One of the biggest differences between Republicans and Democrats is that Democrats don’t have to invent outrageous horror stories about their opponents and their policies. Republicans are only too eager to do it themselves.
Whether it’s Rick Scott insisting that impoverished Americans need to pay more taxes, Donald Trump repeatedly purple-nurpling our democracy, or the entire party saying 10-year-old rape victims being forced to give birth is just an unavoidable speed bump on the way to a glorious Kirk Cameronian utopia, the GOP seems determined to transform their long-anticipated red wave into a bright-blue fuck-you this Roevember.
Also on that list? Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who recently stuck his cheddar-festooned foot in his yawping gorgonzola hole after making some particularly Camembert-assing comments about Social Security. So what’s his damage-control plan?
Lie, of course.
On the Sunday edition of Fox & Friends—which features 100% less Brian Kilmeade than the weekday version, yet somehow surpasses the original with respect to the number of houseflies flitting in and out of the hosts’ mouths—Johnson tried to defend his plan to endanger Social Security by claiming he has no such plan.
Watch:
Transcript!
JOHNSON: “I’m in a tough race here in Wisconsin. All the Democrats can do is lie about me, assassinate my character, engage in politics of personal destruction. Probably the most outrageous lie they’re telling now is that I want to cut or end Social Security. I mean, just give that a second of a thought. What elected official would ever want to cut Social Security? It is absurd on its face. This is the third election they’ve falsely accused me of the exact same thing. I want to save Social Security. We need to stop all this deficit spending. We’re $30.8 trillion in debt. It’s just disgusting, it’s just exhausting, all this division and hate. But I have to say, it’s coming from the left. We’re not the dividers; they are.”
Well, okay, fine. RoJo the Clown says Democrats are lying when they say he wants to cut Social Security. But how else would you interpret this analysis from The Washington Post?
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has suggested that Social Security and Medicare be eliminated as federal entitlement programs, and that they should instead become programs approved by Congress on an annual basis as discretionary spending.
[...]
Johnson suggested that Social Security and Medicare be transformed into programs whose budgets are appropriated by Congress on an annual basis. He pointed out that budgets for the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments are approved as discretionary spending.
“What we ought to be doing is we ought to turn everything into discretionary spending so it’s all evaluated so that we can fix problems or fix programs that are broken, that are going to be going bankrupt,” Johnson said. “As long as things are on automatic pilot, we just continue to pile up debt.”
So by annually subjecting Social Security to Mitch McConnell’s and Rand Paul’s totally good-faith “fixes,” what exactly does RoJo think might happen to the program? Are they going to “fix” it so seniors get all the money they’ve been promised, plus a generous Christmas bonus? Or are they going to fix it so Wisconsin seniors don't eat unless Johnson overbuys on Kirkland cat food and is feeling particularly generous that month?
Seniors—and everyone else receiving SSI benefits—have every reason to worry what Sen. Johnson and his fellow Republicans, who’ve never seen an upper-class tax break or a social safety net cut they didn’t like, might do to the benefits Americans have earned and come to rely on. And would it be rude to point out that America’s billionaires just keep getting more obscenely wealthy as we continue to kvetch about what Grandma’s Christmas checks to her grandkids are doing to the public coffers?
Of course, Johnson’s Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, quickly jumped on Johnson’s gaffe, inferring, quite correctly, that Johnson’s brilliant idea for turning Social Security into an annual political football would likely crush the program.
For the non-tweeters:
Ron Johnson is threatening to cut Social Security and Medicare.
~surprise surprise~ the self-serving, multimillionaire Senator is trying to strip working people of the Social Security and Medicare benefits they've earned over a lifetime of hard work.
Of course, there’s a reason RoJo looks like a sad amalgam of bratwurst grease, flop sweat, and boiled peanut skins in the above clip. Barnes is surging in the polls—because he’s a much better candidate than Johnson and touts more popular positions and priorities.
For instance, in addition to protecting our democracy (unlike Johnson), reproductive rights, and our planet, Barnes doesn’t want people to have to depend on Mitch McConnell’s nonexistent goodwill each year in order to continue living with a modicum of dignity.
Because while Social Security may not be perfect, for most people, it’s still a far more realistic option than Johnson’s own retirement plan, which consists almost entirely of marrying a rich person, becoming a senator, and then creating lots of tax breaks for himself and his cronies.
So let’s support Barnes—and the rest of our great Senate candidates—by donating to his campaign. Because RoJo is one Johnson who needs to be cut off ASAP.
Check out Aldous J. Pennyfarthing’s four-volume Trump-trashing compendium, including the finale, Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump, at this link. Or, if you prefer a test drive, you can download the epilogue to Goodbye, Asshat for the low, low price of FREE.