Why the Republicans hate Biden's college debt plans

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.editorialboard.com/why-the-republicans-hate-bidens-college-debt-plan/

No paywall
https://archive.ph/tShdY

Last week, Joe Biden announced executive action to forgive up to $20,000 of debt and end predatory interest for millions of Americans.

In response, many Republican leaders, like Tate Reeves, the governor of Mississippi, attacked gender studies majors.

Today Biden will announce that welders, plumbers, laborers, and other Mississippians (Black, white, Hispanic, etc.) [sic] will be forced to pay off the debts of Harvard doctorate degree gender studies majors living in California.

Governor Reeves and other Republican leaders pretend they are outraged on behalf of good, solid, responsible workers. As his tweet makes clear, they especially like to talk about welders.

But the obsession with gender studies gives the game away.

Racial and class equity

Republicans are embracing the rightwing populist playbook that calls for undermining class solidarity by attacking marginalized people.

Contra all the Republican propaganda, student debt forgiveness is not a policy aimed at elites. People who are truly wealthy simply pay for college. They do not have to take on a great deal of debt.

Biden’s program has an income cap; individual borrowers making $125,000 a year or more ($250,000 for households) are not eligible for relief. The Department of Education estimates 90 percent of relief dollars will go to those making less than $75,000 a year.

*snip*

[claudette]

1. Somebody needs to

tell these GOPers that $10,000 does NOT "pay off" the enormous debt for Harvard tuition.

[Meadowoak]

2. Republicans just don't like readin' and writin' and learnin' and

Stuff, especially if you're not white.

[thucythucy]

3. You'd think the governor of Mississippi would be more concerned about the fact

that the infrastructure of his state is in such poor shape that the entire city of Jackson is under a boil water order, with water pressure so low toilets can't flush and firefighters are helpless against fires.

But no, he spends his time attacking people he knows nothing about.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

4. Yeah. Hey...

When did a puke ever lift a finger to help welders, plumbers and laborers?

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. For a couple of years I have seen anti-college memes on Facebook

And suspected that they were being pushed out by Russian troll farms or right-wing "influencers".

One thing is for sure, the uber-rich are not sending their kids to trade schools. That should tell you something.

They say "College is not everyone". That may be true, but what they really mean is: "It's not for you peasants".

[niyad]

6. geeeeez, does that bunch look constipated!