(Bloomberg) -- There’s no telling what percentage of U.S. GDP would be represented by Bernie Sanders’s Medicare for All policy, said Stephanie Kelton, the senior economic adviser for his campaign.
“It is impossible to know until we end up spending the money and find out how much of our national resources we will turn over to health care,” she told Bloomberg Television.
Right now, about 18% of U.S. GDP is represented by health care costs. According to Kelton, the “beefed-up” health coverage Sanders is offering might get closer to 15% to 16% of GDP, because it includes coverage for dental, vision and long-term care.
According to Kelton, Medicare for All will have the same financial impact on households as a tax cut, because 95% of people would be spending about $3000 less than they’re spending today on health care costs. “That is $3,000 that stays in your pocket,” she said. “It has the same economic effect as if someone cut your taxes and left you with $3000 more a year.”
Democratic Candidates Swear a Blue Streak (1:10 P.M.)
Beto O’Rourke dropped the f-bomb in an interview Sunday. Cory Booker had profane words for President Donald Trump on Monday, and Tim Ryan tweeted another f-bomb too.In response to the back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, Democratic presidential candidates have ratcheted up their language in responding to Trump. That has been particularly true for O’Rourke and Ryan, who live in Texas and Ohio.
On Sunday, O’Rourke blew up when a reporter asked what Trump should do to address the situation.
“What do you think,” O’Rourke shot back. “You know the s*** he’s been saying,” adding another profanity later.
Following Trump’s address on the shootings on Monday, during which he read Toledo from a TelePrompter instead of Dayton as a site of a massacre, Ryan tweeted, “Toledo. Fck me.” To be fair, Democratic front-runner Joe Biden, speaking off the cuff late Sunday, cited Houston and Michigan, but quickly corrected himself.
Joe Trippi, a veteran Democratic strategist, said the candidates’ use of profanity will likely appeal to Democratic primary voters who share their outrage.
“They were exhibiting real, authentic anger at what’s going on and their take on it, which I think is the most important thing,” he said. “People aren’t looking for folks who are faking it.”
Trump Job Approval Drops Slightly in July (11:29 A.M.)
President Donald Trump’s job approval rating continues to hover in the low 40s, with 42% of adult Americans approving of the job he’s doing in the latest Gallup survey.
The result in the July 15-31 poll is a 2-point drop from the first half of July. The survey was conducted after a controversy over the president saying four non-white female U.S. House members -- all U.S. citizens -- should to “go back” to where they came from. Trump during the time of the poll also repeatedly attacked Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings and his home city of Baltimore.
During his first two and a half years in office, Trump’s approval rating has generally fallen within an 11-point range between 35% and 46%, according to Gallup data. It’s never broken 50% since he took office despite the continue growth of the U.S. economy.
Hispanic Group Hosting Democrats Blasts Trump (6:00 AM)
The head of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic advocacy group, denounced President Donald Trump for racially charged comments just as the organization prepares to host at least four of his Democratic challengers at a San Diego conference.
“President Trump’s hateful and bigoted words have resulted in hateful and deadly consequences,” Janet Murguía, president of UnidosUS, formerly called the National Council of La Raza, said Sunday in a statement referring to the El Paso, Texas, shooting on Saturday. “He now bears some responsibility for the tragic deaths in Texas and we all must hold him accountable.”
In a speech Saturday, Murguía said the group is frustrated by the Trump administration for comments such as “go back” that he has directed at four congresswomen of color. It’s “an ugly, bigoted slur” aimed at intimidation, she said.
Coming Up Monday
At least four Democratic presidential candidates will attend the annual conference of UnidosUS, a Hispanic advocacy group, in San Diego, California. Among the candidates speaking will be Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders.
