As elections near, Dems launch ads on Social Security, Medicare

[LetMyPeopleVote]

These ads will be very effective

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/elections-dems-launch-ads-social-security-medicare-rcna54114?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma

President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies have been unsubtle of late when it comes to Social Security and Medicare. As we discussed yesterday, the president visited the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters on Monday and used the phrase “Social Security and Medicare” literally 11 times.

But as a report from Roll Call made clear, the party is doing more than just talk about these social-insurance programs in assorted speeches.

In the closing weeks of an election increasingly dominated by economic issues, the Senate Democrats’ top super PAC is focusing on Social Security in new ad buys worth at least $1 million each aimed at Republicans in Arizona and North Carolina. In the Arizona cut, the narrator asks what nominee Blake Masters’ plan is “while we’re struggling just to stay afloat.”

The commercial is unsubtle, and it makes use of the Republican candidate’s own rhetoric, including recent remarks in which he suggested privatizing Social Security.

The Senate Majority PAC, which has close ties to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, also began airing a related spot in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, targeting Republican Rep. Ted Budd.

[whathehell]

1. Great!

It should make a big difference!

[yankee87]

29. Big difference

Before Roe was overturned, people would not believe this would happen, but now it can.

[whathehell]

34. Yes!

Social Security used to be known as "The Third Rail -- touch it and you die" and I think that still holds, thankfully.

[Hekate]

2. Excellent!

[Cha]

3. TY & Dems!! 💕🤷‍♂️ Rt nt

[fleabiscuit]

32. + 1

[Cha]

39. There you are, flea!

[Abolishinist]

4. I have to say I'm underimpressed by the lack of a cohesive

election strategy by the Dems in charge.

For example, Social Security benefits will increase by 8.7% next year. For the average person on SS, typically a large voter turn-out group, this will be around $140 MORE PER MONTH! IMO this should have been out there right when it was first announced several weeks ago to counteract the other side's 'inflation' meme, i.e. we ARE doing something about this worldwide inflation problem!

Who cares that it's formulaic and would have happened regardless of the party in charge, it's the messaging that counts.

[Demsrule86]

6. No it is not...I can't imagine why you would think that informing citizens the the GOP wants

to end Medicare and Social Security is a bad thing.Hmmm

[bottomofthehill]

23. The 8.7 percent increase is based on inflation.

Calling attention to the 150 a month extra calls the same attention to the dramatic rise in the cost of living expenses.

This is the message. They said they will take your choice, they did, they say they will take your social security, if elected, they will.

When they tell you who they are, believe them.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. On Social Security and Medicare, Biden accepts the GOP's gift

President Biden is glad to move the debate to social security and Medicare.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/social-security-medicare-biden-accepts-gops-gift-rcna53877?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma

There was one point, however, he emphasized more than once.

“Look, folks, Democrats are going to protect Social Security and Medicare,” Biden declared. “Republicans have been very clear: They’ve stated boldly that they want to cut Social Security and Medicare — to the point that they’ll shut down the government, they say, and send the nation into default, which raises prices for everyone, if we do not cut Social Security and Medicare. I ain’t gonna do it.”

Looking over the transcript, the president used the phrase “Social Security and Medicare” literally 11 times during his appearance at the DNC.

Biden’s comments coincided with a Semafor report on Democrats’ newfound focus on the popular social insurance programs.

With just over two weeks to go until Election Day, Democrats are pivoting to a new economic message: That Republicans will crash the economy next year in order to gut Social Security and Medicare, a pair of politically popular safety-net programs. From President Biden to Speaker Pelosi to individual candidates in race after race, Democrats are pushing for a renewed focus on entitlements, a traditional strength for the party.

The article characterized this as an election-season “gamble” — recent polling suggests Social Security and Medicare are not among the issues voters are focusing on most — adding that the new Democratic messaging might also be a sign “that the party’s emphasis on abortion may not be enough to carry candidates across the finish line on its own.”.....

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise has also embraced a partisan plan for significant changes to Social Security and Medicare, while Republican incumbents such as Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and Republican candidates such as New Hampshire’s Don Bolduc have endorsed related, regressive plans. Let’s also not forget about Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a member of the Senate GOP leadership, who published a blueprint that would put Social Security and Medicare in even greater jeopardy.

Are Democrats recognizing that their current pitch is insufficient, or are they simply exploiting an unexpected opportunity?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

7. Hammer it home! GOP wants to raid SocSec for their masters.

[bottomofthehill]

15. This is it, right here in a nut shell

It ties Choice, Social Security, Medicare throw in a little improving economy and wow, there is a message to spend some money on in the last 10 days.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

31. Carville still has a way of distilling things down to the essence.

Republicans want control, in order to rob from the poor and feed their rich donors. They will use any message to keep their base outraged and hoodwinked.

