Medicare: Republicans voice resolve as they prepare to face constituents
| Washington
House Republicans are sharpening their message 鈥� but not backing down 鈥� after a surprise drubbing in a New York special election in which the Democratic victor targeted their plans to overhaul Medicare.
One reason the party is not running scared is that 2012 elections are more than a year away. Moreover, the 87-member GOP freshmen class campaigned on making bold, tough choices to get the nation鈥檚 fiscal house in order. Taking hits was to be expected, GOP lawmakers said in interviews after Tuesday鈥檚 election in New York鈥檚 26th congressional district.
鈥淢edicare as we know it is only going to be around for nine years 鈥� we鈥檙e saving it for future generations,鈥� says freshman Rep. Jon Runyan (R) of New Jersey, a former NFL offensive lineman, who is heading home for a town meeting where the issue is sure to come up next week.
鈥淚鈥檝e been answering questions about this plan every day,鈥� he adds. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to slow it down and explain it to them. You鈥檝e got to drive the message home: If you say it to the point that you are sick of it, you鈥檙e almost there.鈥�
The message, according to House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, comes down to three facts: 鈥淭he only plan out there to preserve and protect Medicare for current and future retirees is the plan that we鈥檝e put forward,鈥� he said at a press briefing on Thursday.
鈥淔act number two: The only people in Washington, D.C., who have voted to cut Medicare have been the Democrats when they cut $500 billion out of Medicare during 鈥�Obamacare.鈥� The third fact: The Democrats鈥� plan is to do nothing,鈥� he added.
Democrats' ads target supporters of GOP budget
House Democrats have been running ads against Republicans who backed the 2012 House budget plan drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin since the April 15 vote. (All but four House Republicans voted for the GOP plan, which converted Medicare to subsidies for private insurance.) Democrats enjoyed the support of seniors and independent voters in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but lost their votes, along with their majority, in 2010.
鈥淭he outcome in NY 26 shows that seniors and independents have a serious case of buyers鈥� remorse,鈥� says Jennifer Crider, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Democrats can鈥檛 necessarily take back the House on this issue, she adds, 鈥渂ut it puts the House in play.鈥�
Rep. Tom Cole (R) of Oklahoma, a former head of the House GOP campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, says that Republicans have been helped by the fact that Democrats controlling the Senate have yet to produce a plan of their own. 鈥淲e have to start describing the Democrat plan as 鈥楧o nothing, spend it all, and go broke,鈥� 鈥� he says.
Another potential advantage for Republicans is that Democrats may take the wrong lesson from the NY 26 race. 鈥淭he danger for Democrats is that they think they鈥檝e found a silver bullet for elections,鈥� Representative Cole adds. 鈥淪ooner or later their failure to lead will fall back on the president and his party. We鈥檒l get some points for courage and leadership from the American electorate.鈥�
Public opinion polls
Public opinion polls find Americans of mixed minds on overhauling Medicare. While two-thirds of Americans say that they are 鈥渧ery concerned鈥� about the size of the federal deficit, 57 percent say that they do not favor any cuts in Medicare to ease deficits, according to a recent Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.
A recent Gallup poll finds that two out of three Americans believe that Social Security and Medicare costs are already creating a crisis for the federal government, but 27 percent say that government should not try to control Medicare costs and 34 percent support only minor changes to the program.
Freshman Rep. Mike Kelly (R) of Pennsylvania says that he鈥檚 expecting tough questions on Medicare back in his district next week. It鈥檚 important, he adds, to remind seniors that the danger to Medicare is from Democrats who 鈥渢ook $500 billion out of Medicare for the president鈥檚 health-care reform and now are doing nothing to stop it from going broke.鈥�
Whether those arguments will be enough to save Republicans who backed the plan from a voter backlash in 2012 isn鈥檛 clear, he adds. 鈥淏ut I came here for a cause, not a career.鈥�
