Elizabeth Warren Is Right About the Democrats’ Big Problem
To be sure, Biden enjoyed only a slim majority in the Senate, allowing two pro-business conservatives in the Democratic caucus, Sinema and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin — both of whom ultimately left the Democratic Party — to veto much of Biden’s redistribution agenda. But Sinema and Manchin were not on the House Ways and Means Committee, nor among the rural House Democrats mentioned above. Let’s name them: Reps. Cindy Axne, Jim Costa, Cheri Bustos, Josh Harder, Salud Carbajal, Angie Craig, Antonio Delgado, Kim Schrier, John Garamendi, Julia Brownley, Tom O’Halleran, Abigail D. Spanberger and Kurt Schrader.
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly joined Sinema and Manchin to oppose Biden’s nomination of David Weil as Wage and Hour Commissioner for the Biden Department of Labor. As I explained at the timeWeil has been deemed too left-wing because of his (vastly exaggerated) views on liberalizing wage and hour regulations to crack down on corporate fraud. Last week, a handful of Republican opponents managed to kill three conservative wage bill proposals intended to create more opportunities for corporate tax avoidance. I tend to scoff at any notion that Republicans will ever steal labor issues from Democrats, but, putting this week’s events in with those in the House passing last month of a bill restoring the collective bargaining rights of federal employees, I am less sure.
Warren mentioned in her speech that LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who donated $7 million to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, tried to persuade Harris to promise that if elected, she would fire antitrust champion Lina Khan from her post as chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission. Harris didn’t make that commitment, but, as Warren pointed out, Harris also didn’t commit to keeping Khan. Warren could have further noted that Harris has positioned herself to the right of Biden on taxes, propose an increase in capital gains to 28 percent rather than 39.5 percent. “Kamala Harris listens to business people and gets their feedback on what is right and what will lead to more investment in business,” said Mark Cuban, Harris’ billionaire adviser. crowded at the time. No one in their right mind believes that if Harris had only lowered her proposed cap gain increase to 25 percent, she would have won the election.
