Washington Examiner
Op-Ed: Sen. Rick Scott
November 29, 2022

Earlier this year, I released a plan with more than 100 ideas for how Republicans can govern and rescue America from President Joe Biden’s radical, socialist agenda that has done nothing but destroy our country with debt, record inflation, and massive crime. The Democrats immediately lost their minds. Our disturbingly incompetent president tried to say that I was proposing to cut Social Security and Medicare and “put programs on a chopping block.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed this falsehood, and sadly, some Republicans parroted these Democrats’ lies.

I originally wrote this op-ed to respond to some of those criticisms directly, several of which have been published recently in the Washington Post. Sadly, the Washington Post refused to accept this piece. The Washington establishment, in both Congress and the media, is so committed to the status quo that it will do whatever it takes to silence anyone who thinks differently. So much for “democracy dies in darkness,” right?

The attacks against me and my plan are a predictable reaction in broken, corrupt Washington, but it’s nothing but total fiction. It’s the same political smear the Democrats use every election, and it’s a lie. These fake, tired claims that “Republicans are going to throw grandma over the cliff” are ridiculous, and people know it’s a lie. It doesn’t work anymore. I don’t know any Republican who wants to cut Social Security or Medicare. But I do know that every Democrat in Congress voted to cut Medicare this year. I never have and never would. It’s just a lie to claim otherwise.

Yes, I put out a plan of ideas, and I don’t regret it one bit. Yes, one of them suggested sunsetting laws after five years — noting that if a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again. Washington has spent decades exploding the size of our government and wasting money, and it must be stopped. Anyone who is serious knows that my plan was never about ending Social Security or Medicare. Nor was it about sunsetting the Navy or any other absurd suggestion. Biden and Schumer are simply engaged in Washington political gotcha BS.

Unlike Biden , I’ve never once advocated cutting Social Security, Medicare , or Medicaid . During my time in the Senate, I’ve fought to protect these programs, many times against Democratic-driven cuts and bad policies such as the $280 billion Medicare cut we just saw Democrats pass in August.

The sad truth is that truth barely exists in Washington anymore. For today’s Democrats, words no longer have meaning. They can’t say what a woman is, they cut Medicare and then insist they didn’t, and they testify in hearings under oath and say that the border is secure. When they are talking, they are lying. For Biden and his party, falsehood is standard policy — it’s what they do.

So we have a choice to make: We can cower in a corner, or we can stand up and take them on. I will not be intimidated by these liars. When they smear me with false statements, I take it as a badge of honor.

Republicans must again become the party of ideas and have no fear of telling the public what we plan to do. It’s time for us to define the future we want for America and how we plan to get there.

We’ve done a fine job of telling people how terrible Biden and the Democrats are and how badly they are doing. And the polls clearly show that the public knows it — they know the Democrats are crazy. Voters overwhelmingly believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, the economy is terrible, energy prices are horrible, crime is out of control, and the border is wide open.

The public knows all of this. What they do NOT know is what we Republicans are going to do about it. And the stunning part is that this is on purpose. That is the current strategy of many Republicans in Washington, to be against the crazy Democrats only and never outline any plans of what we are for or what we will do.

And if you dare step out of line and suggest that we give people something to vote for, they attack you, and they partner with the Democrats to twist your words and trash you and tell you to be quiet.

But I have good news — a new day is coming. Republicans and conservatives all over this country are demanding that we stand up, boldly defend our values, and fight like hell to save this country. It may take a little bit longer for those in Washington to get the message, but it is coming. A new era in which Republicans actually give the voters a positive reason to vote for them is coming.

I ran for Senate leader because the current plan of routinely caving in and allowing Schumer and Biden to win must stop and because we must become a party with a plan to rescue America.

My effort to change the way the Senate operates is not over. In fact, it is just beginning. We can no longer be merely a speed bump on the road to socialism.

Everyone says compromise is crucial in Washington. That’s fine. But it’s about time we stop compromising our principles and start making the Democrats compromise theirs.

The old Washington establishment Republican path of never having a vision is over, it’s dying. A new wave of bold and aggressive Republicans who will stand up and fight is demanding change from our leaders in Washington. It is happening, and it will happen. Count on it.

Republican Rick Scott represents Florida in the United States Senate. He is the former governor of Florida.

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