Sanders Targets Biden Over Iraq War Vote, Repeated Attacks on Social Security

[Uncle Joe]

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday evening took aim at the legislative record of 2020 Democratic primary rival former Vice President Joe Biden, calling Biden—who also served in the U.S. Senate representing Delaware for 36 years—the wrong candidate to take on President Donald Trump in the general election this November.

Sanders hit Biden on voting for the Iraq War,a pattern of supporting disastrous trade deals, and Biden's many efforts as a lawmaker to cut social programs.

(snip)

Sanders has recently focused on providing a contrast between the two men's decades-long records of public service. Biden's longtime, consistent support for cutting Social Security and Medicare and tax breaks for the wealthy are a stark difference from Sanders' career goals of expanding social programs and taxing the rich.

"Joe Biden has been on the floor of the Senate talking about the need to cut Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid," said Sanders.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/07/sanders-targets-biden-over-iraq-war-vote-repeated-attacks-social-security

[still_one]

1. Go away Bernie. Biden and others DID oppose going into Iraq and demanded "proof"

that is when the bush administration came up with their WMD fiasco and got Colin Powell to ruin his reputation convincing skeptical democrats to support the IWR that the bush administration sent to Congress.

Democrats, including Biden gave Bush hell and delayed his efforts. Then came the lie about WMDs and that shot the legs from under the democratic congress people's efforts to force Bush to take a saner route.

Let's see how well this misrepresentation works for Sanders.

One thing though that isn't a misrepresentation is that Sanders hired Jill Stein supporter Briana Joy Gray and Hillary hating David Sirota
That speaks volumes of what Sanders actually think about the Democratic party

He is a divisive person.

[George II]

4. Thank you. Reality is that Biden never voted to "go to war". Wish people would actually read....

....the document Biden and hundreds of other Senators and Representatives voted for.

PS - you left out Jill Stein supporter AND Hillary hating Nina Turner.

[still_one]

6. It is quite sad that they choose to misrepresent what happened

[George II]

7. Been doing it for years, and when asked specifically what that legislation was, POOF....

Last edited Tue Jan 7, 2020, 11:10 PM - Edit history (1)

....on to the next bogus attack.

[booley]

83. by that measure no one voted to go to war with Iraq

The reason Bush could invade Iraq was because of the military authorization. Biden fully supported it and Biden didn't change his mind until 3 years later.

But lets also not pretend Biden was just some random senator when he voted for the authorization of military force against Iraq.

He was on the Foreign Relations Committee. He said of Saddam before the invasion ""a long-term threat and a short term threat to our national security" and that the United States has "no choice but to eliminate the threat". And as a member of that committee, his opinion carried weight.

I could see through the lies. Millions of Americans could see through the lies.

Which leaves two possibilities in my book.
Biden was easily fooled.
Or Biden did know and voted to advance a war based on lies anyway, not changing his mind until public approval of the war began to change.

you left out Jill Stein supporter AND Hillary hating Nina Turner.

I a confused. What did Nona turner do?

Nina Turner has only been a legislator n the Ohio state senate. Going t war of cutting social security would never be something she would vote on.

Also weird you say she is a "Jill Stein Supporter when Nina Turner rejected an invitation to join the Green part.

"I believe that the Democratic Party is worth fighting for."

https://www.salon.com/2016/09/08/nina-turner-reflections-on-the-political-revolutions-past-and-future/

[rainy]

88. Everyone knew that voting for the resolution

was a vote for endless war whenever whoever as long as it could be tied to the war on terror.

I watched all of the debates on the senate floor, back when we actually had debates on the floor, and I heard Robert Byrd tell it over and over again what a terrible thing a yes vote was going to be.

The truth is that Democrats we’re afraid not to vote for the resolution for political reasons so soon after 911.

You could hear it in their reasoning responses for voting yes. Byrd said they would rue the day they gave Bush and future Presidents this much war power.

[Uncle Joe]

10. I knew Colin Powell was full of shit from the get go

just from reading and viewing the news during the months before the war, all the evidence in the news reports regarding Iraq being behind 9/11 or having weapons of mass destruction actually pointed away from too many editorial conclusions, it made no sense.

