GOP Senators Earn Blistering Reviews from Local Newspapers for “Playing Political Games” While “Unemployed Need & Deserve Better”

Senators Gardner, McSally Held Accountable for Refusing to Stand Up to Trump While Tillis Must Defend a Record That Will Hurt North Carolina’s Recovery

Vulnerable Senate Republicans earned a round of blistering reviews from local newspaper editorial boards and columnists for their failure to stand up to President Trump and dangerous records that will hurt their states’ recovery.

In Colorado, the Denver Post editorialized on the “disgusting political game” of awarding life saving medical equipment based on loyalty instead of need. The Aurora Sentinel wrote, “Every member of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, must condemn Trump’s quid-pro-quo allotment of life-saving equipment. That reproach must especially include Gardner and other Trump favorites.”

Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts observed, “Now, nearly seven horrible weeks later, McSally is downplaying – or downright ignoring – Trump’s slow reaction as, day by day, the threat to us all was increasing exponentially.” And after Arizona became the next state to get far fewer ventilators than it requested, columnist EJ Montini concluded, “It feels more like a favor granted in return for political support. As if more Arizonans may get to live because a couple of our politicians have an ‘in’ with the president.”

Finally, in North Carolina, op-eds highlighted Senator Thom Tillis’ record of gutting unemployment insurance benefits as State House Speaker. Capitol Broadcasting Company editorialized that Tillis’ actions “left North Carolina in a more challenging position to recover from a recession.” Charlotte Observer columnist Gene Nichol asked: “GOP lawmakers slashed NC’s unemployment compensation: Are they proud now?”

Most Senate Republicans refuse to hold the Trump administration accountable for the president’s unmet promises, his removal of the independent Inspector General overseeing the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, or the decision not to reopen special enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s federal health insurance marketplace at a time when newly unemployed Americans urgently need health care.

Take a look at the coverage below: 

The Denver Post: Editorial: Trump is playing a disgusting political game with our lives

By The Denver Post Editorial Board

Key Points: 

• President Donald Trump is treating life-saving medical equipment as emoluments he can dole out as favors to loyalists. It’s the worst imaginable form of corruption — playing political games with lives. For the good of this nation during what should be a time of unity, he must stop.

• The federal government should be procuring medicine, masks, and ventilators and distributing them to states on a set formula based on population, rate of infection and need. Instead, Trump’s messaging makes it feel as though he will watch with glee from the White House as people suffer in states being led by his enemies.

• On this one urgent point — the immediate allocation resources to states — we felt it essential to speak up immediately. We find it hard to believe decisions are being made on such a morally bankrupt basis, but Trump is doing this nation no favors by giving us the impression that politics will drive his administration’s response to a virus that has already killed thousands of Americans and will kill thousands more.

Read the full editorial here.

Sentinel Colorado: EDITORIAL: Trump allies like Sen. Gardner must stop the worst of Trump’s pandemic flailing

Editorial Board

Key Points:

• Every member of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, must condemn Trump’s quid-pro-quo allotment of life-saving equipment. That reproach must especially include Gardner and other Trump favorites. There is no denying Gardner’s voting record of repeatedly undermining Colorado values. 

• That and Gardner’s unnerving sycophant behavior these last few years have doomed his chances for being re-elected as the moderate Republican he falsely claims to be. We appeal to any shred of integrity Gardner retains to call out Trump’s repugnant scam and at least finish his Senate tenure on a note of decency and self-respect.

Read the full editorial here.

The Arizona Republic (Opinion): Is Arizona’s COVID-19 help tied to political support for Donald Trump?

By EJ Montini

Key Points: 

• I was puzzled by a couple of recent tweets by Sen. Martha McSally and Gov. Doug Ducey. The subject involved federal assistance in dealing with Arizona’s COVID-19 crisis, but the tweets by our elected representatives came off as self-congratulatory and fawningly reverential of President Donald Trump.

• The lifesaving material contained in the many warehouses where that stockpile is kept is meant to assist those in need during an emergency. It is not supposed to be about what political party you belong to or which politician can do you a favor. 

• It feels more like a favor granted in return for political support. As if more Arizonans may get to live because a couple of our politicians have an “in” with the president. We expect deal making out of Washington for things like a well-funded federal contract or some other pork-barrel spending. But these are lives we’re talking about.

Read the full column here.

The Arizona Republic: Sen. Martha McSally has quarantined herself in Trump’s pocket

By Laurie Roberts

Key Points:

• The world has changed but it’s comforting to know that some things never do. Sen. Martha McSally, for example, is still reprising her role as chief cheerleader to President Donald Trump. In fact, she seems to have quarantined herself smack inside the president’s pocket.

• Now, nearly seven horrible weeks later, McSally is downplaying – or downright ignoring – Trump’s slow reaction as, day by day, the threat to us all was increasing exponentially.

• And McSally can’t even bring herself to say The New York Times report – that a top Trump adviser sounded an early alarm at the White House – is troubling?

• In McSallyland, there is, apparently, not even a slim possibility that Trump got caught with his pants down. Then again, it’s difficult to really see when you’re residing in the pocket of those pants.

Read the full column here.

Capitol Broadcasting Company Editorial Board: Editorial: North Carolina’s neglected unemployed need and deserve better, now

Key Points: 

• When it comes to demonstrating concern for working North Carolinians, here’s what Senate Leader Phil Berger, House Speaker Tim Moore and former state House Speaker and now U.S. Sen Thom Tillis have to show:
  
  • The lowest in-the-nation unemployment insurance system – leaving the flood of newly unemployed with unreasonably small weekly benefits and for very few weeks.
    
  • By being one of just 14 states that has not expanded Medicaid – that already has left half-a-million North Carolinians without access to health care and worsened the already shaky status of rural hospitals – has left those who just days ago had health coverage and now suddenly none with little ways to afford care they may need.
    
• That lack of concern and preparedness has left nearly half a million hard working North Carolinians, who never dreamt of being out of a job, applying for unemployment benefits as a result of policy orders relating to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Read the full editorial here.

The Charlotte Observer (Opinion): GOP lawmakers slashed NC’s unemployment compensation. Are they proud now?

By Gene Nichol 

Key Points:

• In North Carolina, more than half a million people have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March. Last week a national study concluded “NC has the second biggest increase in unemployment due to coronavirus.”

• One of the first bills passed by the General Assembly in 2013, marking the Republican ascendancy, was H.B 4. It launched the steepest cut to a state unemployment compensation program in American history.  Rep. Julia Howard, architect of the reductions, said our old approach had grown too rich, “becoming a welfare” scheme. Labor scholars called the changes “a radical reduction in benefits for people unemployed through no fault of their own.” Still, Sen. Phil Berger and then-Speaker of the House Thom Tillis pronounced themselves well satisfied. Moving from the middle of the pack to stingiest on record – that’s a message you can take on the road.

• Our cuts were so extreme we forfeited hundreds of millions in federal dollars. We were the only state to give Washington back its money rather than allow it to go to poor residents. 

• We’re the only state ever to abolish its earned income tax credit – raising the tax bill of impoverished families. We’re apparently willing to be the last state standing against Medicaid expansion. “Send our money to other states, we don’t care. It’s better than letting poor people have free health care.” Stepping on the necks of low income folks may be all our Republican lawmakers know how to do.

Read the full column here.

###