The Biden Administration Lowers Healthcare Costs

Meanwhile, Republicans are choosing Trump over the country. . . again.

Donald Trump is a convicted felon, Republicans are choosing him over the country, and Joe Biden is lowering healthcare costs.

Last week may have seemed crazy, but it all boils down to that above sentence.

While Donald Trump and the Republican party are waging war against the Constitution and our judicial system, President Biden is working for the American people.

President Biden is lowering healthcare costs.

The headline: President Biden saved 27 million Americans thousands of dollars a year on their healthcare costs.

The Situation: A day after Donald Trump became a convicted felon, President Biden and his administration instituted a rule that caps the cost of inhalers for 27 million Americans suffering from asthma at $35/month. This will save thousands of dollars per year.

The Biden-Harris Administration, through negotiations with the three largest pharmaceutical companies, successfully implemented a new price for inhalers under the Inflation Reduction Act. This rule change, effective from June 1st, has significantly reduced the cost of inhalers, which were previously priced between $200 and $600.

This new rule adds to an already extensive list of ways President Biden has lowered healthcare costs:

• Capped the cost of insulin to $35/month for seniors

• Capped senior’s out-of-pocket costs to $2,000/year

• Banned drug price hikes that outpace inflation

• Extended who is eligible for ACA subsidies by 20%

Most importantly, thanks to extended subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act, 40% of uninsured Americans are now eligible for a free, or nearly free, healthcare plan through the ACA.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and the Republicans are. . .

Republicans are choosing Trump over the Country.

Unwilling to face the reality that they have nominated a convicted felon, the Republican party is trying to gaslight us all into thinking Trump is a victim of a corrupt justice system.

With few exceptions, this has been the unanimous opinion of all Republicans, from so-called moderate Susan Collins to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. They want you to think that Donald Trump did nothing wrong and is being politically persecuted, and the only reasonable reaction is for Republican attorney generals to go after Biden and his family.

This message is not only factually inaccurate and shameful but also dangerous.

Here is the bottom line: Donald Trump was held accountable for committing a crime according to the standards laid out in our Constitution. Donald Trump had every right attributed to all defendants in this country: the right to his own representation, the presumption of innocence, the ability to vet and select his own jury, and the need to be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. There is NO evidence any of that was hindered.

To launch a full attack on this system, call it a kangaroo court or politically motivated is flat-out unpatriotic.

Typically, I don’t like spending a ton of time focused on all the misinformation coming from Republicans because it often means arguing their message vs defining our own. But this attack is so dangerous that we need to have some way to combat it.

Here are my thoughts on how to do that:

Message for most voters.

Focus on the contrast between Trump and the Republicans working for themselves and President Biden and the Democrats working for Americans. The inhaler example above is one way to do that. There are others. For most swing voters we don’t need to get into the weeds. Trump is a felon, and Biden lowers healthcare costs. Simple, direct, and effective.

Addressing Republicans Lies

There are a few common lies Republicans are telling about Trump’s conviction.

This was based on a rare novel legal theory that no one is charged with.

This is factually inaccurate. Falsifying business records was charged by DA Alvin Bragg over 100 times in his first 15 months in office. There was nothing rare or novel about this. Anyone suggesting otherwise should explain why they feel the law should not apply to Trump.

It is fair to say that the felony angle on election interference was unique, but it's also unique that a former president broke the law so blatantly.

This trial should not have been held in Manhattan.

He was charged in Manhattan and, therefore, would be tried in Manhattan, just like everyone else. This is how the system works. If we give Trump special treatment, we must give all politicians the same. Should Hunter Biden get to choose a more politically beneficial jurisdiction? How about Bob Menendez? The answer is obviously no.

This was politically motivated.

No, it wasn’t. The Biden Administration had nothing to do with it, as this was a state-level charge, and there is no evidence that suggests otherwise.

A corrupt liberal judge found Trump guilty.

Nope. A jury of his peers, 12 average Americans, that were vetted by Trump’s legal team, found him guilty.

This is perhaps the most effective line of messaging. Jury’s are pretty popular in America, it’s why even Trump won’t attack the jury (yet).

Bottom Line:

I don’t think getting into an in-depth defense with an undecided voter about the merits of this trail and refuting every Republican talking point is effective.

The content you create should focus on the contrast of “Trump cares about himself, Biden cares about you”.

Pointing out Republicans’ lies when appropriate is important; leave that for the comment section and in-person conversations. Just don’t let it distract you from the larger economic message.