We need Jill Stein voters in 2020.

Bernie does criticize the Democratic Party but what's the alternative?

If one in believes any political party shouldn't be or is above good conscience criticism you end up with the Republican Party or Borg.

[JoeOtterbein]

25. + a googleplex!!!!

[highplainsdem]

11. +1,000,000

[onetexan]

86. BS is desperate at this point

Like a horse using his tail to swat flies off himslef, Joe has said he doesnt have time, nor does he want to respond to BS. Well said Joe, pun intended.

[George II]

2. Isn't it about time to talk about more than one single vote almost 20 years ago? And....

Biden NEVER tried to cut Social Security benefits. I don't know why Sanders keeps bringing up that false claim. Really disappointing.

Why doesn't Sanders spend a few moments talking about what he accomplished since he first went to Washington almost 30 years ago. Anything?

[sheshe2]

3. Would you please just stop.

We are on the brink of war tonight and you are attacking our lead candidate.

US service people died tonight. They were TARGETS.

Would you please, begging you here, stop for just one night.

[SCVDem]

16. Talk to trump!

[sheshe2]

21. I think you should reread my post.

[SCVDem]

24. I guess I don't understand

Who the lead candidate is.

Look at all the polling posts.

Everyone is winning and losing at the same time.

Sorry.

[sheshe2]

32. Everything I see says it is Biden.

I have Warren as my candidate, she is my Senator and I like her a lot. I am not fully married to her and disagree with her M4A which she has walked back a bit. I prefer Joes approach to start with fixing Obamacare and the building on it. I was thrilled when it passed and was always suppose to be a stepping stone for single payer until the GOP did their best to rip it to shreds. I want to build on what we have and not tear a good thing down. The foundation is there and we go up from there.

Thanks so much for you response, SCVDem. Appreciated.

[SCVDem]

36. More posts should end like this.

Sweet!

[sheshe2]

38. Hey!

I was on ACA for a short time after I lost my job at 64. Cobra would have cost me 800 a month. I only had unemployment at 1K per month. I qualified under MA healthcare and was covered for 79 per month. I used that until I was eligible for Medicare. It saved me a lot of stress.

[SCVDem]

51. They offer COBRA

As if we can afford it.
April 1. Medicare
April 30, 65 and pension.
So close.

[sheshe2]

58. You are almost there!

[Blue_true]

64. I hope that no one died tonight. Someone posted that Iran struck unoccupied

parts of the bases. If so, it is both good that no Americans were targeted to be killed, but scary that Iran could pull that off.

[sheshe2]

70. I am watching again now.

They say there me no casualties.

This from you:

Blue_true
64. I hope that no one died tonight. Someone posted that Iran struck unoccupied

parts of the bases. If so, it is both good that no Americans were targeted to be killed, but scary that Iran could pull that off.

If they did that strategic strike without a casualty, it shows their precision and strength. That is truly frightening. Trump has no clue what he is doing and who he is fucking with.

Thanks, Blue.

[Blue_true]

71. I agree totally with your last paragraph. nt

[sheshe2]

73. It frightens me. nt

[oasis]

5. Hans Blix should give Bernie a call so he can get his facts straight.

[FloridaBlues]

8. Bernie this approach didn't work last time won't work for you this time.

Voters disliked you going after Hillary hence you lost the primary as you will again.

[Thekaspervote]

14. Yes! Bernie is actually doing very poorly

Sanders got 40% of Democratic Primary vote in '16, he's running half that this time. Even if he got 100% of Warren's support, he'd still be behind his '16 vote total. thehill.com

[Uncle Joe]

17. Did they dislike candidate Obama when he

criticized Hillary for the same vote in 2008?

Do you believe Biden should be above the same criticism that was leveled at Hillary?

[sheshe2]

23. Did he continue to critcize her decades after her vote?

No. He appointed her as SOS. They were very close friends and remain so to this day.

