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Democrats are freaking out this morning that Republicans dared to call Joe Biden a liar for his claims during the State of the Union that Republicans were pushing sunsetting Social Security and Medicare. And some of their friends in the media are as well.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has made it very clear that any cuts/changes to Social Security and Medicare are “off the table.” That’s the position of the Republican Party.
But Biden has been lying about that as have other Democrats. As I previously wrote, even Twitter had to fact-check him when he made this false claim on Sunday, pointing out what McCarthy said.
House Republicans are threatening to cut Social Security and Medicare, putting the dignity of millions of Americans who rely on these programs at risk.
I won’t stand for that. We ought to strengthen these programs – not gut them.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 5, 2023
“House Republicans are threatening to cut Social Security and Medicare, putting the dignity of millions of Americans who rely on these programs at risk,” Biden lied. “I won’t stand for that. We ought to strengthen these programs – not gut them.”
His statement during the SOTU was more measured, yet still misleading to the American people.
BIDEN: “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I'm not saying it's the majority.”
MTG: “Liar!”
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) February 8, 2023
“Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset,” Biden claimed. “I’m not saying it’s the majority.”
So some in media, like Tommy Christopher over at Mediaite, are claiming that what Biden said was “true” because he “qualified” it. Christopher was mad at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for not calling out Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) when he said that Biden was “lying.”
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) on heckling Biden: "I did, I was upset when the president lied about his statement on Social Security and Medicare … When we see something we don't like, certainly something that someone was lying to us in our own house, we're going to give feedback." pic.twitter.com/nfzZwIDr3Z
— The Recount (@therecount) February 8, 2023
But if the GOP has said it isn’t on the table, suggesting that somehow it is or could be isn’t Biden being straight with the American people, it’s Biden being deceptive. Anyone could point to “someone said something at some point” but that’s not the reality of what’s being discussed.
If you want to play that game, it’s Biden who has said some things in the past about wanting to freeze Social Security and Medicare.
Remember in 1995 when Joe Biden pleaded with Congress to cut social security 4 times? pic.twitter.com/pSTAxVfKKA
— Wendell Husebø (@WendellHusebo) February 8, 2023
Are Democrats “threatening” this now, according to this argument?
Biden is also — presently — targeting Medicare Advantage. So will Christopher or other media look at that and point to how Biden is proposing cuts/clawbacks that may affect seniors?
Even ABC’s Jon Karl wasn’t buying this argument against the Republicans.
ABC boasts about Biden lying that Republicans want to "sunset Social Security."
"There's nobody seriously talking about sunsetting Social Security in the Republican Party, but he did it with a smile. It was a jovial Joe Biden," touted Jon Karl pic.twitter.com/YDyBwolZlG— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 8, 2023
As Karl tried to spin the reaction of the GOP, even he said “the stuff he [Biden] said about Social Security was over the top” and “there’s nobody seriously talking about sunsetting Social Security in the Republican Party,” though he did seem that impressed that Biden could push this deception “with a smile.”
If no one is “seriously” pushing it, then why is Biden bringing this up? The only answer to that is to gaslight the American people and everyone knows that. That’s not something that anyone should be defending.
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