Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s speechwriter shared a study on Twitter that criticized the newly unveiled “Bidencare” by comparing its uninsured “death toll” to “forty-two 9/11 style attacks” and highlights a growing rift in the Democratic Party.
Speechwriter David Sirota acknowledged he deleted one tweet with the language, which is drawn from a study by the progressive People’s Policy Project, in an email to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Wednesday. But he posted another tweet Monday that highlights the 9/11 death toll comparison in a screenshot because it “more clearly presented” the quote, Sirota said.
New study from @MattBruenig’s @PplPolicyProj concludes: “During the first 10 years of Bidencare, over 125,000 unnecessary deaths will occur from uninsurance.” https://t.co/7Ia5wjrywy pic.twitter.com/r75ZyxD1Au
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) July 15, 2019
Sirota has been using social media to hammer former Vice President Joe Biden’s health care plan and tout Medicare for all, which his boss first introduced in 2017. (RELATED: Joe Biden Rolls Out Health Plan In Contrast To Medicare For All Democrats)
“Biden’s plan leaves millions uninsured and, according to new data, potentially tens of thousands of Americans to die for lack of insurance. Shouldn’t this be the very first thing anyone says about his proposal? I mean … 125,000 people is a lot of people!” Sirota wrote Tuesday on Twitter.
Biden’s plan leaves millions uninsured and, according to new data, potentially tens of thousands of Americans to die for lack of insurance. Shouldn’t this be the very first thing anyone says about his proposal? I mean…125,000 people is a lot of people! https://t.co/7Ia5wjrywy
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) July 16, 2019
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks while introducing health care legislation titled the “Medicare for All Act of 2019” with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Sen. Jeff Merkley, during a news conference on Capitol Hill, on April 9, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The attacks on Biden’s health care plan, which he characterizes as an extension of Obamacare, underscore the Democratic Party’s establishment-progressive schism — something illustrated by a tiff involving Sirota and Sanders-turned-Biden staffer Symone Sanders. Sirota shared years-old tweets from Symone Sanders’s time with candidate Sanders (no, the two aren’t related) on Monday.
“So glad to see folks embracing Medicare-For-All. Important to note though Kamala Harris was [first] to throw her support behind Bernie’s bill,” Symone Sanders wrote Sept. 12, 2017, on Twitter.
Symone Sanders responded Monday by posting a 2016 article emphasizing that Vermont Sen. Sanders would raise taxes.
So glad to see folks embracing Medicare-For-All. Important to note though @KamalaHarris was 1st to throw her support behind Bernie’s bill
— Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) September 12, 2017
Since we are flagging old tweets. https://t.co/iqnqZn20vz
— Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) July 15, 2019
Biden dropped his health care plan Monday.
“I understand the appeal of Medicare for all, but folks supporting it should be clear that it means getting rid of Obamacare, and I’m not for that. … Starting over makes no sense to me at all. … I’m surprised that so many Democrats are running on getting rid of it,” Biden said in his plan’s launch video.
Meanwhile, progressives like Sirota are attacking Biden by saying he more closely aligns with Republicans like President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with his attacks on Medicare for all.
TAKE THE QUIZ: Joe Biden is attacking Medicare for All with lies straight out of the playbook of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and the health insurance industry. Can you guess who said it? Take the quiz here: https://t.co/rXJymbeNuh
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) July 16, 2019
“TAKE THE QUIZ: Joe Biden is attacking Medicare for All with lies straight out of the playbook of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and the health insurance industry. Can you guess who said it?” Sirota wrote Tuesday on Twitter.
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