Senator Ron Johnson (Q-Moscow) once again took pains to prove that he is one of the dumbest senators of all time by going on a Green Bay-based conservative radio talk show and proposing making Social Security and Medicare "discretionary spending:"
NEW: On the The Regular Joe Show, Sen. Ron. Johnson (R-WI) argues for eliminating entitlements: "Social Security and Medicare, if you qualify, you just get it no matter what the cost... We ought to turn everything into discretionary spending so it's all evaluated." pic.twitter.com/bE1KUb6uJ5
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) August 2, 2022
Let's put the fact that he is using some really hokey numbers aside for now. What RoJo is proposing is taking the money that you pay into Social Security and Medicare during your entire working time in order to pay for your senior years, and letting people like RoJo decide if they can afford to give you your money back.
Needless to say, this set off a righteous backlash from the left. His presumptive opponent, Mandela Barnes, released a statement bashing the idea:
“Self-serving, multimillionaire senator Ron Johnson wants to strip working people of the Social Security and Medicare they’ve earned. Wisconsinites pay into Social Security through a lifetime of hard work, and they’re counting on this program and Medicare – but Ron Johnson just doesn't care,” Barnes said in a statement.
RoJo even drew fire from the White House:
While @POTUS and congressional Democrats fight for the Inflation Reduction Act, which would let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices, congressional Republicans like @SenRonJohnson want to put Medicare on the chopping block.
That would devastate families.https://t.co/EimKYSyxR4— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) August 2, 2022
And just in case anyone was feeling confident that the Republicans weren't actually that stupid, Jesse Lee, Senior Advisor for Communications to the National Economic Council, sets them straight:
Putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block is literally the only concrete economic idea I’ve heard from Republicans in Congress this year. Rick Scott, the RSC, Ron Johnson. But of course they’d never do it, like they’d never overturn Roe.https://t.co/HBjZDgpejf
— Jesse Lee (@JesseLee46) August 2, 2022
The ironic thing is that in 2010, when RoJo was first running for office, he called Social Security a Ponzi scheme that would soon be bankrupt. At the same time, he made this promise:
"Russ Feingold and politicians from both parties raided the Social Security Trust Fund of trillions and left seniors an IOU. They spent the money, it's gone.
"I'll fight to keep every nickel of Social Security for retirees and I'll respect you enough to tell you the truth."
In a previous post I told you that Johnson did not dismiss out of hand today the possibility that he would back privatization for some Social Security recipients. At the same time, he said he wanted to look at all of the options on the table, adding that he would not force privitazation on Social Security recipients.
No one believed him then. I would dare say that less people will believe him now. How much do you want to bet that if RoJo did get his way, another huge tax break for the rich would be right around the corner?
