Why Democrats Need to Stand With Working Americans vs. Big Banks

Why Democrats Need to Stand With Working Americans vs. Big Banks

Why Democrats Need to Stand With Working Americans vs. Big Banks

Democrats should stop supporting a bill that would loosen the reins on Wall Street.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Each week we cross-post an excerpt from Katrina vanden Heuvel’s column at the WashingtonPost.com. Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.

For election watchers, perhaps the most significant development of the past week happened not in Washington but in Wisconsin, where Democratic candidate Patty Schachtner won a state Senate race in a district that President Trump carried by 17 points. The unexpected victory, which Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) called a “wake-up call” for the GOP, marked the 34th legislative seat that Democrats have flipped this cycle and offered yet another signal that a wave election may be coming.

A year into the Trump era, the discontent that drove his support among the working class in places such as Wisconsin has not abated. Though Trump’s base has not yet abandoned him, his approval rating has dropped across voter demographics. The environment is ripe for Democrats, powered by the massive resistance that manifested again last weekend at Women’s March events nationwide, to reclaim control of Congress. Unfortunately, a group of Senate Democrats seems intent on squandering this moment by siding against working families on the issue that most clearly embodies how the US economy is rigged against them. They are joining with Republicans to roll back regulations on big banks.

As The New York Times reports, 11 Democrats are co-sponsoring a bill introduced by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) that would significantly weaken the Dodd-Frank reforms enacted in 2010. Trump has expressed that loosening the reins on Wall Street is one of his top legislative priorities for 2018, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is expected to bring Crapo’s bill to the floor within the next month.

Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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