CT Blue

Oliver Willis reportssomething rather astonishing:

Congressional Republicans have released an election year proposal targeting massive cuts to government programs that millions of Americans, including the poorest people, have relied upon.

“A Framework for Unified Conservatism,” the proposal from the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a coalition of more than 100 conservative House Republicans, comes as the party faces the prospect of losing seats because of the unpopularity of the Trump administration.

Since Trump’s election, the party has already been forced to defend seats that have overwhelmingly favored Republicans in the past, and has lost statewide elections in Alabama and Virginia.

But still, the new RSC plan pushes for doubling down on many of the party’s least popular ideas, and further associates Republicans and conservatives with proposals that are extremely cruel.

The framework contains an attack on two of the most popular government programs: Social Security and Medicare. The Republicans often try to portray themselves as allies of the social safety net, their new plan would end the promise of Social Security for Americans that turn 65, pushing them to wait until age 70 to receive their benefits. In addition, the plan calls for raising Medicare eligibility to age 70, while also privatizing portions of the program.

The ads the Democrats could run about this practically write themselves, but alas, I fear that, nonetheless, they never shall be written.

Everyone with brains agrees that the Democrats have to offer the voters more than a promise that they are not the party of Trump, yet no one really expects them to actually run a coordinated campaign in which issues like social security, Medicare for all, pay equity, higher minimum wage, and maybe even a guaranteed jobs program, are emphasized. As I write, the DCCC is still at work recruiting Blue Dogs (rich ex-Republicans preferred) to run against real Democrats. I continue to believe that the Democrats are intent on finding a way to turn the wave into a teeny little splash that just may rock the Republican boat, but will not come close to sinking it. If they do take the House, they will have a paper majority but a Democratic minority, unable to even pass popular legislation that Trump would have to veto.