Please
see
below for DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s remarks at a press
conference on the Republican presidential field in Tampa, FL this
afternoon.
INTRODUCTION
Good
afternoon.
Throughout
this
primary campaign, we haven’t heard a single new idea from the
Republican candidates, and tonight you shouldn’t expect that to change.
If
given
half a chance, they would bring back the same trickle-down
policies that got us into this mess – failed policies that left
President Obama with an economy shedding more than 750,000 jobs each
month when he came into office.
And
what is their message to middle-class American families?
They
would
advocate for policies that just set us up for the next big burst
bubble - repealing the protections put in place to prevent another
financial crisis – and for giving more tax breaks to special interests
and tax cuts to the wealthiest.
If
you’re
struggling as a result of the financial crisis, the mortgage
crisis or just having trouble finding a job, you won’t find a candidate
on stage tonight with a plan to do anything but return to the policies
we're all too familiar with and that have failed us in the past.
SOCIAL
SECURITY & MEDICARE
And
for
seniors and anyone looking forward to aging with dignity what’s
worse, is that you can expect to see the leading Republican candidates
calling for changes that would do great harm to Social Security if not
dismantle it entirely. Social Security, like Medicare, is
something
Americans have earned - we've paid for it, we’re counting on it - but
Republicans would shred this safety net to bits - breaking a decades
long compact with the American people.
At
least
Rick Perry was honest about his hostility towards Social
Security, calling it a ‘Ponzi scheme’ in last week’s debate in
California.
But
Mitt
Romney was not so straightforward about his support for
privatizing Social Security – a scheme that would be as dangerous to
the future of the program as Rick Perry's attitude and rhetoric.
Now,
Mitt
Romney would have you believe otherwise. He's been running around
all week attacking Rick Perry on the issue. The hypocrisy is
beyond
galling. Romney would gamble with our Social Security in the
stock
market - a scheme that would devastate Social Security. He said
so
publically numerous times.
The
truth
is, Republicans like Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and George Bush
before them, have had their sights set on dismantling Social Security
and the American people have emphatically said, "no."
Now
these
candidates have come to my home state of Florida. And, Florida’s
seniors don't want either Rick Perry or Mitt Romney's approach to
dismantling Social Security - and they have already expressed
opposition to these candidates’ support for the Ryan Republican plan to
end Medicare as we know it.
Ending
Medicare
and dismantling Social Security are curious positions for
candidates campaigning here in the Sunshine State . . . But that is
exactly what these Republicans support and believe. Florida’s
seniors
need to know that.
Each
of
the Republican candidates in this race is desperate to appease the
Tea Party. They rubber-stamped an ideologically driven agenda
that
would end Medicare as we know it, erode Social Security, weaken
middle-class security and eliminate millions of jobs.
AMERICAN
JOBS ACT
Meanwhile,
President
Obama and Democrats are building an America that is poised
for success in the future. On Thursday, the President offered a bill
that would create more jobs right now because the American people
demand immediate action.
As
soon
as Congress passes it, businesses will be able to hire more
workers and middle-class families will be able to keep more of what
they earn.
There’s
no
reason for delay, and as the President said there is nothing in this
bill that’s controversial if your goal is to create jobs for middle
class families.
This
is
a matter of values – the idea that hard work pays off and that
responsibility is rewarded. The President’s bill reflects these
values.
The
American
Jobs Act creates jobs and grows the economy now, helping
America’s small businesses hire and grow by cutting their payroll taxes
by 50%.
It
puts
more money in the pockets of working and middle-class Americans,
lowering their taxes. The average family will get to keep $1,500 more
from their paychecks each year.
It
would
put more people back to work in jobs that keep us safe today and
strengthen our future, including teachers, first responders, veterans
and construction workers.
And,
while this bill will create American jobs, it won’t add a dime to the
deficit.
This
bill
is sound policy that will ensure that middle class families are
protected and that they’re rewarded for their hard work.
But
the Republican candidates have opposed this common sense plan because
they aren’t interested in solutions.
They
would
rather see middle class families continue to struggle than give
up their effort to give more tax cuts to special interests and the
wealthy.
This
is
not a question of partisanship – it’s a question of values and these
Republican candidates are making a clear statement of who they
value.
They care about one job – President Obama’s. Democrats care about
American jobs.
CONCLUSION
Tonight,
you’ll
hear a lot of talk about the President, but you won’t hear any
plan to create jobs now or to protect Social Security without
privatizing it, or to strengthen Medicare without transforming it into
a voucher program benefitting insurance companies and increasing health
care costs for seniors.
Republicans
have no plan for middle class families because they are working for the
special interests.
Their
plans
to deregulate Wall Street, give tax breaks to insurance companies
and Big Oil and extend tax cuts for millionaires won’t create jobs or
make things any easier on middle-class families.
Floridians
need to know that Democrats are on their side and the Republican
message is “You’re on your own.”
At
this debate and for the entirety of this campaign, we'll make sure
voters know it.
Thank
you.