Awkward: Colbert Corners Warren on Middle Tax Class Increases, Calls Her Out When She Dodges

Townhall ^ | 09/19/2019 | Guy Benson

[SeekAndFind]

On Stephen Colbert's CBS late night show, the host challenged Elizabeth Warren on the issue of single-payer healthcare, which she unequivocally supports. He attempted to nail the leftist Senator down on the question of whether or not middle class Americans' taxes would have to go up (they would, a lot) in order to fund the program she and Bernie Sanders have proposed. She ducked, he drilled down further, then she ducked again -- prompting the comedian to call her out on it, seemingly to her surprise:

“You keep being asked in the debates, how are you going to pay for it? Are you going to raise the middle class taxes?” Colbert said.

“Right,” Warren said.

After a comic pause, Colbert asked “How are you going to pay for it? Are you going to raise the middle class taxes?”

“So here’s how we’re going to do this,” Warren said, launching into her familiar response. “Costs are going to go up for the wealthiest Americans, for big corporations…”

“Taxes which is what you mean by ‘costs’?” Colbert interrupted.

“Yes. And hardworking middle-class family are going to see their cost goes down…” Warren continued.

“But will their taxes go up?” Colbert pressed.

“Here’s the thing,” Warren began, but Colbert cut her off again.

“Here’s the thing,” he said. “I’ve listened to these answers a few times before, and I just want to make a parallel suggestion to you that you might defend the taxes, perhaps, you’re not mentioning in your sentence.”

This is about as hostile as it gets for a Democrat on national entertainment television, and Colbert immediately pivoted to offering Warren advice on how to make the argument in favor of middle class tax hikes for the greater good of single-payer healthcare.  His critique, you see, came from a place of support and agreement; he simply wants her to be the most effective leftist she can be.  The political problem is that coming out and saying, "yes, we're going to raise all of your taxes a lot, but it'll be worth it" is highly politically risky.  To wit:

If [voters] were told that a government-run system could lead to delays in getting care or higher taxes, support plunged to 26 percent and 37 percent, respectively. “The issue that will really be fundamental would be the tax issue,” said Robert Blendon, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who reviewed the poll. He pointed out that state single-payer efforts in Vermont and Colorado failed because of concerns about the tax increases needed to put them in place.

The other fundamental problem for Warren is that her plan would rip away private healthcare plans from nearly 180 million Americans, making such coverage illegal. At the last Democratic debate, Warren tried to brush this off by claiming that few Americans love their insurance companies. What many, many Americans do value quite strongly, however, is the coverage and providers they come to rely on.  Polling underscores that reality, which is a massive political liability for single-payer advocates, who explicitly want to permanently uproot tens upon tens of millions of people from those existing arrangements:

According to Gallup polling from late last year, 82% of Democrats said the quality of health care they received was either good or excellent. A large majority, 71%, believed their health care coverage was either good or excellent. Even when it comes to health care costs, 61% of Democrats said were satisfied with what they paid in health care. The same poll also notes that the vast majority of all Americans are satisfied with the quality of their health care – rating it ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ (80 percent) – and their level of coverage (69 percent).

In addition, a recent Kaiser poll recently found that 86 percent of Americans with private coverage were satisfied with it.  Healthcare disruption is deeply unpopular, as both parties have learned in recent years.  Warren may try to "here's the thing" her way out of addressing these facts, but she can't deflect away from much higher taxes, illegal private coverage, and long, bureaucratic wait times for care.  I'll leave you with this:

By my count, this raises Sanders' proposal costs to between $62 trillion and $85 trillion over the decade. Adding in the $15 trillion baseline deficit, and we're looking at a budget hole of perhaps $100 trillion (40% of GDP). No taxes are closing that gap. #Fantasyland https://t.co/9V1Ro5mcrW— Brian Riedl (@Brian_Riedl) September 18, 2019

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[Bonemaker]

She doesn’t have a clue...just pulling things out of her lilly white leftist ass.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Late Night Comedians.

Doing the journalism that Journalists just refuse to do.

[Meadow Muffin]

Just wondering if the House and Senate will have to give up their wonderful health care coverage? My guess is ....not in my lifetime or my grand kids life time.

[Track9]

She couldn’t give a dam about people. That’s how egotistical and brain dead she is. Pure evil.

[1Old Pro]

We found her weakness, other than firewater. Keep asking this same question and it will become a folly an she will become a joke.

[Leaning Right]

Would Colbert press Hillary like that? No way. So this is just more evidence that Colbert is prejudiced against Native Americans.

[patriotspride]

She couldn’t give a dam about people. That’s how egotistical and brain dead she is. Pure evi

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She and the others saw how rich Clintons and Obamas became, and they “ want theirs “ so anything to get in, and then blame others for not carrying out their dream plans is ok...

[Truthoverpower]

Fortunately for the country the Obama phenomenon really spent the entire wide of the ability of the left to lie obfuscate and create fairytale puppy rainbows in the sky

[Surrounded_too]

D E A T H ... P A N E L S ...

Take a pill says O’Bama.

[Billthedrill]

She just needs a snappy slogan. “If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor” has been done. Colbert appears to be advising something on the order of “Embrace your taxes, you’re gonna love them!” Not an improvement.

[I am Richard Brandon]

I, for one, am getting really fed up with the self-entitled “hard working families” who always side with The Left. The insinuation by The Left that people who support Republicans and Trump are not hard working is breathtaking.

[SMARTY]

Right-she’s only on a power trip and let the chips fall where they may

All of them are the same

[Jim Noble]

Republican tax policy has been immoral since at least 1986.

If you are going to give out the goodies people want as much as they want free healthcare, then their taxes are going up - a lot.

It’s constant GOP lies about this that have led to a $22 trillion debt.

[Sequoyah101]

We have now crossed the Rubicon because enough are getting free or nearly free stuff to overwhelm the ones who are paying for it.

“The same poll also notes that the vast majority of all Americans are satisfied with the quality of their health care – rating it ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ (80 percent) – and their level of coverage (69 percent).”

I am not one who is satisfied in any way with either the cost or the quality of my health care.

[Track9]

It’s amazing that this smarmy little double talker can draw even 5 people.

[Zathras]

Corbert, along with Wallstreet seems to be backing Biden.

[BobinIL]

That was about like watching someone scratch their fingernails on a blackboard.

[dp0622]

Nah if you read it he was trying to help her by telling her how to let us “peasants” know why it was a great idea

smh she and he are idiots.

I dont know what came over me reading an article lol

it’s so rare!

[shanover]

She can’t even handle that POS Col-BERT!? LMAO!