The Patriot Post® · Dems' Agenda Is Anything but Unifying

By Nate Jackson ·
https://patriotpost.us/articles/77090-dems-agenda-is-anything-but-unifying-2021-01-18

Democrats prevailed in the House and Senate by the skin of their teeth. In the lower chamber, they hold a 222-212 majority, with Republicans still likely to secure one more uncalled seat. Functionally, it’s 219-212 until three Democrats are chosen to replace the three Joe Biden picked off to serve in his administration. A bare majority is 218. In the Senate, Democrats cling to a 50-50+1 majority. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to pursue a 50/50 agenda of moderation.

The elephant in the room, of course, is the Democrats’ second round of impeachment. Without defending President Donald Trump’s irresponsible rhetoric, it’s a sad reality that twice now Democrats have made a mockery of a solemn and serious tool to check power. At best, it’s not an agenda of “unity,” which is supposed to be the theme of Biden’s inauguration.

Not content with having exploited the coronavirus pandemic to grease the ballot skids for themselves in November, however, Nancy Pelosi’s Democrats have reintroduced HR 1, a zombie bill from 2019 called the “For the People Act.” It is decidedly for certain people — elected people with a “D” after their names.

Our Lewis Morris and Thomas Gallatin each covered the bill two years ago, and little has changed. Still, some things bear repeating, especially right after a hotly contested election.

First of all, we’ll note one overarching feature: It gooses voter rolls for Democrats by irresponsibly lowering the bar for our most important civic duty. Rules for voting eligibility would be relaxed beyond reason. Voter ID laws would be gutted. Mail-in ballots would be greatly expanded, as would early voting. The language of the bill says it all: “A state may not require an individual to provide any form of identification as a condition of obtaining an absentee ballot. … A state(s) may not require notarization or a witness signature or other formal authentication (other than voter attestation) as a condition of obtaining or casting an absentee ballot.” Thus, the federal government will, contrary to our Constitution, have the power to set universal regulations regarding voter-identity requirements in order to implement universal bulk-mail balloting.

At best, people with no civic knowledge or engagement will line up to (mail-in) vote themselves more benefits from “generous” Democrats. At worst, voter fraud will increase dramatically.

The bill also damages federalism by stripping states of the ability to draw their own congressional districts in favor of an “independent” commission. Its campaign finance provisions will hurt conservatives but putting a target on the backs of larger donors to political nonprofits, as well as by adding disclosure requirements for paid political advertising. Given the rampant cancel culture of the Left, we know exactly where this will lead.

In short, Democrats want to repeat the 2020 election in every cycle from here forward.

Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer’s Senate Democrats naturally chafe at the thinness of their majority, because Vice President-elect Kamala Harris may often be called up to provide the tie-breaking vote. So the other big thing early on their agenda is admitting the District of Columbia as the 51st state. The goal is as plain as it is cynical: two more guaranteed Senate seats for Democrats. This has nothing to do with “representation” for the District’s residents and everything to do with consolidating power for Democrats. Besides, the Founders specifically designed the seat of the federal government to not be in a state, much less be a state.

Having those two extra votes sure would come in handy, though, because the rest of the Democrats’ agenda is no better. The Green New Deal, Medicare for All, a $15 federal minimum wage, and more “social justice” than you can shake a stick at.

There’s no sugar coating it. Conservatives face a very long and tough two to four years. But the fight for Liberty is far bigger than one election cycle, and we thus have the chance to turn this crisis into an opportunity to win over more Americans to that cause.

(Updated.)