Wealthy Lobbyists Have Already Slashed Biden's Tax Reform by Three-Quarters

[CousinIT]

Moderate Democrats have quietly knifed the president’s legacy bill.

The Hill, a newspaper covering Congress, reports that business lobbyists are pleased that they have watered down President Biden’s proposed tax increases on corporations and wealthy individuals. One source, identified as “a lobbyist with ties to Senate Democrats,” tells The Hill, “The business community has made progress with certain Democrats on legitimate policy concerns with some of these proposals and their implications on the economy and international competitiveness.”

What are those policy concerns that have successfully swayed moderate Democrats? The article does not specify. We have the lobbyist’s assurance that they are “legitimate.” Though this may come as a shock, there is no actual requirement that lobbyists only advance legitimate policy concerns. They are perfectly free to advocate completely self-interested policy concerns as well. Indeed, this unsavory practice has been known to happen from time to time.

What’s more, if the business lobbyists did happen to be pushing bad policy arguments simply because those arguments benefited the people who pay them, they probably wouldn’t admit this to a newspaper. Instead, they would likely claim in public that their policy concerns are beneficent, even if they are, in fact, utterly venal.

I don’t mean to pick on The Hill, a paper that has supplied coverage of the Biden agenda that is in many ways superior to that found in bigger publications. Media catering to Capitol Hill insiders, like The Hill, have at least paid close attention to a significant development that has gained only fleeting notice in broader venues: Moderate Democrats have slashed President Biden’s progressive tax agenda.

. . .

The most striking thing about the decision by moderate Democrats to scale back Biden’s plan by some three-quarters is that we have no idea what the rationale is.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/08/wealthy-lobbyists-slashed-biden-tax-reform-congress-democrats-moderate.html

[questionseverything]

1. There is nothing moderate about these corporate dems

They are protecting rich donors over promoting the
President ‘s agenda

[lagomorph777]

2. ...over the people's agenda!

[I_UndergroundPanther]

3. The rationale

Rich don't wanna pay thier fair share and fuck over the poor again.

[Dustlawyer]

4. Will we ever focus on the two root causes of most of our problems?

The campaign (bribe) finance system being one, and the media/advertisers spewing propaganda to manipulate as many of us as possible with propaganda being the second.

The powerful Donors/advertisers (mostly the same folks) control our government and media outlets with their money. It would take us all demanding major changes to make a difference. Right now they have us divided and so worked up about our pet issues that we do not see the forest through the trees.

[Chainfire]

5. The policies that work are the big fat campaign contributions. You can't win without money.

The lobbyist have the money. Without campaign finance reform we can not have a healthy Democracy. That is exactly why we will never see campaign finance reform.