Meet the poverty liars: GOP peddles more garbage in war on the poor
Struggling to project compassion, Republicans revive Reagans destructive myths about how to help the poor
JOAN WALSH
As we observe the 50th anniversary of Lyndon Johnson declaring the War on Poverty this week, its worth remembering the way Ronald Reagan wrote its history, and its epitaph, with a soothing nine-word bromide: We fought a war on poverty, and poverty won.
Its worth remembering, because as Republicans scramble to appear as though they care about the poor,
circulating memos teaching how to seem compassionate and
digging anti-poverty plans out of dusty file folders from the 1980s, all theyre doing is updating Reagan for the 21st century. And Reagan was dead wrong the first time around.
Its almost impossible to exaggerate the effect of Reagans War on Poverty lies, especially as theyre warmed over by Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Paul Ryan as they dream about 2016. Even though Reagan began his Republican political career as a race-baiter and anti-welfare demagogue, by the 1980 campaign and his presidency, hed softened some. He didnt rail as much against welfare queens and young bucks buying T-bone steaks with food stamps. Now he projected concern for the poor: he wanted to help them, and poverty programs hurt them.
Of course, we cant forget the racial component of Reagans anti-welfare animus. Racial division is what doomed Johnsons War on Poverty, almost as soon as it began. I was riveted by
Slates feature on the actual woman behind Reagans race-baiting welfare queen stereotype. Reagan didnt invent her, as many people thought over the years; his anecdote was based on Linda Taylor, a Chicago woman who did in fact use multiple identities to commit welfare fraud.
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http://www.salon.com/2014/01/08/meet_the_poverty_liars_gop_peddles_more_garbage_in_war_on_the_poor/