Hillary Clinton fired a shot across the bows of Über and Lyft last week, putting them on notice that she’ll “crack down on bosses misclassifying workers as contractors.”
Secretary Clinton never referred to these two companies by name, but lumped them into a category of employees that she accuses of committing “wage theft” by improperly categorizing employees as independent contractors who are not entitled to a number of employment benefits.
This exposes a rift in the Democratic Party coalition just begging to be exploited by opportunistic Republican candidates. In one corner, we have the progressives who never miss an opportunity to redistribute wealth from employers to employees; the taxi-cab lobby threatened by ride-sharing services; and the labor unions salivating at the opportunity to recruit a new class of dues-paying members.
In the other corner, we have the younger voters who particularly value the potential for technological innovation to improve our quality of life. This demographic has voted overwhelmingly Democratic in recent elections, and the Republicans desperately need to make inroads with them.
Well, younger voters––and by that, I mean pretty much everyone under 40––are absolutely crazy about Über and Lyft. Long story short, they offer a far better alternative to taxi cabs: They’re cheaper, friendlier, more reliable, and we can hail and pay for them from our smartphones. Simply put, their emergence has been a game changer for its users.
Republican candidates should appreciate Über and Lyft, too. These are entrepreneurial startups that have dared to take on the bureaucratic and unionized taxi industry and said, “We can do better.” The taxis can’t compete in the market, so they’ve enlisted their legislative and regulatory allies to attempt to dismantle Über and Lyft.
The Republican narrative here should write itself! Unfortunately, Republican candidates have largely ignored this opportunity. The good news is that Secretary Clinton’s speech has given them another bite at the apple.
Republicans should be gushing support for these companies and doing everything they can to drive a wedge between the Democrats and younger technocrats. Many of those voters have Republican characteristics, particularly wanting the government to stay off their backs and just let them make money, live their lives, and be productive members of society. The Republican Party has been unable to meaningfully connect with them, for a number of reasons, but this issue represents a golden opportunity.
Support Über and Lyft, and the larger sharing economy as a whole. It’s a great narrative; it’s smart politics; it’s coalition building; and it may even earn some votes in 2016.
Comments 2
Here here!! Or perhaps for Republicans, literally “hear hear” this message.
Clueless GOP candidates miss opportunity after opportunity to kick some statist Democrat butt — while reaching out to the under 40 crowd. Perhaps some candidates don’t speak out on this issue because there are too many compromised and senior Republicans who are opposed to unfettered competition — or are just uncomfortable with Uber ops.
When you get right down to it, if “we” are that stooopid, then perhaps “we” deserve to lose. That’s what I would smugly assert — except now I’M part of that WE. Uh oh.
“From charter schools to finance to the Internet, the dominant Democratic impulse is to tax or regulate—or, in an ideal world, both. True, there is no shortage of lunk-headed Republicans who favor more regulation, including those who would side with regulators over Uber.”
http://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-crashes-the-democratic-party-1437436110