[Uncle Joe]

34. Decades? 2008-2016 is only eight years apart and

unless something has changed even since then that I don't know about we're still at war in Iraq with the potential for it to get much worse now.

[sheshe2]

43. A DECADE.

It is 2020 and they are still the best of friends.

unless something has changed even since then that I don't know about we're still at war in Iraq with the potential for it to get much worse now.

Blame it on the GOP BUSH and TRUMP and stop blaming Joe Biden.

[Uncle Joe]

46. Bernie is now

criticizing Biden for the same vote that he criticized Clinton for in 2016, why do you believe he should treat Joe differently than Hillary?

Bernie has also created and will continue to create volumes of criticism against Bush and Trump, there is no doubt about this.

I have posted countless threads here with Bernie criticising, even more trashing Trump!

[sheshe2]

80. Link?

I have posted countless threads here with Bernie criticising, even more trashing Trump!

I haven't seen one countless thread.

[Uncle Joe]

89. Here are a few dating back to December 13th, how many do you need?

With Bolton Willing to Testify Before Senate, Sanders Ask Trump: 'What Are You Afraid Of?'

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212846473

Bernie Sanders announces bill to block funds for war against Iran

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) followed an angry attack on Donald Trump’s ordered airstrike assassination of Iran’s top military commander with the announcement of a new bill to block funding for a war against Iran — unless Congress approves.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287408385

Today is a sad but necessary day for American democracy.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287386439

Trump is kicking 700,000 hungry people off nutrition assistance. But the holiday spirit is

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287392897

Anybody with any sense can understand the point of Trump's tax scam.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287385907

Like the swindler he is, the president used charity money for veterans to pay off his own debts.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287380090

[George II]

53. Don't bother She, all we get are loaded questions that don't have an answer that is acceptable....

Kind of like "have you stopped beating your wife?"

https://www.fallacyfiles.org/loadques.html

A "loaded question", like a loaded gun, is a dangerous thing. A loaded question is a question with a false or questionable presupposition, and it is "loaded" with that presumption. The question "Have you stopped beating your wife?" presupposes that you have beaten your wife prior to its asking, as well as that you have a wife. If you are unmarried, or have never beaten your wife, then the question is loaded.

Since this example is a yes/no question, there are only the following two direct answers:

1. "Yes, I have stopped beating my wife", which entails "I was beating my wife."

2. "No, I haven't stopped beating my wife", which entails "I am still beating my wife."

Thus, either direct answer entails that you have beaten your wife, which is, therefore, a presupposition of the question. So, a loaded question is one which you cannot answer directly without implying a falsehood or a statement that you deny. For this reason, the proper response to such a question is not to answer it directly, but to either refuse to answer or to reject the question.

[sheshe2]

59. Saw your post before I answered.

Thanks...saved me a few brain cells.

[George II]

29. 2008 was 12 years ago. Anything happen since 2008 for Sanders to boast about?

[Uncle Joe]

35. It's funny you should ask George.

"Thank you all very much for being here. Let me begin by thanking Senator Lee and Senator Murphy for the great work they have done, not just in the last few months but over the last year. I want to stress the bipartisan nature of this legislation. We have brought Republicans and Democrats together in a very historic moment. And what that moment is about is that the Senate this afternoon stated that we will not continue participation in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth. And that crisis is about 85,000 children starving to death; 10,000 new cases of cholera every single week; and the United Nations telling us that Yemen is on the verge of imminent famine, with the possibility of millions of people dying, all because of Saudi activities in that civil war. And today what the United States Senate said in a very loud way is that we will not continue to have our military posture dictated by a despotic, murderous regime in Saudi Arabia – a regime which does not respect democracy, which does not respect human rights, a regime whose leader nobody doubts was involved in the horrific murder of a dissident journalist in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, Jamal Khashoggi. Today is a very important breakthrough – both progressives and conservatives have made a profound statement that 45 years after the passage of the War Powers Act, 45 years later, finally the United States Senate has come together to use that authority for the first time and say that the responsibility for war, the constitutional responsibility for war rests with the United States Congress – not the president, whether that president is a Democrat or a Republican. And I think the historic importance of today is not only moving the United States out of that horrific war, but is having the country see that their elected representatives are about to take back their constitutional responsibilities on the issues of war, one of the most important functions that the United States Congress has. So I want to thank my colleagues here and the many people at the grassroots level who have helped us pass this historic resolution."

