On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing what’s at stake in the upcoming midterm elections: the climate crisis, reproductive rights, social security, Medicare, the cost of prescription drugs, taxes, immigration, poverty, voting rights, guns, and more. It's all at stake depending on who controls Congress.
House Democrats have voted to crack down on price gouging by oil companies; cap insulin at $35 for those with private insurance; protect access to birth control; make it easier to vote; ban the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines; and enshrine Roe v. Wade into federal law. The overwhelming majority of House Republicans voted against these measures. Only 47 House Republicans out of 212 joined all Democrats in passing legislation that would protect same-sex marriages and roll back a 25-year-old law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
If Republicans take control of one or both chambers, they will advance legislation that would make permanent the GOP’s 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. Social Security Works says they will also work to cut Social Security and Medicare. A majority of Republican nominees deny or question the 2020 election results, according to The Washington Post.
Guests:
Jodi Jacobson, longtime writer, reporter, and editor focusing on reproductive justice
Will Bunch, national columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and author of After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics―and How to Fix It
Web Resources:
Philadelphia Inquirer: Racist ‘Willie Horton’-style fearmongering on crime may win midterms for GOP
The Guardian: Abortion on the ballot: here are the US states voting on a woman’s right to choose
BBC: US midterm elections: Why are they so important?
The New York Times: Biden Tries to Reassure Voters on Health Care Costs
The Washington Post: Half of voters say climate change is important in midterms, poll finds
