The previous round of economic relief was the Democrats’ best chance to ensure a real election takes place in November. The next round will be their last chance. jonathanchait writes
Photo: Brendan Smilowski/AFP via Getty Images As House Democrats set to work on the next round of economic relief legislation, they face a more urgent choice than they seem to realize. If they send that bill to President Trump without measures guaranteeing voting rights during the pandemic, they are signing a death warrant for the 2020 election.
The logic of this position is chillingly clear. The coronavirus, which has struck dense urban areas much harder and faster, has had a disproportionate impact on Milwaukee. And so far, absentee ballots have also been returned at a far higher rate in outlying Republican towns, Ari Berman reports.
Trump has, indeed, openly endorsed the Wisconsin strategy and signaled his intent to follow it. Asked recently if he would support measures to allow mail-in voting in the fall, on the assumption the virus may scare off voters, he registered his adamant opposition. “It shouldn’t be mail-in voting,” he said; “it should be, you go to a poll and you proudly display yourself.”
Given his hostility to high voter turnout, it would seem hard to fathom how Trump could be persuaded to support such a measure. Economic-rescue legislation is the only possible leverage. At the moment, he is open to more economic stimulus He has also publicly called for a $2 trillion infrastructure bill and enhanced payments to the public. “We could very well do a second round of direct” payments, he said yesterday.
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