Press Staff Blog
We wanted to make sure you saw this scathing Washington Post op-ed by Eugene Robinson that blasts Republicans for their blatant attempts to undermine Americans’ rights with restrictive voter ID laws. Under the false pretense of eliminating voter fraud, Republicans have been pursuing voter ID laws which would be especially harmful to voters that are from low-income and urban communities.
As Robinson explains:
After a week focused on political theater rather than jobs, Democrats are more than ready to work on the issues most important to the American people – getting more people back to work and restoring our economy. House Republicans? That’s another story, as they have already scheduled a political show vote on repealing the health reform law—instead of focusing on jobs and the economy.
Editorial boards from across the country are weighing in on yesterday’s Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act and there’s clearly a consensus: this law is already helping millions of Americans, and yesterday’s ruling ensures that will continue and expand. Here’s an overview:
USA Today Editorial: Supreme Court ObamaCare ruling benefits millions
The Supreme Court’s decision this morning reassured millions of American families that affording quality health care would no longer be an obstacle to receiving it.
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele was on MSNBC this afternoon to talk about the Republican response strategy after the Supreme Court ruled the Affordable Care Act constitutional. Specifically, he discussed how Republicans still don’t have one, clinging instead to their “all repeal, no replace” health care strategy which has nothing to do with jobs.
From an interview on Hardball With Chris Matthews:
As we head into tomorrow, we here in the Democratic Whip Press Shop wanted to make sure you saw this article from The Hill noting the trepidation from Senate Republicans over the contempt vote. We have been saying for days that the contempt vote on the Floor tomorrow is a baseless, politically-motivated fishing expedition that is nothing more than a distraction from critical issues like highways, student loans and middle class tax relief.
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, Republicans have been working to repeal this landmark legislation and undo newfound patient protections and consumer freedoms. But while they insist on revoking this law, which has provided new benefits for patients, employers and care providers, Republican leaders have refused to offer an alternative solution. And according to Politico, Republicans have no plans to replace this law, regardless of the Supreme Court’s ruling tomorrow:
This chart from a Dartmouth survey explains the Republican plan to achieve deficit reduction – more specifically, it points out why they don’t have one. As Slate points out, there’s “no Republican support at a grass-roots level for any measure that would lead to substantial deficit reduction.”
Funny how the closer we get to an election, the more vocal Republicans get in speaking out against their own Party’s budget plan introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan. The GOP’s draconian budget plan would end Medicare as we know it and slash the social safety net in order to provide tax breaks for the wealthiest among us. No wonder several prominent GOP members are already throwing the plan “under the bus.”
From Politico’s Huddle:
Yesterday’s meeting with Grover Norquist to keep Republicans in the fold came as more and more Republicans are starting to admit that we can’t face our fiscal challenges without putting revenues on the table. Our favorite recap, courtesy of TPM: