We knew all along that as Senator Sanders rose in popularity, the attack forks would come out. Well today, it's here, it's real and it's a huge political meme that has his people scrambling to respond. Wall Street Journal deadline:
http://www.wsj.com/...
Price Tag of Bernie Sanders’s Proposals: $18 Trillion
You really can stop reading here because the nuance doesn't matter. It's now being talked about by Fox, Politico, Townhall, Marketwatch, Daily Caller and many others. Here's the WSJ story:
Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose liberal call to action has propelled his long-shot presidential campaign, is proposing an array of new programs that would amount to the largest peacetime expansion of government in modern American history.
In all, he backs at least $18 trillion in new spending over a decade, according to a tally by The Wall Street Journal, a sum that alarms conservatives and gives even many Democrats pause. Mr. Sanders sees the money as going to essential government services at a time of increasing strain on the middle class.
His agenda includes an estimated $15 trillion for a government-run health-care program that covers every American, plus large sums to rebuild roads and bridges, expand Social Security and make tuition free at public colleges.
To pay for it, Mr. Sanders, a Vermont independent running for the Democratic nomination, has so far detailed tax increases that could bring in as much as $6.5 trillion over 10 years, according to his staff.
SANDERS' CAMPAIGN RESPONSE
A campaign aide said additional tax proposals would be offered to offset the cost of some, and possibly all, of his health program. A Democratic proposal for such a “single-payer” health plan, now in Congress, would be funded in part through a new payroll tax on employers and workers, with the trade-off being that employers would no longer have to pay for or arrange their workers’ insurance.
SURPRISING RESPONSE FROM SENATOR SANDERS
Mr. Sanders declined a request for an interview. His campaign referred questions to Warren Gunnels, his policy director, who said the programs would address an array of problems. “Sen. Sanders’s agenda does cost money,” he said. “If you look at the problems that are out there, it’s very reasonable.”
This is the first substantive policy attack on Senator Sanders and I'm anxious to see how he will respond.