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.
For what it’s worth, a spokesperson for the GOP congressman told Roll Call, “Ted does not support cutting Medicare and Social Security for seniors.” That’s true, although “for seniors” is a relevant qualifier: Under Budd’s preferred approach, current beneficiaries wouldn’t face cuts, but future beneficiaries would see changes to the popular programs.
Also this week, the House Majority Fund, a Democratic super PAC with ties to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, launched this ad in New Hampshire, targeting Republican congressional hopeful Karoline Leavitt over her rhetoric on privatizing Social Security. I’m mindful of recent media coverage noting that it’s awfully late in the game for Democrats to push new lines of attack. After all, the party has spent recent months focused on reproductive rights, and with 13 days to go in the election cycle, it strikes some observers as desperate to suddenly put Medicare and Social Security up front and center. But I continue to believe that candidates, parties, and their allies have to be nimble enough to adapt to changing circumstances — and in recent weeks, prominent Republicans have effectively put a ball on a tee and dared Democrats to take a swing. It’s difficult to say with confidence whether the strategy will pay electoral dividends, but these new ads from the Senate Majority PAC suggest Democrats are at least trying to take advantage of the opportunity.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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