The Harris campaign has released their policy proposals [gift link]:
The most striking proposals were for the elimination of medical debt for millions of Americans; the “first-ever” ban on price gouging for groceries and food; a cap on prescription drug costs; a $25,000 subsidy for first-time home buyers; and a child tax credit that would provide $6,000 per child to families for the first year of a baby’s life.
[…] Perhaps Harris’s most surprising policy announcement was her plan to ban “price gouging” in grocery and food prices. While details were sparse, the measure would include authorizing the Federal Trade Commission to impose large fines on grocery stores that impose “excessive” price hikes on customers, her campaign said.
When I was visiting family in the Dakotas last month, there were no end to the complaints that the small grocers in our small town were gouging, and they were. (Those complaining the loudest were, of course, the ones that were going to vote for Trump the hardest.)
…Harris endorsed a slew of measures to expand housing supply — including an expansion of tax credits to incentivize housing construction — but also a new $25,000 in federal down-payment assistance to more than 1 million first-time home buyers…
…Harris also pledged to work with states to cancel medical debt for millions of Americans, building on one of her signature policy issues as vice president. That effort could involve using federal funds to buy and forgive outstanding medical debt from health providers….
…Other policies endorsed by Harris in her five-page policy document included expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for lower-wage workers by up to $1,500, as well as extending subsidies for Americans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Anyway, this is all good stuff, and I’m looking forward to the whole list after Harris’ speech in North Carolina today. But god damn are the brains of the people writing this story broken:
Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday unveiled an aggressively populist economic agenda, providing the most detailed vision yet of her governing priorities since becoming the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee…
In the weeks leading up to this announcement, at least two outside advisers privately suggested to the Harris campaign that she signal a move to the center by backing income tax cuts for middle-class households or a tax break for small businesses, according to the people aware of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private conversations…
“The days of pivoting to the center to win on economics are over, even though there are good economic reasons to do so, especially on fiscal policy,” said Bill Galston, a former Clinton policy aide.
Why are tax cuts for the middle-class “centrist” while caps on prescription drugs, elimination of medical debt, and tax credits for children “populist”? Middle-class folks pay for prescription drugs, often have medical debt, and they do have children. Middle-class 20-30 somethings can’t afford housing, and their parents really care about this issue. A policy is not “populist” simply because a poor person could benefit from it.
How the hell is this framing adding anything to our comprehension of Harris’ economic policies? The simple fact is that it isn’t, that broken DC brains think it matters whether some specific policy is “centrist” or not, and nobody else actually cares.
