Paul Krugman: Biden, Sanders, Social Security and Smears

[brooklynite]

New York Times

While the news media has been focused on the “spat” between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, something much more serious has been taking place between the Sanders campaign and Joe Biden. Not to sugarcoat it: The Sanders campaign has flat-out lied about things Biden said in 2018 about Social Security, and it has refused to admit the falsehood.

This is bad; it is, indeed, almost Trumpian. The last thing we need is another president who demonizes and lies about anyone who disagrees with him, and can’t admit ever being wrong. Biden deserves an apology, now, and Sanders probably needs to find better aides.

That said — and this is no excuse for the Sanders camp — it would be good to have Biden explain why, in the more distant past, he went along with the Beltway consensus that Social Security needed to be pared back.

First, about that Biden smear: In 2018 Biden gave a speech attacking Paul Ryan, the then-speaker of the House, for wanting to cut taxes on the rich and pay for those tax cuts by cutting Social Security and Medicare. There was nothing in his remarks that should bother progressives.

[still_one]

1. and it is pathetic that there are posters here still propagating this LIE

[TexasTowelie]

2. +1

[George II]

3. David Sirota retweets it several times an hour.

[Eric J in MN]

4. Krugman is wrong.

Joe Biden advocated “adjustments” to Social Security in that 2018 video, which is a euphemism for “cuts.”

Link to tweet

?s=20

[LanternWaste]

5. Ironic your choice of idioms.

[Eric J in MN]

6. I don't understand. NT

NT