MORNING MESSAGE
A Look At Clinton And Trump’s Promises To Spend To Boost Economy
Austerity
is officially dead, at least at the presidential candidate level .. Both Hillary
Clinton and Donald Trump are talking about increased spending on public
infrastructure. Hillary Clinton has launched her post-convention campaign push
by talking about a "100-days jobs plan" that includes a "Make It in America"
plan to invest $10 billion in manufacturing communities ... With both Clinton
and Trump talking about priming the pump by spending on infrastructure, will
Congress let it happen, should the Republicans maintain control next
year?
CLINTON LEANS ON LIBERAL WONKS...
W.
Post explores Clinton’s wide circle of policy advisers: “…the resulting
policy suite -… borrow heavily from all corners of the liberal wonk world. She
can sound like [Heather] Boushey talking about how family-friendly policies
boost workforce participation and economic growth. She can sound like [Joseph]
Stiglitz talking about how the rules of the economy are ‘rigged’ in favor of the
powerful. She can sound like [Heather] McGhee on debt-free college. She talks
about the importance of bargaining power and helping workers gain new skills —
two ideas that at times have been at war in liberal economic circles.”
“Hillary
Clinton Campaign Wants A Progressive DNC Chair” reports HuffPost: “‘We will
want a person at the head of the party that represents the progressive platform
that the party adopted and that represents that spirit of reform and integration
of the grassroots into the party,’ Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta told
The Huffington Post…”
W.
Post’s Jared Bernstein celebrates the “pivot away from extremely damaging
austerity politics”: “In both the Republican and Democrat nominating
conventions, the issue of government debt and deficits hardly came up … That’s a
victory for progressives, who’ve long argued that budget austerity and slavish
adherence to deficit reduction are the wrong goals for fiscal policy.”
...WHILE ATTRACTING BILLIONAIRE, REPUBLICAN SUPPORT
First
Republican congressman, Rep. Richard Hanna, endorses Clinton, in Syracuse.com
oped: “I have long held the belief that the Republican Party is becoming
increasingly less capable of nominating a person who is electable as president …
But [Clinton] stands and has stood for causes bigger than herself for a
lifetime.”
Clinton
gets surrogate help from billionaires. Politico: “Just in the past week,
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made a surprise appearance with Clinton in
Pittsburgh, Michael Bloomberg slammed Donald Trump at the Democratic convention
… and on Monday night, investing guru Warren Buffett … touted Clinton at a
campaign stop in his Nebraska hometown … The hope is to peel off moderate
Republicans, independents and others …. But appearing too buddy-buddy with
billionaires holds risks for Clinton…”
Buffett
hits Trump on tax returns. Bloomberg: “[Buffett] challenged Trump to meet
him ‘any place, any time’ with a copy of his tax returns. Buffett said he would
bring his returns and the two of them would answer questions from the public …
‘You’re only afraid if you’ve got something to be afraid about,’ Buffett told a
cheering crowd in Omaha.”
Nina
Turner turns down Green Party VP slot. Jill Stein announces Ajamu Baraka in
statement : “Ajamu Baraka is a powerful, eloquent spokesperson for the
transformative, radical agenda whose time has come … I especially appreciate
Senator Turner’s willingness to have discussed the VP position. The fit just
wasn’t right, as Senator Turner is still committed to try to save the soul of
the Democratic Party.”
WILL SANDERS STUMP FOR SENATORS?
Unclear
how much Sanders will stump for Senate candidates. Politico: “…while the two
camps are regularly in touch, Sanders and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee are nowhere near far enough in their discussions to map out where
Sanders could stump for candidates or what kind of fundraising appeals he’ll
send out … POLITICO surveyed more than a dozen Democratic candidates running in
this year’s most competitive Senate races. Five said they would eagerly campaign
with Sanders.”
Michael
Bloomberg endorses Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. The Hill: “Bloomberg, an
independent who has become a leading advocate of gun control, praised Toomey’s
bipartisan work on gun measures. Toomey has co-sponsored legislation with a
Democratic senator that would require background checks for more gun sales.”
Seattle
votes for a new congressperson today. Roll Call: “Whoever replaces Rep. Jim
McDermott … will help make the chamber more diverse … State Rep. Brady Pinero
Walkinshaw [would] be the first openly gay Latino in Congress if elected … King
County Council President Joe McDermott — no relation to the sitting congressman
— is also gay … Born in India, [Pramila] Jayapal moved to the U.S. by herself
when she was 16 … She’s benefited from the backing of Vermont Sen. Bernie
Sanders and his fundraising network … November’s general election will likely
pit two Democrats against each other…”
BREAKFAST SIDES
Massachusetts
legislature unanimously passes strong equal pay law. Mother Jones: “On July
1, 2018, employers will be required to pay all employees the same wage for the
same or ‘comparable’ positions, regardless of gender. Comparable work is defined
not by a job title or description, but instead by the nature of the work …
Employers will also be barred from asking for a salary history from prospective
hires…”
No
“tech tax” for SF. Time: “In a committee meeting on Monday, one of the more
controversial proposals to bubble up in San Francisco in recent years was
effectively killed … The measure, intended for the November ballot, would have
levied a 1.5% payroll tax solely on the booming tech sector … earmarked for
projects like housing the homeless … But even dead, the effort has made clear
that the city’s prosperity has come with lingering tensions.”
North
Dakota’s voter ID law blocked. AP: “U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland
issued a temporary restraining order Monday. Hovland wrote that the state could
easily fix the problem by letting voters file affidavits or declarations if they
don’t have a valid ID.”
“Left
turns to ballot measures to enact political change” reports The Hill: “In
Maine, supporters of raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour gathered enough
signatures to qualify a ballot measure this year … In Colorado, environmental
groups are collecting signatures for ballot measures that would more tightly
regulate … fracking. In Washington, progressives frustrated by a
Republican-controlled state Senate have secured ballot spots for a proposed
carbon emission tax, a minimum wage increase and stricter gun controls.”
Many
student debtors refusing to pay federal government. WSJ: “Borrowers in
long-term default represent about 16% of the roughly 43 million Americans with
student debt … in many cases due to low wages or unemployment, in other cases
due to outright protest at what borrowers see as an unfair system … The Obama
administration says it can help borrowers … with programs that slash their
monthly payments and forgive a portion of their balances, if only they would
respond … in a controversial move, the government has stepped up garnishments of
borrowers’ wages.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
activists. Progressive Breakfast is a project of the Campaign for America's
Future. more
»
