Dems have plans – just don’t ask them to explain
“I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for.” — Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s performance in Tuesday night’s debate can be reduced to a single tweet: “Don’t @ Me!”
That’s twitter-speak for “I know what I’m saying is ridiculous or insane, but I’m saying it anyway, so don’t criticize me!” In the Twitterverse, it’s usually reserved for silly but less serious statements like “Soccer is better than the NFL — Don’t @ Me!” or “Charlie Baker really IS a Republican — Don’t @ Me!”
OK, nobody has ever said that last one — but you get the point.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her fellow socialist Bernie Sanders spent Tuesday evening throwing out their utterly unrealistic, economically irrational policy proposals, and then denouncing anyone who dared ask them a question as an ally of Donald Trump. Warren’s highly touted takedown of former Maryland Rep. John Delaney was nothing more than a debate dodge.
Warren’s “Got A Plan” to spend trillions paying for, among other things, health care for illegal immigrants, free college for gender-studies grads and Solyndrastyle “green energy” boondoggles. What she doesn’t have is an explanation of the math. How will she pay for it?
Why are you even asking — hater?!
Warren and Sanders dismissed every difficult question as a “Republican talking point.”
When CNN’s Jake Tapper — hardly an icon of the right — asked Sanders to confirm he would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for #MedicareForAll, Sanders barked, “Jake, your question is a Republican talking point.”
Polls show more than 70% of Americans like their private-sector health insurance. Both Warren and Sanders would shut down the entire industry and put everyone on a single-payer government system — the opposite of “If you like your doctor …”
When Delaney pointed out that fact, and the likely political conseMedical quences, by asking “Why do we have to be the party of taking something away from people?,” Warren unleashed her wrath:
“So let’s be clear about this. We are the Democrats. We are not about trying to take away health care from anyone,” she said. “That’s what the Republicans are trying to do. And we should stop using Republican talking points.”
Great applause line, but a lousy answer. Why not say, “That’s ridiculous, John. Everyone who likes their current health care plans can keep them! Your accusation is outrageous!”
Because she can’t. Because Delaney’s right. Because Liz Warren is going to take away the premium health care plans unions have negotiated. And there’s no reason to believe her government-run system (“Welcome to the RMV Center!”) improvement.
Which is why Bernie Sanders’ big moment was also bogus. Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan raised the issue of premium union health plans that #MedicareForAll would wipe out. Sanders was claiming that the new government care would be an improvement.
“You can’t know that,” Ryan said, which is obviously true. “I do know that,” Bernie barked. “I wrote the damn bill!”
The crowd cheered, but so did Donald Trump. Republicans know that taking away private insurance is unpopular with the American people — almost as unpopular as giving free health care to illegal immigrants.
Liz Warren wants to spend trillions of dollars we don’t have, on plans she can’t explain, to do things Americans don’t want. That’s not smart politics. That’s total insanity.
Which is why, if I were voting in the Democratic primary, my choice would be Marianne “Dark Psychic Forces” Williamson.
Don’t @ Me. will be an