Robert Reich: Republican Talking Points are Dead Wrong
In debates and campaign ads, the Republican themes have been fairly consistent. They've been shocked with the response to the Supreme Court's overturning Roe v. Wade, which energized the Democratic party, boosted voter registration to the point where it caught up, and then passed, Republican numbers and it neutralized what all the pundits and press and political experts had conceded would be another midterm in which the party in power lost seats in Congress.
To be honest, Republicans have almost nothing to offer. They have the "Big lie," which does nothing to excite or motivate the kind of voters they need to win battleground elections. The January 6th committee, which wasn't really much of a factor last spring, is now registering as one of the main reasons motivating voters to cast their ballots this fall. And while both the President and Vice-President have struggled with job approval ratings, Trump's insertion of himself into the midterms, endorsement of extremists and gathering attention have driven his disapproval up to the 60% threshold, far higher than the Biden Administration's negatives. His disapproval is increasing, theirs is declining.
On Crime and Violence
How can a candidate who belongs to a political party that supported a mob which essentially beat up, threatened, injured and murdered one Capitol police officer in a riot that was intended to stop the constitutional peaceful transfer of power and install a lawless dictatorship? How can they claim that the Democrats are responsible for the increase in the crime rate when the ex-president they support is a criminal who brags about his ability to get away with breaking the law and openly states that getting around it is the key to business success?
What, exactly, do they plan to do that will cause the crime rate to go down and fix the problem? They're attacking the FBI, clamoring for "defunding" federal law enforcement. That's not taking a stand against crime, that's promoting it.
The most effective means of fighting crime and lowering the violent crime rate, as Democrats in states and cities where they have had some success in doing this proves, is to pass meaningful and effective gun control legislation. The GOP is in the pocket of the radical, extremist NRA, whose political stances and advocacy for unregulated gun ownership is directly responsible for the rise in violent crime in this country.
That the Republican party is hapless and helpless and has absolutely no plan at all for reducing violent crime, in spite of whining about it, came from Marco Rubio earlier this week, in his debate with Congresswoman Val Demings. Rubio had absolutely no answers and no valid response to questions about his lack of support for legislation that would control gun violence, as a senator representing a state where some of the worst mass shootings have occurred, including Stoneman-Douglass high school and the nightclub in Orlando.
"That happened on your watch, Senator Rubio. And what was your response to that?"
The silence from the Senator was deafening. His deflection was embarrassing.
On Inflation
It hasn't been hard to notice, at least not if some attention has been paid to what's been going on in Congress, that the Republicans have opposed every attempted move by the Biden Administration to deal with inflation. Every bill that has been passed, representing commonly held practices of government in handling inflation, has been opposed by the GOP members.
They're way off base in their accusations that COVID relief and government spending is responsible for inflation. Even conservative economists acknowledge that supply chain issues, China's "no tolerance" COVID policy that prevents consumer goods from leaving their country and arriving here, and Russia's war on Ukraine are the major drivers of inflation. That's probably why inflation is happening everywhere in the world, and it's worse in most places than it is here because our government, led by the President, is doing something to make things better for our people.
Gas prices have fallen $1.40 in the past two months, due to all kinds of help from the Biden Administration and many Democratic governors. The myth that America was energy independent under Trump has crumbled in the wake of the Ukraine invasion. The Trump administration was dependent on Russian and Saudi Arabian oil for its supply and for what was not much of a break on the prices. Even now, it's clear that the price of a gallon of gasoline is inflated for profiteering purposes. The previous administration counted for nothing on this issue, their bombast was all a big, empty bluff.
And, over the past two months, inflation has levelled off. So what the Biden Administration is doing has worked. I'll repeat that. What the Biden administration is doing about inflation is working. And it's hard to ignore the fact that job growth is still setting records and in spite of inflation, the stock market is still expanding and the dire predictions of a recession are not materializing.
On Immigration
I'm a progressive American and I believe that this country was formed with the intention of being a refuge and a haven for the oppressed. Far more than the legalistic, authoritarian, racist approach of white, Christian nationalism, if there was a Christian influence in this nation's founding, it was in the open, generous, welcoming attitude that developed among those who were grateful to be here and who enjoyed and prospered in this atmosphere of freedom.
I'm glad to see that the governor of Texas is sending refugees from the border, seeking asylum in the United States, north to the "sanctuary cities." It has given me the opportunity to volunteer to help collect resources, including food and clothing, for some 2,000 hopeful, future Americans who have fled the terror and violence now happening in Venezuela. Sorry, Texans, you missed out on the chance to help, serve and demonstrate the patriotism you claim to have. They're welcome here in the Chicago area and we are taking care of them as they wait to find out if they will be given asylum and the opportunity to find a job and eventually become an American citizen.
They are so grateful and thankful for the help. Most of them want to work to support themselves and many of them are college graduates and professionals. And they are glad to be away from what's happening where they lived. It would be cruel and inhumane to turn these people away, especially after what most of them have been through in order to get here.
For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Matthew 25:35-36, NRSV
We are the most prosperous nation on the face of the earth. There is no reason we cannot help those who make it to our border.
Empty Promises from the GOP
Actually, all we're getting from Republicans now is complaints and spreading the blame. They're not offering solutions, especially not for inflation, which is benefitting many of their constituents. They're depending on the trends, that "the party in power in the White House loses seats in the mid-terms". But their plans are the same as they have always been. Do nothing. There's nothing to see in their campaign ads, their stump speeches or their rhetoric that resembles doing anything to benefit people.
As the polls suggest, inflation and the economy are both high ranking issues for me, politically. I'm concerned about inflation and I'm concerned about the economy, and that's why I'm voting straight ticket Democrat. I remember the roaring economy we had under President Clinton and I remember the massive recovery from the Bush Recession that we had under President Obama. If I want a party in power that knows how to resolve economic problems and deal with inflation, I will vote for Democrats, who have a proven track record of doing exactly that.
Pat Ryan, Mary Peltola and Kansas are all names that stand for bucking the "party in power" trend, and for making the pollsters look bad. With all of the "factoring" and running models based on it, Ryan was as much as a 7 point underdog in New York's 19th district. But he won by more than 3 percent, 10 points ahead of where the polls put him, boosted by turnout in the wake of the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court. Peltola beat two of Alaska's most well-known Republicans for a house seat, outdoing both of them in first choice ballots in a ranked-choice election, while polls predicted a third-place finish for her. But she's now Alaska's first Democratic congresswoman in a generation.
Kansas is in a class all by itself. Voters in a red state showed just how effective turnout and motivation can be, and how wrong the pollsters can be with their factors and trends. They also showed that the Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court is going to have far-reaching effects in this mid-term election. And I don't mind going out on a limb in saying that I don't think the Democrats will lose control of Congress on November 8th. My speculation will not keep me from voting, I will make sure that I cast my ballot, for every Democrat who is on it. It will be a vote for preserving democracy, supporting law and order and for an America that is a refuge for the oppressed. It will be straight ticket Democrat.
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