Progressives responded with a mixture of alarm and ridicule to news that President Donald Trump is planning later this week to sign an executive order to “protect” Medicare, a government-run program, from “socialist destruction.”
The Washington Post reported that the executive order, which Trump is set to unveil Thursday during a trip to Florida, is part of a concerted attack on the push for Medicare for All, a proposal championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Yes, only Trump save MEDICARE, a government-run health care program, from socialism https://t.co/0oUmy01s3Y
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) September 29, 2019
Not only did Trump’s own budget make deep cuts to Medicare, but can someone explain to me how a socialist program can be saved from socialism? https://t.co/u7JvGqENQs
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) September 29, 2019
Observers said Trump’s planned executive order is reminiscent of the infamous “keep your government hands off my Medicare” line that was shouted at a Republican lawmaker during a town hall in 2009, in the heat of the fight over the Affordable Care Act.
“I understand why people like Trump and [Vice President Joe] Biden try to scare old people about Medicare for All. Scaring old people is time-tested!” HuffPost reporter Jeffrey Young tweeted Sunday. “But the idea that giving government healthcare to everyone somehow means taking it from people who already have government healthcare is just absurd.”
KEEP THE GOVERNMENT’S HANDS OFF MY MEDICARE!!1! https://t.co/tBj5tBKjdV
— Jeffrey Young (@JeffYoung) September 29, 2019
Others recounted Republicans’ vehement opposition to the creation of Medicare in response to Trump’s fearmongering executive order:
Republicans ca. 1965: MEDICARE IS SOCIALISM!!! It must be stopped.
Republicans ca. 2019: Only we can protect your Medicare from the evil socialists who want to take it away from you. https://t.co/6SBZh0xH11
— Seth Cotlar (@SethCotlar) September 29, 2019
For those unfamiliar with the 1960s anti-Medicare argument, here it is put mellifluously by Ronald Reagan. https://t.co/u4ZG8mv95F
— Seth Cotlar (@SethCotlar) September 29, 2019
While the full details of the executive order have not yet been released to the public, the Post reported that the order could call for further privatization of Medicare by expanding “plans offered through Medicare Advantage.”
Progressives warned that, as with Republican calls to “save” Social Security, Trump’s executive order could mean attempted cuts to the crucial program, which covers tens of millions of elderly Americans and people with disabilities.
“Donald Trump plans to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid,” tweeted People for Bernie.
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Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
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