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/senate-passes-sanders-war-powers-resolution-on-yemen

[George II]

39. The resolution that was Senator Murphy's idea and that Murphy authored. Sweet. Now....

....that was December 2018. We were talking about 2008, anything during that decade?

[Uncle Joe]

40. Bernie gets no credit eh George? n/t

[George II]

44. Didn't say that, but remember it was Chris Murphy's idea and resolution. But Murphy doesn't...

..serve for headlines or accolades.

He did Sanders a favor, and as usual Sanders is taking credit for something someone else did.

[Uncle Joe]

48. Thanks for that bone, it was highly gracious of you,

I know it must have hurt just to do that much.

[George II]

61. So, we started at 2008. We've established "something" in 2018. Anything in the intervening 10 years?

[pnwmom]

9. Since we're time traveling, does Sanders want to justify his past votes on gun control?

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/4/18236537/bernie-sanders-gun-control-president-campaign-2020

Opponents Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley attacked Sanders’s past votes against a bill in 1993 that established national background checks and for a bill in 2003 and 2005 that protects gun companies from lawsuits if their products are used in crimes. Sanders, an independent from rural and gun-friendly Vermont, defended the virtues of moderation on this issue — arguing, “We need a sensible debate about gun control which overcomes the cultural divide that exists in this country, and I think I can play an important role in this.”

[beastie boy]

18. I wonder what killed more Americans, Biden's Iraq war vote or Sanders' votes to oppose gun control?

[sheshe2]

27. I wonder how many died from the F-16's.

Now the new F-35's that have nuclear capabilities that are housed in VT. Weapons of mass destruction in rural VT.

Against the war and yet house the machines of war for their economy.

[George II]

45. He got those F-35s based in Vermont just in case we need to attack the RCAF at Bagotville.

[sheshe2]

49. Canada!

Noooo!

[Blue_true]

66. Like someone pointed out, maybe the F35 will be used on Canada.

We can call it the Donuts and Bacon War, there is some friction about which of the two nations make the best donuts and bacon.

[Bev54]

12. That is why I cannot stand Bernie

I want someone who wins on their policies and not by tearing down and insulting others, had enough of that and I hope others too, see this. He is not much better than Trump.

[Uncle Joe]

19. These are polices we are talking about, a candidate's record

in a primary one must separate from the other on the issues, the American People deserve no less.

[redstateblues]

28. Bernie's record is razor thin for a long stint in Congress

He was a backbencher who did very little

[Uncle Joe]

31. Historical first, not bad for a "backbencher."

"Thank you all very much for being here. Let me begin by thanking Senator Lee and Senator Murphy for the great work they have done, not just in the last few months but over the last year. I want to stress the bipartisan nature of this legislation. We have brought Republicans and Democrats together in a very historic moment. And what that moment is about is that the Senate this afternoon stated that we will not continue participation in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth. And that crisis is about 85,000 children starving to death; 10,000 new cases of cholera every single week; and the United Nations telling us that Yemen is on the verge of imminent famine, with the possibility of millions of people dying, all because of Saudi activities in that civil war. And today what the United States Senate said in a very loud way is that we will not continue to have our military posture dictated by a despotic, murderous regime in Saudi Arabia – a regime which does not respect democracy, which does not respect human rights, a regime whose leader nobody doubts was involved in the horrific murder of a dissident journalist in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, Jamal Khashoggi. Today is a very important breakthrough – both progressives and conservatives have made a profound statement that 45 years after the passage of the War Powers Act, 45 years later, finally the United States Senate has come together to use that authority for the first time and say that the responsibility for war, the constitutional responsibility for war rests with the United States Congress – not the president, whether that president is a Democrat or a Republican. And I think the historic importance of today is not only moving the United States out of that horrific war, but is having the country see that their elected representatives are about to take back their constitutional responsibilities on the issues of war, one of the most important functions that the United States Congress has. So I want to thank my colleagues here and the many people at the grassroots level who have helped us pass this historic resolution."

