1/12
Mitch McConnell: "100% of our focus is on stopping this new admin. // We're confronted w/ severe challenges with a new administration & a narrow majority of Dems in the house & a 50/50 senate, to turn America into a socialist country. And this is 100% of my focus" #velshi
2/12
Well, that’s 100% a lie. In fairness, McConnell has since softened his view about obstruction being 100% of his focus. But he still let the cat out of the bag: the G-O-P is a party with no actual agenda other than to sabotage the current administration. #velshi
3/12
As an econ guy, I’m troubled by the continued false narrative about socialism. Socialism is a system in which the gov't owns the means of production. Meaning actual ownership of factories, hospitals, even machinery used to produce goods & services that ppl consume. #velshi
4/12
Biden has not promised nor carried out anything that remotely resembles socialism. Even if you believe, as I do, that America should have a single-payer health care system - something that Biden actually disagrees with – that’s still *not* socialism. #velshi
5/12
If you believe student debt should be cancelled, or that the minimum wage should be $15/hr or that carbon emissions should be cut - *NONE* of that is socialism. What Biden *does* believe, is that the era of big government is back. #velshi
6/12
The idea that government involvement in certain aspects of public policy *can* be helpful & guess what – that’s *STILL* not socialism. Americans are warming up to the idea of more government. #velshi
7/12
Especially during a once-in-generation pandemic - when a powerful and effective government could have ensured America had enough PPE, imposed mask mandates, accelerated testing, and boosted vaccine production. #velshi
8/12
All things that Biden ended up doing once he assumed office. In fact, a recent NBC News poll found that 55 % of Americans say the gov't *should* do more to solve the country’s problems. I think we can all agree we don’t want or need gov't in our lives all the time. #velshi
9/12
There are some things we just can’t do on our own. A small gov't can’t fix a warming climate, rising economic inequality, rampant disinformation & growing adversaries in Russia & China, whose leaders, don’t sit around wondering if their gov'ts should be smaller. #velshi
10/12
We’ve been hearing about how bad gov't is for you for decades. In 1981 Ronald Reagan proclaimed: “Gov't is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” #velshi
11/12
It's going to take a lot to overcome the flawed and outdated idea that government is inherently irresponsible and controlling. Joe Biden may or may not succeed. It all depends on whether his bet on big government improves the lives of most Americans. #velshi
12/12
Mitch McConnell is betting against that, as are many Republicans. They’ve presented some arguments about it here and there, none of them all too convincing. But lying about what Biden is trying to do - and calling it socialism - is just weak tea. #velshi
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