The Democratic Party gave an important platform to struggling small-business owners and working people during the third night of the convention. But it’s important to point out that their financial hardship over the past few months was made worse because of congressional Democrats’ refusal to work with Republicans on additional relief packages.
Congress passed the CARES Act in March, but it became apparent very quickly that the $2 trillion relief bill would not be enough to cover the massive losses many people experienced due to the coronavirus shutdown. Small businesses, specifically, were in desperate need of help. So, Republicans introduced another measure to allocate $250 billion more for a small-businesses loan program. Senate Democrats blocked a unanimous vote on the bill, stalling this much-needed aid for weeks while demanding that Republicans agree to additional, unrelated funding for leftist policies.
Even now, congressional Democrats continue to block efforts to pass a second relief package. Democrats wanted a $3 trillion bill; Republicans offered only $1 trillion. And although both parties have been hesitant to return to the negotiating table, only Democrats have bragged about intentionally delaying a bill that would help the struggling people they featured on Wednesday.
The cognitive dissonance is stunning. Democrats can claim to listen to and care about working people, but over the past few months, they’ve done little to prove it.
