In a political environment laden with buffoons on both sides of the partisan divide, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) stands out for his courtliness, gravitas and real-world experience.
Why then, does he seem to sign on to so many pieces of nonsensical legislation emanating from the whackadoodle flank of his own party?
Time and again over the past year, we’ve watched Beyer agree to cosponsor pieces of legislation that are so far left, they’d have little chance of gaining a hearing (let alone passage) even if Democrats were in the majority.
An example: Beyer is one of 35 current cosponsors of the “Ultra-Millionaires Tax Act of 2024,” sponsored by the hard-left U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington).
If enacted into law, the measure would impact those with $50 million or more in net assets, starting at a 2-percent annual levy and escalating. Beyer is the lone Virginian backing it.
The goal of such soak-the-rich bills, of course, is not to enact them into law. Even if Democrats win everything in November and control all the levers of power in Washington, that ain’t going to happen. (It used to be Republicans were a wholly owned subsidiary of the super-rich. Now it’s the Democrats.)
Whenever Beyer signs on for such kooky proposals, we are left to wonder: Is he just doing this to play nice to a particular wing of his party? Or does he really believe in this [stuff]?
His behavior won’t cost him re-election, nor will it lessen our general esteem for him (much). But it is a head-scratcher, no doubt about it.
