NBC News: WASHINGTON — After President Biden pummeled Republicans on Social Security and Medicare during his State of the Union address, drawing shouts of outrage from the party, Republican leaders urged him to stop telling Americans that the GOP wants to slash those retirement programs.
Then Biden paid a visit to Florida and did it again, exasperating the party and escalating a fight that is poised to play out on Capitol Hill and in the 2024 presidential election.
...House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told NBC News one day after Biden's speech to Congress. “I just hope he stops going around the country telling that falsehood because there’s no truth to it.
...The next day, at the University of Tampa on Thursday, Biden tore into a plan from Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., saying it would “sunset Social Security and Medicare every five years.” He also went after Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who has labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and called for restructuring it.
“They were offended. ‘Liar! Liar!’” Biden mimicked.
...“Republicans don’t like being called out on this,” Biden said. “A lot of Republicans — their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Well, let me say this: If that’s your dream, I’m your nightmare.”
...The White House has told NBC News that Biden will keep criticizing those Republican plans.
...[Biden] intends to paint the GOP as a threat to Social Security and Medicare — the crown jewels of the Democratic-led New Deal and Great Society — seizing on decades of attempts to restructure, privatize or reduce long-term spending on the popular safety net programs.
Democrats seized on the issue in the 2022 midterms with some success, and now it moves to an even bigger stage.
“It’s a smart play for the near term in the debt limit fight, and it’s even a smarter play when we head to the 2024 re-elect,” said Scott Mulhauser, a former top Biden aide who has worked on campaigns and in government. “It moves voters, it moves seniors, it moves allegiances and alliances, and it resonates.”
...White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in an email that protecting those programs “is core to President Biden’s top priority” and made it clear he won’t stop calling out plans to scale them back.
“A wide range of Republican lawmakers have endorsed severe cuts to Medicare and Social security benefits in the name of ‘fiscal responsibility,’” Bates said. “Complaining that the President is accurately shining a light on plans they don’t want their constituents to know about is very much not the defense they think.”
Mulhauser said it’s “rich” to see Republicans complain about Democrats using a tactic the GOP has often used: Elevating proposals by some in the opposing party and driving the contrast.
“This is similarly a fair fight,” he said. “And it’s particularly so when these Republican positions are codified, documented in print, introduced in legislation."
...Biden’s move to highlight Social Security and Medicare has also raised tensions within the GOP, most notably between Scott and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose advisers blame the Florida Republican for hurting GOP candidates in the 2022 election.
“It’s just a bad idea," McConnell said Thursday of Scott's agenda. "I think it will be a challenge for him to deal with this in his own re-election in Florida, a state with more elderly people than any other state in America.”
Scott claimed Friday that McConnell was backing up the Democratic president. “He’s backing up Biden again,” Scott said. “He doesn’t believe that we ought to have a plan.”
Harry Truman on the 1948 election: "I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell."
2 comments:
Dreams die hard.
This is delightful.
NBC News:
WASHINGTON — After President Biden pummeled Republicans on Social Security and Medicare during his State of the Union address, drawing shouts of outrage from the party, Republican leaders urged him to stop telling Americans that the GOP wants to slash those retirement programs.
Then Biden paid a visit to Florida and did it again, exasperating the party and escalating a fight that is poised to play out on Capitol Hill and in the 2024 presidential election.
...House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told NBC News one day after Biden's speech to Congress. “I just hope he stops going around the country telling that falsehood because there’s no truth to it.
...The next day, at the University of Tampa on Thursday, Biden tore into a plan from Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., saying it would “sunset Social Security and Medicare every five years.” He also went after Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who has labeled Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and called for restructuring it.
“They were offended. ‘Liar! Liar!’” Biden mimicked.
...“Republicans don’t like being called out on this,” Biden said. “A lot of Republicans — their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Well, let me say this: If that’s your dream, I’m your nightmare.”
...The White House has told NBC News that Biden will keep criticizing those Republican plans.
...[Biden] intends to paint the GOP as a threat to Social Security and Medicare — the crown jewels of the Democratic-led New Deal and Great Society — seizing on decades of attempts to restructure, privatize or reduce long-term spending on the popular safety net programs.
Democrats seized on the issue in the 2022 midterms with some success, and now it moves to an even bigger stage.
“It’s a smart play for the near term in the debt limit fight, and it’s even a smarter play when we head to the 2024 re-elect,” said Scott Mulhauser, a former top Biden aide who has worked on campaigns and in government. “It moves voters, it moves seniors, it moves allegiances and alliances, and it resonates.”
...White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in an email that protecting those programs “is core to President Biden’s top priority” and made it clear he won’t stop calling out plans to scale them back.
“A wide range of Republican lawmakers have endorsed severe cuts to Medicare and Social security benefits in the name of ‘fiscal responsibility,’” Bates said. “Complaining that the President is accurately shining a light on plans they don’t want their constituents to know about is very much not the defense they think.”
Mulhauser said it’s “rich” to see Republicans complain about Democrats using a tactic the GOP has often used: Elevating proposals by some in the opposing party and driving the contrast.
“This is similarly a fair fight,” he said. “And it’s particularly so when these Republican positions are codified, documented in print, introduced in legislation."
...Biden’s move to highlight Social Security and Medicare has also raised tensions within the GOP, most notably between Scott and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose advisers blame the Florida Republican for hurting GOP candidates in the 2022 election.
“It’s just a bad idea," McConnell said Thursday of Scott's agenda. "I think it will be a challenge for him to deal with this in his own re-election in Florida, a state with more elderly people than any other state in America.”
Scott claimed Friday that McConnell was backing up the Democratic president. “He’s backing up Biden again,” Scott said. “He doesn’t believe that we ought to have a plan.”
Harry Truman on the 1948 election: "I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell."
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