Joe Scarborough Busts Republicans For Lying About Supporting Pre-Existing Conditions

As Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer blasted Mitch McConnell for admitting Republicans wanted to cut Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid as well as wanting to try to repeal Obamacare again on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Friday morning, host Joe Scarborough busted Republicans for lying about supporting pre-existing conditions.

“Republicans all running around scared saying, oh, we all support pre-existing conditions. Let’s not put too fine of a brush on this. That’s just a blatant lie,” the Republican host said.

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SCHUMER: Mitch McConnell gave us a gift in the last three days. He showed who the Republican party really is. Day one: cut Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid. Day two: remove 30 million people from health care. Day three: join a lawsuit that gets rid of pre-existing conditions. Health care, you know my mother used to tell me, when someone shows you who they are, believe them. And that’s a game changer, what McConnell did the last three days is a game changer for us.

SCARBOROUGH: So number one, he talked about cutting entitlements. I want to go to number three, though, because the president is saying Republicans will always support pre-existing conditions. Republicans all running around scared saying, oh, we all support pre-existing conditions. Let’s not put too fine of a brush on this. That’s just a blatant lie.

SCHUMER: Exactly.

SCARBOROUGH: Explain to people that are watching why that’s a lie.

SCHUMER: I said to the president yesterday, not personally but, you know, on Twitter, if you really believe it, drop your lawsuit. Right now the president has a lawsuit that will cause pre-existing conditions [protections] to go away. [18 Republican Attorneys General and Two Republican Governors]19 Republican Attorneys General joined it, including two running for the Senate. They are so scared that they are being hammered on this lawsuit, they say well I’m really for it. If you’re really for it, get off the G-D lawsuit.

GEIST: The other thing you’ve raised is the deficit, the debt and deficit, which Republicans and conservatives have preached about for generations as you know, blowing a hole through the debt, blowing a hole through the deficits, it’s going to be a trillion dollars maybe by next year. And yet there’s this tax cut that only adds to that.

SCHUMER: It’s the old trick.

…

SCHUMER: But what’s happening now, in the last week, the tide is moving back in our direction. Because, number one, I’m sorry to say it again and again, it’s health care; health care, health care, health care. And they are losers on it. And then McConnell says what he says. It’s like a closer for us.

SCARBOROUGH: What did he say again?

SCHUMER: He said three things. Number one, because of the deficit created by the huge tax break, which mainly went to wealthy people. And they can’t campaign on that any more, it’s not popular. Number one, he said because of the deficit we’ve got to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. Day two, he says we ought to repeal ACA. Repeal ACA. Kick 20 million people off health care. When right now, last poll, 54% Americans favor it. Day three, he supports the lawsuit which will get rid of pre-existing conditions [protections]. I couldn’t have written a script better for McConnell to say these things.

SCARBOROUGH: So, yeah, entitlements, and get rid of ACA 20 million people and then the number three one is pre-existing conditions. Okay. that’s a lot right there.

Republicans have spent almost ten years trying to convince people that having affordable health insurance is a “Death Panel” for them. But once people actually got access to affordable health insurance, via Obamacare, they now don’t want to lose it. They would like to see it improved upon, not taken away.

This is the old Republican scam of lowering the taxes on the most wealthy (their own friends and contributors), blowing up the deficit because they didn’t pay for the tax cuts, and then using that deficit to come after what they call ironically, as after they have robbed you in a greedy grab for themselves and their friends, “entitlements.”

This story is as old as time. What has changed is that voters are very aware of healthcare being an issue. This is one reason why Democrats are running on healthcare and not impeachment. Healthcare plays everywhere, because everyone needs it. Not everyone, especially in the tough, red map the Senate Democrats face this year, thinks Trump should be impeached. But they do think they should have their Medicare and Social Security.

Democrats are no good at using Republican flaws against Republicans, like Trump’s corruption. That game is won hands down by Republicans, who excel at theater. But Democrats are very good at kitchen table issues that actually matter to voters. They are very good at coming up with fiscally sound solutions to the larger problems that Americans face. They aren’t very good at selling those ideas.

Luckily, McConnell has just admitted that Republicans are a huge threat to not just Obamacare, but Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. With this looming threat, McConnell made the theater for Democrats. He made healthcare hot.

Thanks, Mitch.

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Sarah Jones

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Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.

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