Ohio Senate Candidate Tim Ryan says, ‘stay in debt’.
This week President Biden announced a small step in the right direction.
He announced a plan to forgive $10,000 in student loans to individuals who make under $125k, $20,000 for those under $250k if they have Pell Grants), cap interest rates at 5% of their income, and extend the pause in payments until December 31st.
According to a recent poll 60% of likely voters support canceling All or Some Student Debt, including 81% of Democrats, 52% of Independents, and 45% of Republicans! It’s wildly popular among regular voters and if Biden wanted to, he could cancel all student debt. It’s no secret that I believe ALL student debt should be canceled. No working-class American should be punished for the crime of getting a decent education and to be in constant debt interfering with their ability to have a family, buy a home, or even start a business.
It’s overwhelmingly popular among the electorate.
But some Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot and it could cost them seats.
Ohio Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan completely undercut President Biden’s and Democrats winning message right before a crucial midterm.
“It sends the wrong message.” Ryan said.
His reasoning? It benefits those who are already on a path towards financial stability.
“As someone who’s paying off my own family’s student loans, I know the costs of higher education are too high,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “And while there’s no doubt that a college education should be about opening opportunities, waiving debt for those already on a trajectory to financial security sends the wrong message to the millions of Ohioans without a degree working just as hard to make ends meet.”
So let me get this straight. He believes that anyone who makes under $125,000 should not have any financial relief from student debt? That they don’t deserve a break while he rakes in $174,000 a year as a member of Congress? If Ryan thinks siding with 34% of Americans is a winning formula before a crucial midterm, then I’ve got a bridge in Alaska to sell you.
As I mentioned this is a widely popular issue that the Democrats can and should run on. Since this announcement his approval rating has jumped by 5%, I think it would jump more if he went further and canceled $50,000 in student loans. If the Democratic candidates for the House and Senate were smart, they would run on this issue and actively press Biden to go further, instead of shooting themselves in the foot.
Trying to act Republican-lite doesn’t win you elections in a purple state anymore, it makes you callous and unelectable. Sherrod Brown embraced canceling some student debt and it motivated young voters to win in Ohio which Trump won. Twice!
Candidates like Ryan have no principles and offer no contrast with a Republican. If the Dems need to win during the midterms, they need to side with the majority of voters, not the minority.
