As Twitchy reported, 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren was a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” earlier this week, where Colbert gave her advice on how to pitch Medicare for All (and the resulting tax increases) to the masses. “Do you want to live in a world where your fellow citizens are dying,” he suggested, adding, “even if it costs a little bit of money?”
The exchange went a little something like this:
Warren's obfuscation is becoming comical now:
"Are you going to raise middle class taxes?”
"Right."
"Are you going to raise middle class taxes?”
"Here's the thing."
"Are you going to raise middle class taxes?”
"Here's how were going to do this." https://t.co/x2zzTEKr4V
— Andrew Clark (@AndrewHClark) September 18, 2019
Kimberly Strassel was amazed that Warren was actually being pushed on the question of middle-class tax hikes after slipping past the question for so long, but 2020 Pete Buttigieg told Jake Tapper Thursday that he considered Warren’s answers “extremely evasive.”
.@PeteButtigieg says of @ewarren and @StephenAtHome asking her if taxes will go up on the middle class to pay for Medicare for All: “Senator Warren is known for being straightforward and was extremely evasive when asked that question and we’ve seen that repeatedly.”
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 19, 2019
.@PeteButtigieg just criticized @ewarren as “evasive” on whether Medicare For All requires a middle class tax hike, framing her as a typical “Washington politician” who doesn’t give straight answers.
On @jaketapper’s show ? pic.twitter.com/Njc2gWJaVJ
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 19, 2019
YAS! Drag her! https://t.co/xj9nn7NVW8
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) September 19, 2019
Shots fired in Tribal Council!
— George Purcell (@gpurcell) September 19, 2019
speaks with forked-tongue.
— NeverTweet (@LOLNeverTweet) September 19, 2019
Thanks Pete. pic.twitter.com/U85lPSqlMs
— raymond (@raymond041602) September 19, 2019
Everybody’s taxes will go up. Socialists policies cost everybody, but ultimately cost the poor the most in the end.
— Arkansas Guy (@Sense_of_common) September 19, 2019
As the queen admires her crowds and her selfies others begin to challenge the vapor ware plans.
— MareJohnson (@mare_carl) September 19, 2019
Mayor Pete goes after Warren harder than he goes after Trump. He still thinks he can get the MAGA crowd to vote for him instead of Trump.
— Brian M. Branch (@branchi1292) September 19, 2019
Nope.
He's right. Have a you ever heard her answer that question that's been asked of her a million times, @sahilkapur???
— Snitty the Relentless? (@SnarkyBetoBabe) September 19, 2019
I like Warren, (may vote for her in primaries, not sure yet), but she *is* blatantly evading that question.
— ChrisTweets2019 (@CTweets2019) September 19, 2019
Pete is criticizing her for not giving her opponents soundbytes to use against her.
— Media Critique (@_MediaCritique) September 19, 2019
I’m Team Warren but he’s not wrong. She knows that her answer, while ultimately good (but nuanced), can be turned into a bad soundbite very easily.
— Harry (@DocEgonSpengler) September 19, 2019
LOL. He's mad she refuses to give Republicans and the media the soundbite they're looking for regarding taxes and M4A. Sad!
— Dawne Thorne (@dawnethorne) September 19, 2019
The sound bite is the truth. If her plan is so good, why does she have to hide it?
— Logical Politics (@logicalpoIitics) September 19, 2019
Here’s The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel with some analysis.
It was interesting imo that the attack on Medicare-for-all for, what, six months, was "you'll ban private insurance." Why are rivals only now picking up the tax thing? (Locking yourself into "I'll never raise taxes" promise is also risky for a Democrat.) https://t.co/3ubOeEseC3
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) September 19, 2019
If I’m Warren I’m trying to paint it as “you’ll pay the same or less in taxes that you’re already paying for your insurance now”.
— James (@GoNolesjw) September 19, 2019
This IS her answer, but it's a rhetorical difference with Sanders. He leans in and says of course you'll pay higher taxes but premiums will be gone — a net gain for almost everybody. She does not let anything about "raising taxes" escape her lips. https://t.co/gbRdsXezcv
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) September 19, 2019
The problem is that if she keeps skirting around it, she will look evasive (she already came across that way a bit). The Sanders approach of just owning up to middle-class tax increases but explaining why other costs (premiums, OOP, etc.) are already a "tax" seems more genuine.
— Ameya अमेय (@ameya_pa) September 19, 2019
"I will raise your taxes" worked so well for Fritz Mondale.
— Robot Nixon 2020 (@mwisnefske) September 19, 2019
Also …
wait… did he forget to call her a bad Christian? Mayor Pete must be off his game
— Jim Peeps (@Jimpeeps12) September 19, 2019
Is Mayor Pete going to “Tulsi” Warren for a bump in the polls?
Related:
Stephen Colbert gives Elizabeth Warren advice on how to pitch Medicare for All (and the resulting tax increases) to the masses https://t.co/5DtMiZKvxM
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 18, 2019
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