Harris Lost Because Centrists Killed Build Back Better

Thanks for all your support! If you have the means, please don’t forget to tip! Upgrade at 30% offHello Friends,I'm absolutely disgusted by the complete lack of accountability we see in our society today. Powerful people decide on a narrative, pick a scapegoat, determine a punishment, and then skip merrily on their way.Meanwhile all our problems continue. We're on a perpetual spin cycle and nothing ever gets any better.The way we change things is by expanding our purview and evaluating the decisions of those that think themselves beyond reproach.Yeah.What's most bothersome right now is how the Democratic party seems content to blame their most recent election loss on “misogyny and racism.” This goes along with their constant refrain of “we can't go too far to the left.” They say this over and over even though the party never gives equal time to the idea that there are also dangers if we go “too far to the right.”I think it's time that we gave equal time to both perspectives. In the interest of scientific exploration, doesn't that seem to be prudent?The other irritating thing that I see in politics again and again is that politicians expect us to forget. They commit some sort of a scandal, they lay low, and then they return and refuse to answer any questions about it.You know, things like that time when they tried to lead a violent assault on our Capitol. Somehow we live in a society where if a politician does something like that, he can act like you're the one who is out of line if you bring up the episode.“That's a nasty question. You are a very rude person.”But we can't continue to slink out of the room with our tail between our legs. We can't continue to deny the events of the past. Therefore, I think it's important that we discuss what would have happened if Manchin hadn’t killed Biden's “Build Back Better Act,” and then gloated about it.A lot of the ideas that were in “Build Back Better” were still implemented in the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” and the “Inflation Reduction Act.”Those were two very effective bills. Remember that when Biden left the White House, the US economy was ON FIRE! That was largely due to the effectiveness of Biden's progressive policies.Remember how people were saying that the US economy was the envy of the world? It was because of progressive policies.Progressive policies are effective. Progressive policies are popular. Progressive policies alleviate human suffering worldwide.Unfortunately, progressive policies ultimately lead to prosperity for everyone, not just a privileged few, so the centrists and the conservatives do everything they can to destroy any progressive action (including denying and sabotaging elections).We had all kinds of good things because of those progressive policies. We could have had even more, but the Centrists maliciously killed the bill!So, what was in “Build Back Better” that the Centrists objected to?* Paid family leave* Medicare expansion* Child tax creditAnd who do you think all those provisions would have specifically helped? That's right, the WORKING CLASS!And what is the narrative of the 2024 election?That's right, “That the Democrats abandoned the working class.”Are you kidding me about all this? This is a game of connect the dots that results in a picture of a straight line.Biden had a bill that would have overwhelmingly helped the working class. Centrists tanked the bill. Harris lost the election. Centrists turned around and blamed progressives for the loss.“We can't go too far left.”No! The lesson we should be learning from this is that going left is popular, going left is effective, and if we don't go left WE LOSE!For the life of me, I can't understand why so many otherwise intelligent people are always so willing to accept the establishment narrative. Our centrist apologists are just as effective at spinning the narrative as the folks on the radical right. They're just a little bit more polite about it.But ask yourself why we're not even discussing whether “killing” BBB might have been a mistake. Maybe it would have worked. Maybe the bill would have ushered in a new era of middle class prosperity that would have erased the grievance and division that has been infecting our society for more than a decade.Maybe...But we'll never know because Centrists insisted on doing things their way like they always do. They dug in at the prospect of doing anything to help the working class. They sabotaged the president's agenda. Then they muscled their way into talk shows to pat themselves on the back and blame the resulting disaster on groups that have never even come close to touching the levers of power.If the self-saboteurs within the Democratic party hadn't dismantled a huge part of Biden's agenda, who knows where we'd be today?Well, I know where we'd be. We'd be enjoying better healthcare, we'd have more money in our pocket, and young parents would be treated a little better when they were just starting out.Instead, we have a blithering tyrant and masked men are hauling off members of our family in unmarked vans.All the money that would have been spent on Build Back Better is going to the newly formed gestapo and tax cuts for billionaires.So, I suggest it's time to get off the centrist bandwagon of perpetual blame and take a new look at the recent past. The Biden administration didn't forget about the working class. The provisions were in the bill and ready to go. Unfortunately, both the president and the American people were betrayed by the centrists.Look around. You tell me how it worked out.You all make this newsletter happen! Thanks for your sponsorship! I have payment tiers starting at as little as twenty dollars a year.Upgrade at 30% offUpgrade at 40% offUpgrade at 50% offUpgrade at 60% offI'm so happy you're here, and I'm looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.My CoSchedule referral linkHere’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).I'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe