Dear Editor: Where is our spine?
The Republican Party led the longest federal government shutdown in history. They doubled down on keeping food from hungry families in order to raise health care costs for millions of Americans. And they were just punished in special elections across the country for their incompetent leadership. But our Democratic leadership still found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
This “deal” lacks the single most important demand from Democratic voters: protections for Affordable Care Act subsidies. Without an extension, health care costs will skyrocket and Republicans will achieve a huge step in their larger goal: ending Obamacare.
Instead, we received a promise from Republicans that there would be a vote on extending ACA subsidies. Unfortunately, promises from Republicans don’t pay the medical bills, and so the American people will have to pay them instead.
When I see Democratic leaders cower from our values, I see the true weakness in our party. Democratic voters turn to our leaders to be champions for working families. By defending health care access, supporting nutrition assistance and by being the sensible adults in the room, we show that we are the party that supports our neighbors. But when we run from our values, we lose the confidence of our voters and we will continue the cycle of disarray.
Wisconsin will have several Democratic candidates across many primary campaigns. We must choose the candidates willing to take political risks to defend our values and our communities.
Isaia Ben-Ami
Madison
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