The Stakes in 2022: Progress v. Radicalism
President Biden and the Democrats in Congress inherited a nation in crisis from Trump. The economy lost 140,000 jobs in December 2020 and the Trump Administration didn’t have a plan to distribute the life saving vaccines. The Democrats rolled up their sleeves and went immediately to work to clean up Trump’s mess.
President Biden has been very successful in passing his legislative agenda, notwithstanding some recent set backs. The American Rescue Plan included the largest middle class tax cut in history, money for vaccines, money for schools and funding for law enforcement. Every Republican voted no.
Subsequently, Biden passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Infrastructure Week had become a running joke during the Trump Administration but Biden got it done. It’s the most significant piece of infrastructure legislation since the Interstate Highway Act of 1956.
Already we’re seeing positive results from the passage of these two landmark bills:
A record 7.9 million new jobs. More jobs have been created over the first 14 months of any presidency, in any term, ever.
Unemployment down from 6.4% to 3.6%. This is the fastest drop in unemployment at the start of a president’s term in American history.
Unemployment claims are at the lowest levels in more than 50 years.
Our economy grew at 5.7% last year — the fastest rate since Reagan’s “Morning in America” in 1984.
Biden has reduced the deficit by $360 billion in 2021 and is on track to reduce it by over $1 trillion this year.
97% of schools have reopened — up from 46% when Biden took office.
77% of Americans have been vaccinated.
The Republicans and the “liberal” mainstream media are quick to disparage this progress by falsely blaming Biden for inflation. According to a Moody’s analysis of February 24, the American Rescue Plan only added a .35% incremental inflation increase.
International economic conditions provide further evidence that Biden’s policies haven’t contributed to inflation. Currently, EU inflation is 7.5%, which is identical to the 7.5% inflation rate in the U.S. Inflation is a global phenomenon caused by the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Unfortunately, all of this progress is jeopardized by the prospect of the Republicans winning control of one or both houses of Congress in 2022. If the GOP wins, radicals will be in charge and all of these hard won gains will be wrecked.
Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL): “We are going to take power after this next election. When we do, it’s not going to be the days of Paul Ryan, and Trey Gowdy, and no real oversight, and no real subpoenas. It’s going to be the days of Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Dr. Gosar, and myself.” Gaetz added, “The notion that Republicans are going to take control of the House, and we’re going to hold hands in the warm spring rain with the Democrats and legislate is ludicrous.”
Senator Rick Scott’s (R-FL) GOP platform for 2022 is a sure sign that radicals would be in charge. This is a series of extreme proposals that includes a $1 trillion tax increase on over 100 million Americans, including senior citizens. Scott would like every American who doesn’t pay federal incomes taxes to have their taxes increased. These over 100 million Americans are already paying FICA taxes, state income taxes, property taxes and sales taxes.
The nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy concluded that Scott’s plan “would increase taxes by more than $1,000 on average for the poorest 40 percent of Americans.” A huge tax increase on working families like this would send the economy into a recession.
This isn’t Scott’s only job killing proposal. The Florida senator has also proposed a government shutdown and default that would cause the loss of 5 to 6 million jobs. The Senate GOP won’t pay the nation’s debts unless there is a declaration of war. The Congress hasn’t passed a declaration of war since December 1941.
That same GOP scheme includes sunsetting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) every five years. The GOP would refuse to renew these programs without poison pills like cuts and privatization.
Despite opposition from D.C. Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Scott has doubled down on his radical plan for the GOP to win the midterms. It is widely expected that Scott will challenge McConnell for the Senate GOP leadership position with Trump’s support.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) — like Scott — has also taken aim at the ACA. The extreme Wisconsin senator has said that the GOP should repeal Obama Care if the GOP regains control of the White House and Congress by 2024. The previous GOP health care bill that the Republicans tried to ram through the Congress in the middle of the night in 2017 would’ve kicked 23 million people off insurance and gutted pre-existing condition protections.
The House Republicans have joined the Senate Republicans in their attack on the social safety net. The House GOP Study Commission has endorsed a plan to raise the Social Security and Medicare eligibility age to 69. Combined, these increases would likely keep many older workers in the workforce for years more than they desire or expect. Incidentally, Don Bacon is a member of this commission.
And that’s not all. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) predicted that the D.C. Republicans would move to impeach President Biden “whether it’s justified or not” if they retake the House in this year’s midterm elections. You can’t make this stuff up.
Simply stated, the GOP platform is dangerous. We must do everything in our power to prevent the GOP from regaining power. When the Republicans are in charge, they wreck the country.
In CD01, please support Patty Pansing Brooks. In CD02, Tony Vargas and Alisha Shelton are challenging Bacon. Let’s send them to D.C. and chase the money changers out of the temple of democracy!