If you’ve followed the news over the past month or so, you’d be forgiven for suspecting Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was some kind of operative working for President Joe Biden’s White House.
Scott, who leads the beleaguered National Republican Senatorial Committee, has made a point to tout extreme stances on a number of policies, from abortion to Social Security, as the GOP’s platform. This to the dismay of some fellow Republicans, who — despite possibly agreeing with Scott on substance — have the modicum of self-awareness necessary to know the policies are deeply unpopular with many Americans. And heading into the midterm elections, who’d want to provide “bulletin board material” that’s likely to rile up the opposing party’s base?
Scott is the perfect foil for Biden: a thin-skinned millionaire who lacks the deftness to parry criticism of his oppressive policy goals.
Rick Scott, evidently.
Having apparently learned nothing from the justifiable ire he earned for unveiling his proposal for the GOP’s platform — rife with austerity right-wing social policies — Scott is still trying to hawk his plan to the public.
On Tuesday, he continued an ongoing, media-borne spat with Biden over the proposal, posing for a photo of himself holding a copy of the plan in front of the White House.
“@JoeBiden said he wished he had enough copies of my Rescue America plan, so I stopped by the White House today to make sure he did,” Scott tweeted.
But, as Scott’s tweet suggests, Biden has been happy to portray Scott as the face of the Republican Party. And Tuesday was no different. This was evident in Biden’s reply, which included a website that linked directly to Scott’s plan.
Couldn’t agree more, Rick. And if anyone else wants to read your plan to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block, they should go to https://t.co/xDudwYX85v.
Thanks for stopping by. https://t.co/9YXhMisGf5Recommended
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 14, 2022
“Dark Brandon” rises again. For Biden, Scott is the gift that keeps on giving. He’s the perfect foil for Biden: a thin-skinned millionaire who lacks the deftness to parry criticism of his oppressive policy goals.
After Biden mocked Scott’s plan earlier this year, Scott issued a rather vitriolic response, claiming the president was, “incapacitated” and calling on him to resign. Asked to respond, Biden told the press, “I think the man has a problem.”
Given Tuesday’s exchange, it’s safe to say Biden and company aren’t finished goading Scott and using him as a tool for their own benefit. The president’s reply to Scott’s tweet was further proof he sees value in Americans viewing Scott — America’s richest senator and a literal fraud — as the GOP’s standard-bearer.
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Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
