Don Bacon’s Mendacious Re-Election Campaign
Representative Don Bacon claims to be running on bi-partisanship and civility. It’s an effective theme if you aren’t familiar with Bacon’s record or have amnesia. Republican propaganda depends heavily upon bad memories. It is our duty as Democrats to refresh voter memories.
I will re-post Don Bacon’s most frequent and dishonest tweets and rebut them with fact checking. History doesn’t begin when Bacon posts a tweet.
Bacon: Unethical campaigning by .@karaforcongress . She not only acquired@BradAshford_NE’s fundraising list w/out permission, but also did same to@bobkristne. Ann Ashford was right when she said the way a person campaigns is the way they’ll govern, and why she withheld her endorsement.
FACT CHECK: This is a truly stupid allegation since all federal campaigns are required to publicly disclose all of their donors. Assuming this allegation is true (it’s not), the Ashford campaign gained nothing from this imaginary list. All Bacon is trying to do here is divide Democrats.
Now what makes this phony charge even more ridiculous is Don Bacon’s enthusiastic support for Donald Trump. The former TV reality star has told over 20,000 lies since he was sworn in as president and routinely lies about Joe Biden. Last year, Don Bacon said it was an “easy choice” to endorse Trump. You don’t see Bacon calling out his hero for his myriad lies and dishonest campaign.
Bacon: Kara Eastman opposed the CARES Act saying it was a corporate heist. She’s too extreme for #NE02.
FACT CHECK: This is simply a flat out lie. Kara Eastman supported the CARE Act but she (justifiably) expressed reservations about the no strings attached corporate bailouts in the bill.
What Bacon doesn’t tell you is that Kara Eastman supports the $3 trillion in additional stimulus passed by the House on May 15 in the Heroes Act. This legislation would provide additional economic relief for hard pressed working families, states, cities and first responders. Bacon voted against this bill at the behest of Trump and his party bosses.
Bacon: Chris Janicek, the Dem nominee for NE Senate, hired my opponent Kara Eastman as his paid consultant.
FACT CHECK: As we all know, Chris Janicek was dumped by the Nebraska Democratic Party due to some inappropriate texts he sent to a female staffer. This allegation by Bacon is deeply hypocritical in light of his support for Trump. At the present time, as many as 25 women have made credible allegations of sexual assault against Trump. There are even two credible rape allegations.
Bacon: Actually, I’m showing video clips of Joe Biden saying how terrible Kara Eastman’s Medicare for All Plan will be for all of us: folks will be kicked off the healthcare plans they like, it will raise taxes on middle class and will cost $30T. He also said it will bankrupt America.
FACT CHECK: As a starting point, there simply aren’t enough votes to pass Medicare for All even if the Democrats run the table and win control of the White House and the Congress this fall.
Even if Medicare for All were to pass, people on private health insurance would get a new and BETTER insurance plan. Even hard core Republican friends of mine have told me that Medicare is much better than private health insurance.
Bacon’s biggest lie is that Kara Eastman’s health care plan will cost American taxpayers an additional $30 trillion over the next decade and increases taxes on the middle class.
What Bacon doesn’t tell you is that the cost of maintaining the health care status quo over the next 10 years is $50 trillion. The unspoken and dishonest assumption behind Bacon’s attack is that somehow we will be paying twice for health care in the next 10 years. Or in the alternative, Bacon makes the assumption that our health care will be free for the next 10 years.
Somebody needs to ask Bacon how he plans to come up with the $50 trillion necessary to finance the status quo. The U.S. has far and away the most expensive health care system in the industrialized world and it simply isn’t sustainable. We pay a lot more than other First World countries and get a vastly inferior outcome.
Bacon is making these phony attacks to distract you from his vote for the radioactive 2017 Trump Care bill. Bacon said “Hell yes!” to throwing 20 million off insurance & gutting pre-existing condition protections. For whatever reason, Bacon doesn’t talk about that vote anymore. It’s been three years of radio silence.
Bacon also voted for the Trump/Ricketts lawsuit aimed at throwing 20 million Americans off insurance and ending pre-existing condition protections. If they “win” their case, the ACA would be repealed without a replacement plan. Bacon never talks about this lawsuit, either.
Don Bacon is running this deeply dishonest and hypocritical campaign because he is most likely trailing Eastman in the polls. Nate Silver’s 538 site has indicated that Joe Biden is currently the odds on favorite to carry Nebraska CD-2 and has begun a big TV ad buy in the Omaha area on September 15. National groups will also be investing $1.4 million in Eastman’s run against Bacon.
I would urge everybody to do what you can to help Kara Eastman. Nebraska CD02 is one of the most important Congressional races in the country. Kara Eastman will work hard to support working families and protect your health care if she is elected. Now let’s get it done!