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/senate-passes-sanders-war-powers-resolution-on-yemen

Trump; vetoed this bill but if Bernie were President, he couldn't.

[Thekaspervote]

84. +1000

[Thekaspervote]

13. And then there's this

Sanders voted for appropriations in support of the war in Iraq. And yet he continues to claim he is anti-war.

[Thekaspervote]

15. Biden as a member of The Cmtg. On Foreign Affairs worked to end the wars in the ME

Link to tweet

?s=21

[billpolonsky]

20. Boy

that got people buzzing .


[link:https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/05/watch-joe-biden-boasts-about-wanting-to-cut-social.html|

]https://inthesetimes.com/article/21856/joe-biden-cut-medicare-social-security-retirement-age

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Joe_Biden

[Demsrule86]

22. Seriously...those are your sources?

[George II]

42. Looks like it, and the funny thing is that the headline (at least in the first link) contradicts....

....the video in the article.

So much for that, eh?

[Demsrule86]

57. Go figure...

[Uncle Joe]

26. It use to be called "the third rail"

time will tell if that still holds true.

[George II]

41. Funny thing, Biden never boasted about wanting to cut social security, etc. Figured...

...with that bogus claim the second and third link weren't worth spending time on.

[LanternWaste]

90. "Yep A self licking ice cream cone...."

Ganders and geese. Well met.

[mcar]

30. I watched that

So much for his pledge.

[Uncle Joe]

37. Bernie never pledged to not differentiate himself from any other candidate regarding the issues. n/t

[sheshe2]

63. Hmmm

Uncle Joe
37. Bernie never pledged to not differentiate himself from any other candidate regarding the issues. n/t

True. He is a proud Independent and a Socialist and sometimes a Democratic Socialist and a sometimes Democrat. He is confusing to many to which title he prefers and the candidate he wishes to be. He does an excellent job of differentiating himself from lifelong Democrats.

[Uncle Joe]

67. Bernie is a Democratic candidate for President

and if elected will govern as such, of this I have no doubt.

Personally all I care about are the policies put forth by any candidate.

[sheshe2]

82. I have my doubts.

Uncle Joe
67. Bernie is a Democratic candidate for President

and if elected will govern as such, of this I have no doubt.

Excellent. Please explain to me why he is registered as a Democrat for President and at the very same time has registered as an Independent for his next run for Senator. He seems confused which party he supports. It is very confusing to voters.

Please explain.

[Thekaspervote]

85. Bernie is a dem candidate that will be returning to VT sometime this year!

[betsuni]

33. It's not good enough for someone to say, "I'm not Joe Biden! Vote for me."

[Cha]

47. Touche', betsuni!

[sheshe2]

72. You are home!

[Cha]

76. Yes, I

stumbled in today. perfect smilie for it.

Thanks, she!

[sheshe2]

77. Get some sleep, Cha.

Glad you are home.

[Scurrilous]

93. ...

[revmclaren]

50. Just saw a headline that the F-35s

are being deployed to the middle East.

Who again supported this particular war machine and how many thousands of innocent men, women, and children will be killed by it in the coming war?



Definitely ONLY!!! 2020 and beyond.

[Uncle Joe]

52. Do you have link wherein Bernie supported production of the F35?

Also do you have link wherein Bernie supported us going into Iraq in the *&%$# first place?

I know that Biden did vote for giving Bush/Cheney authorization to invade Iraq, wherein hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children died and has set the stage for Trump to make matters even worse should we go to war with Iran.

Forest and the trees.

P.S. for smilies

[revmclaren]

54. Google is your friend Uncle Joe.

Dozens of posts about it.


