RUTHFULLY YOURS

The cynical partisan opportunism of Democrats exhibited during the coronavirus economic crisis has been breathtaking.

Rather than move forward with quick, no-frills, massive $1.8 trillion dollar rescue plan, Democrats decided to hold the country hostage by trying to cram through a slew of lefty goodies that have absolutely nothing to do with the pending economic crisis.

As corporate boards struggle to figure out ways to keep their companies afloat, Nancy Pelosi is demanding that they spend time filling gender and racial quotas, down to “subcommittee assignments.”

As the transportation sector wrestles with a once-in-a-century economic disaster, Democrats are trying to compel airlines — who have seen a 90 percent drop in customers — to cut greenhouse gas emissions every year until they hit a 50 percent reduction.

If Pelosi keeps this up, airlines are going to see a 100 percent reduction soon enough.

As small business lay off workers, Democrats held up a federal loan program so they can pass more wind and solar tax credits, fund NASA’s environmental restoration group and study climate mitigation efforts. How any of that going to save jobs? What does this have to do with coronavirus shutdowns?

As millions of Americans are filing for unemployment benefits, crushing state government budgets, Democrats held up a rescue bill so that they can give government employee unions extraordinary collective bargaining power.

As millions of Americans wonder how they’re going to make their next mortgage payments, Pelosi demands that the Senate offer free internet, fund community newspapers and set up minority-run banks.

As hospitals wait for funding, Pelosi is worried about national minority and gender pay equity — an age-old liberal hobbyhorse. By prioritizing affirmative action over rescue funds, she is ensuring that more Americans of all races, genders and creeds will be unemployed.

Rather than move quickly, Pelosi is demanding that the Senate federalize elections, setting up same-day voter registrations and provisions for conducting audits of elections.

The GOP Senate bill was 500 pages. The Pelosi bill I read was 1,120 pages. Reportedly, there is another version of the rescue bill circulating that is 1,400 pages. Who knows how many more political pet projects will be stuffed into this iteration of the bill.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision,” Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) reportedly told his colleagues this week, echoing Barack Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s famous 2008 assertion that Democrats should never let a serious crisis go to waste.

The Senate bill that Democrats stopped would have given nearly every American $1,200, with $500 for every child. It would have allocated $250 billion for unemployment insurance, $350 for a small business loan program, more than $100 billion to hospitals, $11 billion towards vaccines, $4.5 more to the CDC, $20 billion to veterans healthcare, $12 billion for public education, another $10 billion to airports, and $5 billion to FEMA.

This debate isn’t over a bailout package, it’s over a rescue mission.

The coronavirus pandemic is an unexpected existential event, not a normal economic downturn. And yet, Democrats have calculated that it was worth using this emergency to try and shove through an agenda that would never normally pass. It is ugly, partisan and opportunistic.

Twitter: @DavidHarsanyi