Republicans gathered at the White House to celebrate passage of tax bill.
Republicans are well aware of the implications of this tax plan. They know exactly who this bill will help, and exactly who it will hurt. After all, they were the ones who designed it. The only ones who designed how a tax plan that will impact Americans everywhere will work.
A tax plan that they not only rushed to finish, but a plan that not one single Democrat voted in favor of. And instead of going back to the drawing board in a bipartisan effort to construct a tax plan that wouldn’t only benefit the top 1 percent, they celebrated their victory and boasted about how this plan would benefit all Americans.
Now, the passage of this bill is symbolic — After 11 months with a Republican president and Republican control of both the House and the Senate, Republicans were without any legislative accomplishments. In fact, the party had encountered more defeats than victories. This is a huge sigh of relief for a party who has failed to deliver on a number of promises.
However, many remember in 2010 when Republicans fiercely opposed Obamacare, claiming that it had been rushed through, with no transparency or bipartisan feedback.
When in reality, the bill went through hundreds of hearings and markups, and Democrats worked tirelessly to compromise in order to bring members of the GOP on board.
Now, fast forward, they’re actually doing exactly what they accused Democrats of. All in a desperate effort to prove that they finally have something to show for having a majority in both chambers of Congress.
To them, it makes these 11 months in office look long and productive, when in fact, its been dominated by shortcomings and brazen hypocrisy.
These are all facts the party must come to terms with sooner than later: the fact that they defied the 55 percent of American people who don’t like the bill, and the fact that their actions continue to contradict the pseudo-values they claim to stand for.
But as we know, this party is no stranger to placing partisanship above morality, basic human decency and the will of the people.
Let’s take the fact that they now have a record of endorsing sexual abusers or the fact that not too long ago, they vehemently pushed for a healthcare bill knowing it would leave millions of people uninsured.
Republicans have not only shown exactly what is wrong with their politics, but have also shown that within the party lives an epidemic that has spread without much contest: selfishness, hypocrisy and partisanship.
As midterm elections get closer, it’s critical that we look to what decisions parties make when it comes down to the wire. That is what reveals true character. And time and time again, Republicans have shown who they are, who they’re advocating for and whose lives they are actually dedicated to improving, and it’s not all Americans.
In fact, this tax plan will take away from the middle class in order to give billions to America’s wealthiest, it’ll leave 13 million more Americans uninsured and increase the deficit by $1 trillion.
The Republican party must realize that just like in Alabama, American people everywhere are capable of rising up and rejecting bigotry. And come November, voters won’t forget how Republicans have placed their desire to consolidate power and increase their own wealth above the best interests of the people.
So, Republicans can applaud this “win” for now, but it sure isn’t the win they need to push them through the finish line, and secure positive outcomes for 2018.