Absolutely ONLY!!! 2020 and beyond

[Uncle Joe]

55. It's everyone's friend and you can't find a link revmclaren because there isn't one. n/t

[revmclaren]

56. Do you want one Uncle Joe?

Say yes...I'll screen shot your affirmation giving me the ok and I'll post a good one from the Daily Beast.

Sound good Uncle Joe?

Really ONLY!!! 2020 and beyond.

[Uncle Joe]

60. Basing and production are two different things revmclaren. n/t

[revmclaren]

62. Keep telling yourself that.

Democrats who are tired of the war machine in all of it's deadly incarnations are not buying it.



Absolutely ONLY!!! 2020 and beyond.

[Uncle Joe]

65. Please tell me this

Why is that you have no problem with Biden who voted to give Bush/Cheney authorization to invade Iraq where all those "hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children actually died" but having F35s based in Vermont instead of New Jersey, Delaware or wherever is a major concern to you?

[revmclaren]

74. I and millions of future Biden voters

don't owe you or anyone else an explanation. My question to you is one man voted to support a wrong war once due to misinformation and you and other supporters of another candidate pound your chests and demand to be heard.

But what about the people, some DUers included, who supported the Russian hacking, grucifer2.0, etc and who pushed the meme 'the DNC rigged the election'. Their posts, seen by and reposted by thousands helped bring about Trump and ultimately now the death of thousands... possibly millions if things go nuclear.

Blood is on many hands who deny their part.

If you would like some links to examples, just say yes and again, I will screen shot it and I will happily post them. Some posters here believed up til recently that these posts were gone forever.

But nothing is gone forever on the internet Uncle Joe.

Have a restful night Uncle Joe.

Voting ONLY!!! 2020 and beyond.

[Uncle Joe]

75. Of course you don't, answers to that can be emotionally difficult, I understand.

Peace to you and have a good night revmclaren.

[revmclaren]

78. No probs with my answering, I choose not to and no ghosts

In my DU closet.

I see in the future many at DU willing to risk a hide or two or three to get the truth out there. I'm of course not saying I would do so but once the genie is out of the bottle...

This is IMHO of course.

and ONLY!!! 2020 and beyond.

[sheshe2]

79. He is housing nuclear ready F-35's in VT.

He is doing it to boost their economy of VT.

They are making money of the war machine.

No:

Uncle Joe
60. Basing and production are two different things revmclaren. n/t

I see no difference.

[Blue_true]

68. Wow Uncle Joe. You DON'T know about Bernie and his F35 support?

It was a jobs thing for him, key components for the fighter are built on Vermont.

[Uncle Joe]

69. Basing and production are two different things,

do you have a link wherein Bernie supported development and production of the F35?

[Blue_true]

91. Here you are.

The plane's bay doors and gun system are produced by Vermont companies. And Bernie is fighting to get jets posted at a commercial airport in the state (that would be a first in US history, but does happen in some countries). Happy reading Uncle Joe

www.cnbc.com/2016/07/12 why-bernie-sanders

[Demsrule86]

81. Here you go...plenty more...

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/12/why-bernie-sanders-is-backing-a-15-trillion-military-boondoggle.html

[melman]

87. Excellent

Thanks for posting.

[Gothmog]

92. Joe Biden is the only candidate fit to contest Trump in what is now a foreign policy election

Link to tweet

Given that this election is likely to be dominated by foreign policy issues, the President that we need to succeed Trump is Joe Biden. The all other Democratic candidates have their virtues, but they are lacking foreign policy experience, expertise, and, most importantly, getting it right when it counts.

For Biden, foreign policy would not require on-the-job training. He played a central role in bringing about the Iran nuclear deal, assembling the multi-national coalition against ISIS, and worked to ratify the New START treaty with Russia. As a Senator, he quarterbacked legislative action to bring an end to the heinous genocidal wars in the Balkans during the 1990s.

Many of the former Vice President's critics posit that should he win the nomination, he will be swift-boated by Ukraine. But after two general election victories as Barack Obama's running mate, Joe Biden demonstrated that he knows how to punch back. Not only is there no proof that he did nothing wrong, but this is going to prove to be a trial by fire and make him a stronger candidate for the general election.

