(1) SCHUMER OUTLINES POLICIES IN A DEM SWEEP: In a speech at the Democratic National Convention and then in a follow-up interview, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) outlined an aggressive policy platform if Democrats manage to keep the White House, retake the House and keep the Senate.
Schumer predicted Democrats would expand their Senate majority in November, and vowed to eliminate the Senate filibuster to push through a host of programs including:
Price controls for housing and prescription drugs
Expanding the child tax credit
Supporting the proposed
Reforming the Supreme Court, including possible term limits
“Getting rid of Citizens United”
Looking at reapportioning state voting districts (e.g., 53% of Wisconsin voted for Biden but Democrats only control 35% of the state legislature)
Passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Bill
Passing a law to overturn the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade
Schumer was pressed a couple of times on his comments. First, Politico’s Rachel Bade said that if Dems pick up a Senate seat, it might be from Florida or Texas. Bade asked Schumer if Democrats would fund those races, to which Schumer replied, “Wait and see.” Bade then pressed Schumer on the Democrats’ proposed plans costing an extra $2 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. Schumer said that a Democratic House and Senate could raise taxes to pay for those programs.
Why It Matters: Schumer’s comments are radically different from the moderate, flag-waving, we’re-all-in-this-together-kumbaya feeling of the Democratic National Convention, where Democrats paraded out military veterans, passed out American flags, and praised law enforcement to appeal to moderate and independent voters. Even Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech appeared toned down, despite her political position to the left of President Biden. Schumer’s bevy of laws and regulations is a sure sign that a Dem sweep, although unlikely, will quickly pivot to the hard left, despite the more moderate tones from this convention. – M.S.
