The past two years have been challenging for our nation. They have put immense pressure on working people all across the country.
These past two years have also revealed the priorities of our elected officials. These priorities are essential for every voter to know heading into the 2022 midterms.
Democrats have worked tirelessly to address the everyday needs of the American people. Republicans have done little more than show up — and in the case of Sen. Ted Cruz, even that is not always a given.
Every Republican voted against the American Rescue Plan — money to get hundreds of millions of Americans vaccinated, reopen schools, make health care more affordable, and provide much needed relief to communities across the nation. Though that hasn’t stopped them from taking the dough and touting ARP programs that have been wildly successful.
The majority of them voted against the president’s infrastructure bill. They voted against repairing highways and bridges, modernizing public transit, fighting climate change, and providing Americans with clean water and affordable internet.
But if those votes — those choices to harm the interest of the American people — weren’t clear enough, Sens. Rick Scott and Ron Johnson really want to drive home the core GOP message: They don’t care about you.
For weeks, Americans begged for a Republican plan to fight inflation, lower costs and address their everyday needs. For weeks, Republicans dodged and evaded — but finally, Rick Scott let it slip.
So what’s the GOP’s big plan? Raise taxes on half of Americans — not for the billionaires with yachts and private jets, just for average, everyday Americans.
Folks like Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel and Sen. Marco Rubio are already lined up in support.
But that wasn’t enough. So this week, Johnson also reminded us that repealing the Affordable Care Act is still on the GOP bucket list.
Let’s recap. If they’re in power, Republicans want to make you poorer and repeal protections for pre-existing conditions.
In the states, it does not get any better. Rather than do their actual jobs, clowns like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbot prefer to tell public school teachers how to do their jobs, attack trans kids and limit reproductive freedom.
I commend Scott and Johnson for their bravery. It takes guts to proudly display how out of touch the GOP truly is. But if they ever decide to descend from their ivory tower, I think they will find these ideas are incredibly unpopular with everyday folks.
Luckily, the American people have an alternative. The president laid it out in his State of the Union. How do Democrats want to fight inflation and bring down costs?
By making more stuff in America — so we depend less of foreign supply chains. By lowering the cost of prescription drugs — so folks don’t get gouged by pharmaceutical companies charging thousands for life-saving medications like insulin. By capping the cost of child care — so families aren’t paying tens of thousands of dollars. By lowering the cost of energy through investments in clean energy and innovation.
And no one — except for the wealthiest people and corporations — will pay any more in taxes.
The contrast is clear. The choice is simple. The American people cannot afford Republican leadership. We can’t afford their economic agenda.
That’s why the Democratic Party will make sure every voter hears about the Republican plan and every Republican candidate is held accountable for the views of their party.
We will keep reminding Americans that if they are looking for leaders who understand their needs, who will fight for them every day, and who will get real results on their behalf, they are looking for Democrats.
