This installment of The David Pakman Show newsletter is free for everyone. I send these emails daily. If you would also like to receive it, join the newsletter today.
Note: This is totally separate from website Membership and does not affect your website Membership in any way.
Democrats Pushing Biggest Voting Expansion in 60 Years
With coronavirus stimulus in the accomplishments column, Joe Biden and Democrats now have to prioritize their next agenda items. There are a lot of issues on the docket, including gun control measures, infrastructure planning, and raising taxes on the rich. However, the issue that should stand above the rest on the agenda is voting rights. This year, Republicans in states across the country have put forward over 200 bills that, if passed, would restrict citizens’ access to the voting booth. Democrats should move to ban these laws while also nationalizing aspects of federal elections to provide equal protections to voters across the country. This is precisely what House Democrats sought to accomplish with HR1, also known as the For the People Act. The bill passed the House earlier this month but now will have to pass the Senate where the Democratic majority is slimmer.
This bill would create minimum standards for voting and destroy many of the voter ID laws across the US. It would restore voting rights to former felons and allow for no-excuse mail-in voting. The For the People Act also would require states to have same-day and automatic voter registration. Republicans don’t like these proposed rule changes because they would hinder their ability to win elections going forward. The right would much rather stop people from voting if the alternative is losing their chance at power. Perhaps this will be the issue that will convince centrist Senate Democrats to change their minds on the filibuster. Guaranteeing access to the ballot box would help strengthen American democracy and the Democratic Party at the same time. But it cannot get done with only 51 votes, so Democrats would need to find ten Republicans or, more likely, change the Senate rules.
BREAKING: New Unemployment Claims Lowest Since Start of Pandemic
US weekly new jobless claims are at their lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. There was a bigger-than-expected drop in unemployment claims and the total for the week ending March 20th was 684,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continuing jobless claims are down to 3.8 million and the February unemployment rate was 6.2%. There are a number of factors contributing to the rise in employment, chief among them vaccinations allowing some sectors to start getting back to normal. This is likely a trend that will continue into the summer if indeed cases continue downwards and the country gets sufficiently immunized. Goldman Sachs, for what it’s worth, predicts that by many indicators the overall economy will be strong in the fourth quarter of 2021.
From yesterday’s show:
The "CRISIS" at the Border Doesn't Exist
Conservatives and right-wing media have been attacking the Biden administration on the recent uptick in migrants crossing the US-Mexico border. It’s being labeled a “crisis” created by Joe Biden because he chose to rescind many of Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration. In reality, the uptick in border crossings is seasonal, as immigrants from central America assess it’s safer to cross the desert this time of year. The same spike happened in the spring of 2019, when Trump was president. The exception to this rule was last year, however, as the start of the coronavirus pandemic upended and quarantined much of the world. While the rise in border crossings is an issue worth monitoring, it’s not the disaster that the right is making it out to be.
--More on the show:
--Caller does not like Candace Owens
--Caller wonders why Republicans care about LGBT issues
--Caller asks about social media being a net positive or net negative for society
--Caller discusses the New York City mayoral race
--Caller says there are QAnon followers in Germany
--Caller asks how Republicans laid claim to patriotism
--Caller thinks there should be a union between the United States, Canada, and Mexico
--Audience Question: How does the right want to "fix" cancel culture?
--Audience Question: Are vaccine phases ethical?
--Audience Question: Does it matter that the Republican Party offers no ideas?
--On the Bonus Show: Producer Pat reviews Joe Biden's first press conference as president, and much more...
--Become a Supporter: http://www.davidpakman.com/membership