In the Republican race to put forward the most repulsive agenda possible, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida is definitely outpacing his GOP counterparts.
Sure, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina sent his colleagues running when he introduced a national 15-week abortion ban and pledged that a GOP-controlled Congress would give it a vote.
But just as the dust was finally starting to settle again, Scott, the Senate GOP campaign chief, boldly stepped into the void Sunday to voice support for Graham's deeply unpopular trial balloon.
"Look, there’s arguments to do it at the federal level," Scott said on NBC News' Meet the Press when he was asked whether abortion restrictions should be addressed on a national level. "I’m pro-life, as you know. I think we ought to have reasonable restrictions. I think a lot of people are comfortable with 15 weeks and exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, but every candidate gets to make their choice."
Actually, nearly seven in ten registered voters oppose the idea of a national abortion ban at base, and about two-thirds of voters rejected Graham's 15-week ban without exceptions for the health of the mother.
Then there's House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who laid an egg last month with his "Commitment to America." Voters were particularly turned off by the plan's emphasis on rolling back cost-cutting measures that help reduce the price of prescription drugs and protect people with pre-existing conditions from getting gouged by insurance companies.
McCarthy clearly sought to soften the plan's language on banning abortion, saying only that Republicans would "protect the lives of unborn children and their mothers."
But Scott is really the total package, embracing a nationwide abortion ban on TV plus beating McCarthy to the punch by releasing his own heinous plan to "rescue America" back in February. It famously promises to raise taxes on 100 million working Americans and sunset Medicare and Social Security, among other things.
McCarthy didn't exactly have the guts to say Republicans want to slash Medicare, but that's clearly what the Republican Study Committee aims to do if the GOP retakes the House.
Bottom line, Rick Scott is the total package—telling voters loud and proud that Republicans stand for raising taxes on working- and middle-class Americans while simultaneously working to reduce the social safety net they will depend upon as they age.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has worked hard to keep the GOP agenda under wraps, distancing his caucus from both Graham’s ban and Scott’s plan. But McConnell no longer has any control over Senate Republicans, as evidenced by his underlings freelancing without his permission. So despite what McConnell says, he’s not running the show anymore.
And when Republicans tell us what they want to do, we should believe them.
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