The Intercept reports that centrist Democrats will include a pay-as-you-go rule for the House of Representatives. The Intercept and others have done a fine job explaining what this does; I don't need to repeat the details here. In brief, pay-go makes it nearly impossible to create new social spending, without putting up any hurtles to cutting taxes.
Progressive and further left Democrats were immediately up in arms, pointing out that this rule will make progressive and socialist goals, like Medicare for All or dealing with climate change, all but impossible to pass. This frustration is captured in a quote provided to the Intercept by a spokesperson for the progressive Justice Democrats:
“There’s enormous appetite in the Democratic Party and among all Americans for major public investment to tackle our nation’s major crises: deepening inequality and structural racism and climate disaster,” said Waleed Shahid, communications director for Justice Democrats, in a statement to The Intercept. “Pelosi and the Democratic Party leadership’s support of Paygo makes actually solving these crises all but impossible. The Democratic Party leadership is unilaterally disarming and shooting themselves in the foot.”Disarming themselves? Shooting themselves in the foot?
Pelosi and the other centrist Democrats are not stupid. Pelosi is without exception one of the most talented lawmakers in the history of Congress. There is no legislator more talented than Pelosi. She and the other centrist Democrats know exactly what they are doing; to argue otherwise is to assume stunning levels of incompetence of a group we have no reason to believe is incompetent.
So why is it so important to centrist Democrats like Pelosi that pay-go pass? Because they don't think Medicare for All is a good idea. That pay-go will stop Medicare for All from passing is not a downside of pay-go. It is the entire reason they desire pay-go.
If we assume that centrist Democrats want Medicare for All and wish to stop climate change, then pay-go makes no sense. But if we assume that they do not think these things are a good idea--and pay-go prevents these things from being implemented--then pay-go makes perfect sense.
