Is Don Bacon Bi-Partisan?
Don Bacon claims that he has allegedly “demonstrated time and again that that he will put people above party to find bipartisan solutions.” It’s hard to run for re-election on this theme when you voted with Trump 98% of the time in the 115th Congress. Bacon and some his of supporters believe that we are all stupid and are playing the voters for chumps. Let’s take a look at the record, shall we?
The two most significant legislative initiatives of the Trump Presidency were the effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with Trump Care and the failed 2017 tax cuts. The process utilized by Bacon’s party bosses in connection with these bills was anything but bi-partisan.
In 2017, Don Bacon’s party bosses in the Congress used scorched earth tactics in an unsuccessful attempt to repeal Obama Care. The Trump Care bill was drafted behind closed doors by GOP party bosses and lobbyists. No Democrats were allowed to participate. The GOP then used the budget reconciliation rules they condemned during the Obama Administration in a failed attempt to pass the bill on a straight party line vote.
Bacon’s party bosses held one hearing on Trump Care and only allowed a few hours of floor debate. The Senate vote on Trump Care was even held in the middle of the night! Bacon literally said “Hell yes!” when he voted for Trump Care. In contrast, there were over 100 hearings on the ACA and several weeks of Congressional floor debate.
The GOP used hyper partisan tactics in its attempt to pass Trump Care because the bill was so terrible. Bacon voted for a bill that would have kicked 20 million people off insurance and gutted pre-existing condition protections. Trump Care was so bad that Bacon voted to exempt himself from it.
Bacon and his party bosses employed similar brutal tactics to ram through the failed, deficit funded tax cuts. The bill was drafted in secret by a handful of insiders, there were no hearings and very limited floor debate. Once again, Democrats were excluded from the negotiations. The failed 2017 tax cuts added $2 trillion to the national debt and the top 1% grabbed 80% of the tax breaks.
In the case of both bills, Bacon signed off on these harsh partisan tactics and didn’t criticize the norm breaking process. It’s hard to be “bi-partisan” when you are complicit to this outrageous abuse of power.
In 2019, Don Bacon still stood by his man and said it was an “easy choice” to endorse the re-election bid of the former TV reality star. Bacon even took a pledge not to criticize Trump!
The CD02 incumbent’s extreme partisanship has carried over into the Biden presidency. Thus far, Bacon has only voted with Biden 24% of the time even though CD02 is a true swing district.
Bacon’s most extreme and partisan votes in 2021 were in opposition to the American Rescue Plan and for the U.S. to default and stiff its creditors. In opposing the American Rescue Plan, Bacon voted against the largest middle class tax cut in history, vaccinations and money to open schools. Bacon’s support of a default was a vote to throw 6 million Americans out of work and for the worst recession since 2008–09.
These votes were part and parcel of the D.C. Republicans’ attempt to sabotage the economy in a cynical attempt to make Biden look bad and to grab power. There is nothing bi-partisan about voting to hurt the American people.
The lone exception to Bacon’s hyper-partisanship since he was elected in 2016 was his vote for Biden’s Bi-Partisan Infrastructure bill . That’s it. In response, the right wing media lied about the bill and vilified Bacon. It was interesting to see Bacon rebut the types of lies and smears from the right wing media that Democrats endure on a regular basis.
Bacon’s support for Kevin McCarthy as speaker will lead to further polarization and hyper-partisanship in Washington since it would empower the most radical members of the House GOP caucus. The most partisan and extreme members of Bacon’s party in House have made it clear that they will be in charge if the GOP regains the majority.
Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL): “We are going to take power after this next election. When we do, it’s not going to be the days of Paul Ryan, and Trey Gowdy, and no real oversight, and no real subpoenas. It’s going to be the days of Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Dr. Gosar, and myself.” Gaetz added, “The notion that Republicans are going to take control of the House, and we’re going to hold hands in the warm spring rain with the Democrats and legislate is ludicrous.”
Don Bacon is a hyper partisan Republican and an ardent Trump supporter. The incumbent Nebraska CD-02 member of Congress is running on a phony platform of bi-partisanship and civility. Bacon is a loyal GOP party solider and he has a history of running deeply dishonest and vicious re-election campaigns.
Bacon is one of the most vulnerable GOP House incumbents in the 2022 cycle because Joe Biden carried CD-02 by a 52% to 45% margin in 2020. Both Tony Vargas and Alisha Shelton have thrown their hat in the ring. Let’s repeal Don Bacon and replace him with a new member of the U.S. House who will represent the people — not Donald Trump or the GOP billionaire donor class. Let’s get it done!