[msongs]

8. "while we're struggling just to stay afloat."? and whose fault is this when dems are

in charge of govt

[dalton99a]

9. About damn time

[Metro135]

22. You took the words out of my mouse

About damn time is right.

These ads should have started running at least a month ago, EVERYWHERE. The Republicans continually hand Democrats fodder for attack ads and Dems continually blink and do nothing.

[LenaBaby61]

28. REALLY THIS 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

Should have been out there sounding the alarm on Social Security and Medicare.

Oh well, back to my

[DENVERPOPS]

10. If the Republicans get their way

it will be the 1% with the entire wealth of the nation, and the 99% will become serfs and peasants. Period

YES, it is that dramatic folks. Instead of a Democracy, it will quickly become a Corporate Fascist Tyranny

[Rebl2]

11. Happy

to see this, but wish they had done it a bit sooner. Need to make another ad that points out that all republicans want to do this.

[doc03]

12. There is a problem with this. Every election I can remember Democrats always say

Republicans want to cut SS and Medicare. It will make little or no difference.

[bottomofthehill]

17. They always said the republicans would over turn Roe and look what happened.

[doc03]

20. They tried for decades to do it politically then finally got done

though a corrupt SCOTUS.

[markodochartaigh]

21. The Democrats were

saying it, but lately the Republicans have been saying it out loud. Hopefully hearing it from the Republican candidates' mouths will wake up enough "independent" and Republican voters to make a difference.

[doc03]

24. What I don't get is the SS and Medicare voters are their most

reliable supporters. I don't see how it helps them unless they figure votes won't count in the future.

[markodochartaigh]

27. Cognitive dissonance

Having worked with victims of abuse, I have frequently been in awe of this most remarkable of human super powers. The ability to believe the unbelievable, even in the face of the incontrovertible evidence is astonishing. And the inevitable stress caused is usually released in the direction of the innocent. Authoritarians are great at making their followers "believe absurdities" in order to make them "commit injustices".

[dem4decades]

13. Better late than never I guess. Did someone finally decide to play hardball for the Democrats?

The Republicans have been hammering away for months on inflation, why didn't we hammer away about SSI, Medicare and Obamacare?

[W_HAMILTON]

35. We have been.

If you were unaware of their efforts, that's on you -- not them.

From May: https://democrats.org/news/new-dnc-ads-highlight-gop-putting-seniors-medicare-and-social-security-at-risk/

From August: https://democrats.org/news/icymi-new-dnc-ads-blast-gop-plans-to-cut-seniors-benefits-following-social-security-anniversary/

From earlier this month: https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read/democrats-add-social-security-attacks-midterm-tv-ad-blitz-rcna52058

And so on.

[usonian]

14. Take it from a follower of baseball.

Everything is driven by analytics these days.

We'll never know how strategies are formulated.

Just be glad they found something with "legs".

Remember Cambridge Analytica?

[Roy Rolling]

16. Finish Strong

Compare that with the GOP strategy—we promise revenge if we win, and we’ll bring down America if we need to.

After all, we already tried January 6th.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

18. This is so smart.

[calimary]

19. About time!

What took ‘em so long???

[Gaugamela]

25. Many have already voted. Did this finally occur to them? This should be a

year round message!

[IcyPeas]

26. The Blake Masters ad doesn't even mention Medicare. And what is "cut the knot".

The Ted Budd ad mentions SS and Medicare

The Blake masters ad only mentions SS. And what is "cut the knot". If this is a term I'm not familiar with it.

Dems need to stop burying the lede in their 30 second ads.

[XanaDUer2]

41. Exactly

Should mention Medicare

[DemocraticPatriot]

30. Glad to hear it.

[vercetti2021]

33. Better late than never

Should have been done weeks ago, but this is better now than not at all!

[W_HAMILTON]

36. It wasn't done weeks ago -- it was done months ago.

From May: https://democrats.org/news/new-dnc-ads-highlight-gop-putting-seniors-medicare-and-social-security-at-risk/

From August: https://democrats.org/news/icymi-new-dnc-ads-blast-gop-plans-to-cut-seniors-benefits-following-social-security-anniversary/

From earlier this month: https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read/democrats-add-social-security-attacks-midterm-tv-ad-blitz-rcna52058

And so on.

[lark]

37. F I N A L L Y!!!

I have been screaming this from the rooftops - expose the right wing's plans to steal our Medicare and Social Security!!! It's a winner for us and a total loser for them - even my repug friend would not vote for a repug who stood for the partys plan. She hates Scott because of this (plus his illegal defrauding of medicare).

[republianmushroom]

38. LIKE

[DownriverDem]

40. No not finally

Americans have short memories. Bring an issue forward too soon, and it will lose its impact. It's called stratergy folks.