Republicans are already launching attacks on the Democratic Senators who are supporting Bernie Sanders’ Medicare For All bill.
According to Vox, 11 Democratic Senators are co-sponsoring the Medicare For All bill that Sen. Sanders will unveil on Wednesday.
Here is the list of Democratic supporters:
Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Brian Schatz (D-HI)
Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Ed Markey (D-MA)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
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Three of the 11 names on this list (Booker, Warren, and Harris) have something in common. They are all rumored to be interested in running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Sen. Baldwin is up for reelection in 2018, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee released a statement previewing how they are going to attack Democrats who support single payer:
Baldwin went out of her way to endorse this plan, which is bad for Wisconsin, 24 hours before it’s set to be released.
Despite representing a state President Trump won, Tammy Baldwin continues to side with radical liberals and support a single-payer health care system that would decimate Wisconsin families and businesses. Baldwin’s support for a socialist health care system would force folks in Wisconsin to pay exorbitant costs for an unworkable health care solution. The Urban Institute released a study last year showing that Sanders’ extreme health care plan would cost $32 trillion over a ten-year period.
The Republican argument is why it is going to be so difficult for Democrats to pass and enact a single payer health care bill in one swoop. Republicans will automatically label the plan socialism then point to the cost, and scare people about losing their current insurance.
There are numerous logical arguments in favor of a single payer system, but there is a reason why it took until Trump and the GOP tried to repeal the ACA for it to become popular. The scare tactics work. Just as it made no sense to repeal Obamacare and damage one sixth of the economy in one pass, it also makes little sense to implement a single payer plan in one bill.
The Affordable Care Act was the first step toward universal coverage. The next step that Democrats gain if they save the ACA will be an expanded Medicare buy in.
The fact that Republicans are already attacking a Senator who supports Medicare For All shows what a tough sell the plan is going to be to the rest of the country.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
