Re: Editorial “Playing politics,” Free Press Sept. 30-Oct. 2 edition:

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has declared that no Republican lawmakers will vote to raise the debt ceiling, which prevents default on loans for money already spent, much of it from the previous administration.

Why are Republicans doing this?

The explanation is the two Santa Clauses strategy published by Jude Wanniski, a conservative economic strategist, in 1976. He stated that Democrats had been viewed as the Santa Claus party for passing legislation like Social Security, Medicare, unemployment benefits, etc., that helped the working class and won elections for Democrats. He said the Republican Party must become viewed as the Santa Claus party, but because the GOP didn’t like helping working people, the strategy had to be different.

So, the Republican Party decided on tax cuts to mostly benefit the rich, paired with advertising that falsely gave the impression that the tax cuts were really helping workers.

Sound familiar? The result was a burgeoning national debt during Republican presidencies, with Republicans willingly raising the debt ceiling time and again during those administrations.

Now, every time a Democrat assumes the office of the president, the Republican Party screams with newfound concern for the national debt, “Oh, our children and grandchildren will have to pay for this!” and they threaten to shut down the government to stop Democrats from spending money that would actually help Americans.

The Republican Party achieves its goal of preventing Democrats from being the Santa Claus party and draws misled working people into the Republican Party with the false narrative that they are the ones that care about them.

The Santa Claus strategy has worked for the Republican Party during the Clinton and Obama administrations and is again being employed during Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency.

I urge everyone to recognize this Republican scam and vote in every election — local to national — so that Democrats can make this country a better place for all Americans.

CAROL BUCKINGHAM

Richmond