Jamaal Bowman Believes In Taxing The Rich; His Opponent Doesn't

Yes, they disagree on Gaza. But the Democratic primary rivals are also far apart when it comes to taxing billionaires and multinational corporations.

By John Nichols, The Nation

Media coverage of Tuesday’s Democratic primary battle between US Rep. Jamaal Bowman—the progressive New York incumbent facing a stiff challenge and a tidal wave of negative ad spending from establishment favorite Westchester County Executive George Latimer and his supporters— has focused primarily on the difference between the two candidates on the issue of Gaza. That’s understandable since Bowman is an ardent advocate for a cease-fire who argues that Israel’s assault on Palestinian civilians should be recognized as genocidal, while Latimer, with massive funding from political action committees and donors associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, defends the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

jamaal bowman and george latimer at a ceremony

But that’s not the only major distinction between the two candidates in a race where several recent polls have given the advantage to the heavily-funded challenger.

Last week, Bowman joined US Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, in announcing plans to introduce legislation that would impose a 95 percent excess profits tax on what the sponsors decried as “excessive corporate greed.” Modeled on the taxes implemented by the US government during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War to prevent war profiteering, as well as a windfall profits tax that was imposed on oil and gas companies as recently as the 1980s, the legislation could, according to its supporters, raise an estimated $300 billion in one year from ten of the nation’s largest corporations.