GOP mourns ‘money down the toilet’

NEWS AND OPINION:

So the gigantic Democratic spending plan has been introduced before the Senate — billed by various news organizations as a “blueprint” to remedy many of the nation’s woes.

Things are not quite so tidy, says the GOP.

“The Democrats just released the framework for their $3.5 trillion reckless tax-and-spending spree … and it’s worse than we feared. To put the size of the reckless spending in perspective, the $3.5 trillion bill is larger than the economy of the U.K., four times the size of Obama’s stimulus, and the size of the entire 2010 federal budget. And because the spending is half financed by new debt, the national debt would skyrocket to $45 trillion in 2031,” says Tommy Pigott, rapid response director for the Republican National Committee.

“As Americans are already struggling to pay Biden’s hidden tax — rising prices — this reckless spending is likely to make things much worse. Polling shows that a majority of voters do not want Democrats’ trillions in new spending, and 4 out of 5 voters are worried that such spending will raise their taxes in the future. Even liberal economists are sounding the alarm,” Mr. Pigott continues.

“What are we getting for that enormous price tag and rising prices on everyday goods? Socialist schemes and swampy liberal pet projects. It includes radical Green New Deal-style socialist policies, amnesty during a border crisis, new welfare without work requirements, a tax cut for the wealthy (so-called ‘SALT cap relief’) to personally benefit elite liberal donors in blue states and Democrats in Congress. Yikes! That’s not a budget to help the American worker. It’s a budget that makes Americans poorer, the swamp more powerful, and liberal lobbyists richer, all while sending your money down the toilet,” he declares.

THE GOP 2024 STRATEGY EMERGES

The Republican Party’s annual summer meeting is underway in Nashville, Tennessee, with the 2024 presidential election of prime interest. Potential host cities for the official GOP convention have already emerged, though the mammoth event won’t take place for three years.

“I know that seems so long away, but those requests for proposals and cities getting out there to bid for that process is happening right now,” Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel told Fox News on Monday, revealing that a site selection committee has already been formed.

Serious strategy is also paramount, with a heavy emphasis on significant GOP wins in the 2022 midterm elections — which would bode well for the White House race.

In the meantime, congressional Democrats are now pushing a wide-ranging election and campaign finance reform bill.

“If they federalize elections, it’s going to be really hard for Republicans to win nationally,” Mrs. McDaniel said.

“So we have to win 2022 – five seats away in the House, one seat away in the Senate. Then we can talk about 2024,” she added.

“The RNC will also vote to reinstate and announce the membership of the committee that will make recommendations on the 2024 GOP presidential primary and caucus calendar,” wrote Paul Steinhauser, a Fox News political reporter based in New Hampshire.

“There’s plenty of talk – and drama – among Democrats to alter the 2024 presidential nominating calendar, with Nevada Democrats recently passing a law to leapfrog their state ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire to become the lead-off nominating contest. But McDaniel says there’s no such drama when it comes to the next GOP presidential primary and caucus calendar,” Mr. Steinhauser said.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Multi-Vaxxers.”

Multiple news organizations are now taking notice of “multi-vaxxers” — a growing number of people who are alarmed by the delta variant of the coronavirus and now are getting unauthorized booster shots from assorted sources.

Many are mixing and matching the various vaccine brands.

“I feel well-armored now. It feels good, actually. I’m mega-vaxxed,” one young New York City resident told Business Insider after having gotten two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and one Pfizer vaccine.

NUMBERS TO CONSIDER

Meanwhile, worries about the coronavirus pandemic continue to expand.

Over 18% of migrant families and 20% of unaccompanied minors who recently crossed the U.S. border tested positive for COVID-19 after leaving U.S. Border Patrol custody in recent weeks, according to a report from NBC News.

The network obtained those percentages from an unspecified document set to be used in an upcoming briefing with President Biden.

“Some flights scheduled to deport migrants had more than 25% of passengers test positive before departure, leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove those migrants from the flights for quarantine in the U.S., according to the document,” the NBC report said.

It also noted that 15,000 migrants are in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol and that positive COVID-19 tests within this population are occurring within “all demographics.”

The situation is becoming more dire for everyone concerned.

Among many details, the report also noted that a border processing facility in the Rio Grande Valley only has three EMTs who are responsible for the care of some 3,000 migrants.

POLL DU JOUR

• 43% of registered U.S. voters believe that the House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 takeover of the U.S. Capitol will not conduct the investigation fairly.

• 73% of Republicans, 49% of independents and 14% of Democrats agree; 83% of Trump voters and 11% of Biden voters also agree.

• 37% overall say the committee will conduct the investigation fairly.

• 12% of Republicans, 26% of independents, 62% of Democrats agree; 7% of Trump voters and 66% of Biden voters also agree.

• 21% overall are not sure about the issue.

• 16% of Republicans, 25% of independents and 25% of Democrats agree; 10% of Trump voters, and 23% of Biden voters also agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,224 registered U.S. voters conducted July 31-Aug. 3.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.