To part(y)san or not to partisan.

in #politics4 years ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55435942

Trump just vetoed the COVID relief bill, and he's demanding that Congress increase the stimulus checks from $600 to $2000 if they want him to sign it.


This can go one of three ways now:

  1. Republicans and Democrats alike tell Trump to fuck off. They overturn the veto with a 2/3rds majority and pass the bill. Everyone gets $600.
  2. Democrats actually go along with Trump's idea because for once he agrees with them (they both want to send out checks for more than just $600). Enough Republicans go along with Trump out of partisan loyalty to get the new and modified version of the bill passed. Everyone gets $2000.
  3. Congress is divided enough - both between parties and within the Republican Party - that they can't agree on either option. The budget bill doesn't get passed at all, we start out the new year with a government shutdown, and no one gets any stimulus checks at all.

The ball is entirely in Congress' court now. The "good outcome" where everyone gets $2000 is dependent on Democrats prioritizing their fiscal goals (i.e. bigger stimulus checks) over anti-Trump partisanship, while Republicans do the opposite and prioritize pro-Trump partisanship over their own fiscal goals (i.e. smaller stimulus checks). If it's the other way around, and Democrats choose partisanship while Republicans prioritize their fiscal goals, then the veto gets overturned and we get the original $600 checks. If both sides choose partisanship, or both sides choose to prioritize their fiscal goals, then nothing will get passed at all.