Only 1 in 4 Americans supports the sweeping platform laid out by GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, ahead of the 2022 midterms. In fact, every Scott policy tested by the progressive consortium Navigator Research was opposed by a majority of Americans.
Two of the most eye-popping provisions in Scott's 11-point plan included raising taxes on roughly 100 million working-class Americans and adding sunset provisions for Social Security and Medicare every five years that could eliminate them if they fell victim to congressional gridlock.
When people learned about those two provisions alone, just 25% of Americans supported the plan while 59% opposed it, according to a survey released Friday by Navigator. Opposition included 70% of Democrats, 61% of independents, and 46% of Republicans. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the overall unpopularity of the Republican plan hasn't changed much in the last several weeks, with it being 34 points underwater now compared to 32 points underwater in mid-April.
However, Navigator's latest survey individually tested six major policies included in Scott's plan and not a single one of them won majority support.
Ending programs like Social Security and Medicare was opposed by 75% of respondents. Raising taxes on over half of Americans—especially seniors, families with children, and Americans making less than $40,000 per year—drew 71% opposition.
Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, thereby cutting funding for public education and driving down teacher pay, was opposed by 66%.
Ending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and allowing insurers to deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions was opposed by 62%.
Cutting funding for the IRS by 50%, resulting in less tax fraud enforcement and more cheating by wealthy individuals and corporations, drew 58% opposition.
Banning anonymous questions on government forms about race, ethnicity, and gender identity received 54% opposition.
Bottom line, it's not popular stuff in the least.
Additionally, Scott's entire plan epitomizes the GOP's endless obsession with hoarding resources for the rich and wealthy while economically crippling middle- and working-class Americans.
That fact happens to line up perfectly with one of the most effective messages Democrats can use to combat GOP charges that they are failing the economy with "out-of-control spending, weak recovery, and record inflation."
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Navigator tested several Democratic messages against that GOP attack and the following message won: "Republicans protect the rich and corporations over working Americans, including opposing the rights of American workers to unionize and be paid fairly for the work they do."
45% of respondents said they found the GOP attack more concerning while 46% found the Democratic attack more concerning. So that message effectively neutralized the GOP messaging advantage on the inflation.
Scott's plan fits perfectly within that narrative. Democrats could easily make the charge that "Republicans protect the rich and corporations over working Americans" and then use Scott's plan as Exhibit A.
