A.G. Gancarski
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott walked out of a news conference Tuesday as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell denounced his “11-point plan to “rescue America.”
Scott didn’t clear matters up Wednesday, despite having an opportunity to do so on national television.
During an appearance on the Fox Business Channel, Scott sidestepped numerous questions about “splitting the party,” including whether he fronted the plan at the behest of former President Donald Trump.
“We’ve got to turn around this country,” Scott said, not responding to the McConnell critique, preferring instead to attack the “woke left” for having “taken over this country.”
Interviewer Stuart Varney asked why Scott put out the plan when McConnell didn’t want it out, wondering if Scott was siding with Trump over McConnell.
Again, Scott dodged.
“I’m with the voters on this,” he said.
Varney pressed again, saying Scott had “challenged” Republican leadership by issuing his plan; the Senator dodged the question again.
In contrast, McConnell made himself very clear Tuesday.
“If we’re fortunate enough to have the majority next year, I’ll be the Majority Leader,” McConnell added. “I’ll decide in consultation with my members what to put on the floor.”
“Now, let me tell you what will not be part of our agenda,” McConnell continued. “We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years. That will not be part of a Republican Senate majority agenda.”
McConnell referred to a provision in the Scott plan stipulating that everyone have “skin in the game,” no matter how poor they may be.
“All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount,” the Scott plan states. “Currently, over half of Americans pay no income tax.”
Meanwhile, the sunset language referred to language spotlighted by New York Magazine: “All federal legislation sunsets in 5 years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again.”
When asked who he would support in a hypothetical 2024 Primary between Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, Scott was also coy.
“Oh, that’s a long way off. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see who runs in 2024.”
Scott, meanwhile, will not run for President.
“Absolutely not. I’ll be running for re-election,” he said.
One comment
Stephen P Johnson
March 6, 2022 at 10:09 am
This from a guy that pleaded the 5th over 75 times in settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pleaded guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in what was at the time the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history. Another criminal politician.
Comments are closed.