Reply #21: Ronald Reagan rode the negative connotation to victory

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

with his made up stories of "welfare queens driving Cadillacs" to pick up their checks at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Bill Clinton made a huge effort to "end welfare as we know it". The majority of Americans have had the word "welfare" demonized as an unearned, unfair, reward for laziness paid for by the labor of hardworking Americans. To this day, say the word welfare and watch millions of jaws clenching simultaneously. It's just the way it is. Liberals work it too by being against "corporate welfare".

Republicans talking heads are trying to get more milage from this word right now and must have some kind of internal prize to be awarded for how many times they can use work in the word welfare any time they discuss a stimulus or tax cut for the middle class program.