Anyone familiar with me & Sha Na Na knows that I love the music of the 1950s and 60s. But despite that, I would never want to return to the time before Medicare was passed in 1965, when half of seniors lacked hospital insurance. And I certainly never want to return to the time before Social Security was passed in 1935, when over 50 percent of American seniors had incomes below the poverty line. Yet that's exactly what the Republican Party wants to do.
That's why today's Senate runoff in Georgia is so crucial. The Democratic incumbent, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), is a steadfast champion of protecting Social Security and Medicare's earned benefits. As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Warnock has fought hard to lower costs for seniors. Warnock's leadership was essential in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which will finally give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices on key prescription drugs. He personally led the charge to cap the cost of insulin for seniors.
Warnock's opponent, Herschel Walker, couldn't be more different. Walker proudly campaigned with and took money from Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), author of a plan designed to either slash, privatize or even end Social Security and Medicare in five years.
Scott is far from the only Republican aiming to cut our earned benefits. The Republican Study Committee, a group that counts about 75 percent of House Republicans as members, released a detailed plan to cut Social Security in multiple ways: Raising the retirement age to 70 (a 21 percent benefit cut), slashing middle class benefits, and handing billions of dollars of Social Security's revenue over to Wall Street and private insurance corporations.
Re-electing Raphael Warnock is critical to protecting Social Security from Republican attacks. If Warnock wins, Democrats will have a true majority of 51 Senate seats, instead of the current power-sharing agreement where ties are broken by the vice president. That means Democrats will have full control of key committees, and a much easier path to confirming nominees who will fight for working people and seniors.
Warnock's re-election would also weaken the power of the most conservative Democrats—including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who recently expressed interest in working with Republicans on a "deal" that could cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Re-electing Warnock will give Democrats a better chance of retaining control of the Senate in 2024, reducing the likelihood of a future Republican majority cutting Social Security and Medicare.
Last month, voters sent Republicans a message: Hands off our earned Social Security and Medicare benefits! Now, it's time for Georgia voters to finish the job by re-electing Raphael Warnock to the U.S. Senate.
This content originally appeared on Common Dreams - Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community and was authored by Jon Bauman.
Jon Bauman | Radio Free (2022-12-06T17:23:51+00:00) Georgia Voters: Fight for Social Security by Re-Electing Senator Warnock!. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2022/12/06/georgia-voters-fight-for-social-security-by-re-electing-senator-warnock/
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