Joni Ernst’s mock apology over proposed Medicaid cuts shows just how clueless the GOP is
MSNBCJUN 5
Democrat Scholten Challenges Sen. Ernst After Medicaid Remarks
Above: JD Scholten campaigning for congress in Iowa's 4th Congressional District on Aug. 9, 2019 in Clear Lake, Iowa. Image copyright: Alex Edelman/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
The media and Democrats, including Scholten, are trying to use Ernst's offhand remark to distract from the improvements the budget bill is going to make to Medicaid and other programs. These protesters infiltrating Ernst and other Republicans' town halls are being financially supported by corporate opponents of the bill, but the bill's success and Ernst's future in the Senate are still on track.
Democratic narrative
Ernst deserves to be challenged for her Senate seat based solely on her disingenuous support of Trump's budget bill. If you ask any nonpartisan expert about what this bill will do, you will learn how it will cut healthcare for children and poorer Americans while cutting taxes for billionaires. The fact that she followed up her town hall quip with a non-apology shows she doesn't belong in the Senate.