Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is an unintentionally hilarious man and this, like many other similar proposals, are why the GOP is utterly incapable of appealing to women, minorities, and a growing number of the working poor.
Rubio is scheduled to make a “major speech” on poverty but, rather than announce a proposal that will lift people out of poverty or further the War on Poverty, he will denounce the War on Poverty and call for the repeal of Obamacare.
“For millions of Americans living in poverty, the American Dream does not seem reachable — and that’s unacceptable,” he said Sunday. “After 50 years, isn’t it time to declare big government’s war on poverty a failure?” [...]
“This agenda would create an economy with more good-paying middle class jobs and a government with less debt,” he said Sunday. “It would repeal ObamaCare and it would replace it with more affordable health care options. It would save and strengthen our retirement programs for future generations.”
Obamacare is actually one of the first major steps taken in a generation to address both poverty and income inequality. It’s an immensely progressive piece of legislation that, while not ideal by some standards, is a major step toward turning back the tide. Millions of people will be kept out of poverty and many of those who are living in poverty will qualify for Medicaid for the first time in their lives.
If Rubio were serious about addressing poverty, he’d openly support raising the minimum wage, increasing funding levels for food stamps, extending unemployment insurance, and expanding Medicaid.
But he’s not serious. He’s going to deliver a speech containing the same tired, tried-and-failed bullshit conservative saviors have proposed for decades, and it will fall utterly flat.
If you view this initiative as a pitch to the Chamber of Commerce and astroturfers everywhere, it makes more sense. I’m sure they’ll love it.
