterm elections. The Republican party has the ball and has every intention to run out the clock–a strategy that may get them house and senate control. If you think nothing gets done now, wait until you have House Majority Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Sen. Ted Cruz already said the quiet part out loud, laying out intentions to impeach President Biden. Picture a scenario where a Democratic presidential candidate wins the general election, and then a Republican majority blocks it.
This is why it’s no surprise that Senate Republicans have no plans to give a legislative agenda ahead of the midterms, according to Axios. They instead watch Democrats slip on banana peels, then point and laugh.
Republicans should be 100% focused on Democrats and all the “terrible” things they’re doing to the country, McConnell said, according to the source.
McConnell made clear, the source said, the entire focus of the 2022 campaign should be about the things the Democrats are doing wrong. He cited the history of midterm losses for the party in power.
The golden rule in the two-minute drill when you’re playing against quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers is never to let them get the ball back. I don’t care if there are 30 seconds left; they will find a way to score. Now I, by no means, am comparing the Democratic party to the winningest player in NFL history–but we have to work with what we got! I figure we lay some x’s and o’s, if you will, so we can at least get to overtime for the 2024 general election.
Cancel Student Loan Debt: A straightforward win was a campaign pillar the Biden administration ran on. Yet, we keep kicking that can down the road–federal student loan payments slated to start up back in May. It’s a different amount depending on who you ask. President Biden stated he would cancel $10,000 for each person. Some Senate Democrats believe he can forgive up to $50,000 via executive order.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has been on the longest journey ever to find out the legal precedent. Just get it done. Black students owe an average of $25,000 around the country. It cripples futures before they even have a chance to start. Imagine paying a mortgage with crazy interest rates, but no house attached to it? If you’re not going to provide any more relief money as we go through another surge,
Fix This Covid Response: Every household in America should be getting free COVID tests and n95s sent to their doorstep. Yes, free–meaning we don’t have to wait for insurance companies to reimburse them—point-blank. There’s no reason; we should be scrolling Amazon for Binax home tests like Jordans on the SNKRS app two years later.
Also, if you want schools to be open so bad, head initiatives to make students and teachers safe. Ensure there’s an adequate amount of high-quality masks and tests sent to every school district. Invoke the Defense Protection Act to make things like HEPA filters that schools can install to ensure better air circulation. Talk to the CDC and have them work on messaging–no, seriously. We just threw workers and hospitals under the bus with the asymptomatic guidance.
Tell the Truth: I realize as I’m typing this, it’s nearly impossible for any politician to do–let’s give it a try anyway. Let’s be real; you don’t have a 50-50 split in the Senate. Sen. Krysten Sinema is trying to be the second coming of John McCain. Sen. Joe Manchin goes where the headlines are (or whoever gives the highest donation that week). You don’t have the votes, and if you do, it’s going to come at the expense of improvements you want to do–like paid family leave and voting rights.
Be honest with your voters and say you need more representatives in the Senate to pass things. Stop operating under this guise of bipartisanship–no Republican is coming to save you or cross that line. These are different times, and, as of Jan. 6th shows, white supremacy is a threat. Yes, your party benefits from it, too. So, embrace younger leaders who look like the communities you are trying to gain votes from.
Lastly, make Republicans play defense and defend their positions. Make them talk about why they are taking away abortion rights for women, why they didn’t support legislation like the child tax credit and stimulus, and why they are currently slashing voting rights for minorities. Don’t let them sit back and not have some type of resistance. They never go high, and sometimes, you don’t have to either.
Talk Up Your Wins: Why do you not do this more? To energize your voters, own your accomplishments. Say them in the mirror every day and then go out and tell the press. Stop letting one senator dominate the headlines for you and say things like this:
- You passed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19-relief package which included extended unemployment benefits, the child tax credit, and money for states with NO Republican support behind it.
- Enabled a vaccine rollout that helped over 200 million Americans get vaccines for free.
- Passed an infrastructure bill that includes clean water, broader access to the internet, and repairing roads and bridges.
- Issued an executive order to end justice contracts with private prisons.
Oh, and talk about the Build Back Better act more! It would create universal pre-K, extend the Child Tax Credit for another year, expand Medicare for senior citizens and Medicaid for low-income people, and more. If you aren’t telling people about it, how are they supposed to know?
If “Build Back Better” is still the motto, then there must be recognition that the better has to be different. It shouldn’t be radical for a country with no issue dropping billions of dollars in defense spending to make life worth living for the American people. People are exhausted, sick, and worn down by this ongoing pandemic and the need for some to go back to a life that never benefited them in the first place.
Start on this today before November comes around, or you’ll be looking up at the lights, wondering how you lost.