Donald Trump promised Americans that they would be winning so often they would get tired of it. While Trump is likely to win his trial in the Senate, we know that his reelection is a risky bet America cannot afford. Joe Biden is the best prepared candidate to build a better, stronger world order out of the wreckage this administration would leave behind.

[George II]

94. The TRUTH about Sanders' (via Sirota) claims of Biden's "repeated attacks on Social Security" ....

...by using a truncated 19-second video. The tweet:

Link to tweet

The truth:

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2020/jan/09/bernie-sanders/did-biden-laud-paul-ryan-proposal-cut-social-secur/

Sen. Bernie Sanders argues that former Vice President Joe Biden sided with a Republican effort to cut Social Security.

"In 2018, Biden lauded Paul Ryan for proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare," wrote the Sanders campaign in a Jan. 7 newsletter. The night before on CNN, Sanders had attacked Biden’s record on Social Security and Medicare.

Ryan is a former Republican House speaker who proposed sweeping changes to Social Security that were never enacted.

We found that the Sanders campaign newsletter distorts what Biden said about Ryan’s plan.

Biden on Paul Ryan, in context

The Sanders campaign pointed to a speech Biden gave to the Brookings Institution in April 2018. Biden’s overall message was that "folks in the middle class are in trouble" and that the tax code "is widely skewed toward taking care of those at the very top."

Biden argued that tax cuts were creating more debt, putting middle class programs at risk.

The Sanders campaign plucked out what Biden said about Ryan, but ignored the complete passage which showed that Biden wanted Social Security and Medicare protected, and to accomplish that goal would require making changes to the tax code. The thrust of his point about the tax code was that he was saying it does too much to help the uber rich.

This is what Biden said about Ryan:

"Paul Ryan was correct when he did the tax code. What’s the first thing he decided we had to go after?" Biden said, with a slight smirk. Biden then leaned into the microphone and said in a deep menacing voice: "Social Security and Medicare."

Biden continued: "Now, we need to do something about Social Security and Medicare." He then sarcastically whispered: "That’s the only way you can find room to pay for it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Sanders campaign omits what Biden said next (our emphasis is in bold):

"Now, I don’t know a whole lot of people in the top one-tenth of 1 percent or the top 1 percent who are relying on Social Security when they retire. I don’t know a lot of them. Maybe you guys do. So we need a pro-growth, progressive tax code that treats workers as job creators, as well, not just investors; that gets rid of unprotective loopholes like stepped-up basis; and it raises enough revenue to make sure that the Social Security and Medicare can stay, it still needs adjustments, but can stay; and pay for the things we all acknowledge will grow the country."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our ruling

A Sanders campaign newsletter said, "In 2018, Biden lauded Paul Ryan for proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare."

That stems from a speech Biden gave in 2018 in which he spoke about Ryan. Biden appeared to be mocking Ryan, not praising him.

The Sanders campaign omitted what Biden said next: the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare and to change the tax code, which he said benefitted the mega rich. Overall, the point of Biden’s speech was to criticize tax cuts for the rich and call for more help to the middle class.

The Sanders campaign plucked out part of what Biden said but omitted the full context of his comments.

We rate this statement False.

[Cha]

95. @sirota.. "Desperate" like you were to DELETE 20,000 Tweets

or More, dsirota?!

Link to tweet

Shocking! dsirota LIES AGAIN!

Our ruling

A Sanders campaign newsletter said, "In 2018, Biden lauded Paul Ryan for proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare."

That stems from a speech Biden gave in 2018 in which he spoke about Ryan. Biden appeared to be mocking Ryan, not praising him.

The Sanders campaign omitted what Biden said next: the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare and to change the tax code, which he said benefitted the mega rich. Overall, the point of Biden’s speech was to criticize tax cuts for the rich and call for more help to the middle class.

The Sanders campaign plucked out part of what Biden said but omitted the full context of his comments.

We rate this statement False.

Thanks, George.. tell me again why BS hired this guy?

[Iamaartist]

96. Thank-you ........George II for that....