As part of her extensive healthcare plan, Elizabeth Warren has said she supports a Medicare for All system. This was talked about at length during Tuesday’s Democratic debate, and Warren used slightly evasive language avoid saying whether or not she’d have to raise taxes to implement her plan. This makes sense, since a lot of people have an immediate kneejerk reaction to reject anything that requires higher taxes. But Warren’s repeated promise that big corporations and millionaires and billionaires will pay more while middle-class families will pay less isn’t necessarily false. It’s just complicated.
To Joe Biden, though, refusing to reduce the plan to such simple terms means that Elizabeth Warren, along with Bernie Sanders, are “playing Trump’s game and trying to con the American people.”
According to Mediaite, he told reporters Wednesday, “It’s fascinating that the person who has a plan for everything has no plan for the single most consequential issue in this election in the minds of the American people, across the board.”
“Credibility matters. It matters. And the question that I think that Senator Warren is going to have to face,” he continued, “she’s going to have to tell the truth, or the question will be raised about whether or not she’s going to be candid and honest with the American people.”
“And God love Bernie,” he continued, saying how good it was to see him in better health, but “Bernie doesn’t pay for half his plan.”
“Look the last thing the Democrats should be doing is playing Trump’s game and trying to con the American people to think this is easy. There’s nothing easy about it. If you’re going to do it, tell us how you’re going to do it,” Biden said. “It’s called truth in speaking.”
What a bold, weird accusation to compare Warren and Sanders to Donald Trump, the lyingest liar to ever lie.
Biden seemed to be incredibly angered by Warren during the debate as well. When Biden claimed to be the only person on the stage to get big things done, Warren brought up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which she created, and which is a pretty big thing.
Biden’s response was … a bit much. “I agreed with the great job she did, “he said, before raising his voice and turning to Warren, pointing and shaking his hand at her. “And I went on the floor and got you votes.”
“I got votes for that bill,” he yelled. “I convinced people to vote for it. So let’s get those things straight, too.”
When asked to respond, Warren took a very deliberate pause and responded in an overly calm voice I’m guessing a lot of people, especially women, will find familiar from dealing with their own angry men trying to take credit for their work.
“I am deeply grateful to President Obama, who fought so hard to make sure that agency was passed into law, and I am deeply grateful to every single person who fought for it and who helped pass it into law,” she said.
Watch the exchange here:
Say what you will, but she’s pretty good at low key shade https://t.co/hQ2CMrnVXz
— 🕸Imani Gandy Corn🕸 (@AngryBlackLady) October 16, 2019
We’ve got a long way to go before the primaries and if Biden is already at the point of using GOP talking points to attack the other frontrunners, it’s going to feel even longer.
(image: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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