Recently Senator Rick Scott of Florida unveiled an 11-point set of proposals (modeled after Newt Gingrich’s Republican Contract for America) for consideration by the national Republican Party. Immediately thereafter, Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, walked away from several parts of Scott’s plan.
This plan was not well received by not only by Mitch McConnell, but also not by other fellow Republicans. Among other things, Scott’s plan called for raising federal income taxes on half of Americans who pay little or no income tax because of their relatively low incomes.
In addition, Scott’s proposal would automatically sunset (discontinue) programs such as Social Security and Medicare within 5 years. These programs would have to be reinstated by formal votes in Congress every 5 years.
Obviously, Scott’s foolish programs would give political ammunition to the Democrats for a devastating series of ads prior to the mid-term elections. Polling by Blue Rose Research found that 65% of voters were less likely to support the GOP if Republicans offered a new plan that would effectively end Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in 5 years. Also, 60% of voters said they would be less likely to support Republicans if they planned to raise taxes on more than half of Americans. Finally, 55% of voters said they would be less likely to support Republicans if they supported a plan to end the coverage protections for pre-existing conditions from the Affordable Care Act in 5 years.
It should not surprise anyone that proposals to eliminate popular federal programs and to raise taxes on Americans with lower incomes would be unpopular and politically damaging to the Republican Party. These unserious and selfish proposals open the door for Democrats in the fight to maintain narrow margins in the House and Senate.
The more Republicans are forced to fight in the mid-terms on this ground, the better it will be for the Democrats. Combine this with Republicans being forced to fight over their support for Donald Trump’s insurrection and attempted coup, and you have a recipe for potential political success for the Democrats even in a less than optimal political environment.
