Is There an Emerging Democratic Agenda?
By JARED BERNSTEIN JUNE 5, 2017
While Donald Trump and his Congressional majority continue to push a harsh, hard-right ideology, so far they’ve been a legislative failure. And for good reason: For years, all they did was oppose Barack Obama and the Democrats, without bothering to develop an actual governing agenda of their own. Democrats must not make the same mistake. Playing defense is necessary, but it is not sufficient.
In fact, under the surface tension, a robust, highly progressive agenda has been coming together in recent months, one with the potential to unite both the Hillary and Bernie wings of the party, to go beyond both Clintonomics and Obamanomics.
These ideas come from the left wing of the party, but I’ve noticed more and more centrist Democrats, along with establishment donors, who increasingly recognize the need, in both substantive economic and electoral terms, to get outside the old boxes and go bold.
One of the boldest ideas coming down the pike is a universal child allowance: a monthly stipend for all families with children. International data show that child poverty in America remains at 20 percent — twice the rate in Germany and seven times the rate in Denmark.
Those countries, and most other advanced economies, provide regular payments to families with children based on the recognition that investing in children is an essential public good. Yet here in the United States, though we have a patchwork of programs, the lowest-income children often get no income support, while children in wealthy families benefit from generous tax deductions.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/opinion/democratic-party-inequality-child-allowance.html