Republicans Must Not Be Tone Deaf Regarding New Stimulus

United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said over the weekend “that it May take weeks to get a stimulus deal done.”

Senator Chuck Schumer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats pounced on this. Telling the American people that the federal benefits that are keeping them alive will expire without a new deal in effect was as tone deaf as it gets.

Fortunately, the President Donald Trump administration stepped in. Hopefully, later today The President and The United States Senate will announce that they have reached an agreement on a $ 1 trillion stimulus package. This would represent a 5th round of economic stimulus.

I’m a free market capitalist. I don’t believe that government benefits for not working, should be greater than your own efforts for working.

However, more than 60 percent of the American people want the current unemployment benefits and stimulus payments to continue through the end of this year.

Because state governments have shut down certain businesses, there should be consideration given to those who have been put out of work through no fault of their own.

The current Republican alternative calls for 70 percent unemployment benefits. The Democrats want to keep the full additional $ 600 per-month additional federal unemployment benefit in effect through all of 2020.

Republicans had better realize that if they let the current benefits expire at the end of this week, they will be blamed. And, the sound of blame will be deafening.

Democrats will capitalize on this and they’ll win in the court of public opinion.

In our present times, doing the right thing isn’t always popular.

If they play this wrong, it may cost Republicans the election in just 99 days.