Democrats hit Ryan Medicare proposals as Romney heads to Florida
(CNN) – Democrats followed through on a pledge Monday to peg presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney to the budget plan advanced by his running mate Paul Ryan, releasing web video calling the House Budget chairman's proposals to change Medicare an assault on the middle class.
President Barack Obama's campaign released a spot focusing on Florida residents, who say in the video that Ryan's proposed voucher system for Medicare would amount to ending the health care system designed for senior citizens. Romney campaigns in Florida on Monday while Ryan attends the Iowa State Fair.
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"I heard that there were cuts across the board on social programs," one woman says in the spot.
"Medicare is going to be a boon for senior citizens who would otherwise choose between food and going to the doctor," says another.
Ryan's proposals, first introduced in 2011, include the provision that Medicare-approved private insurers would one day compete with traditional Medicare on an exchange. The proposal would not affect Americans over age 55. The plan's opponents say that would increase the financial burden on senior citizens.
Ryan, a seven term congressman from Wisconsin, said Sunday the intention of his plan is to remake Medicare so that it remains financially soluble for future generations.
"My mom is a Medicare senior in Florida," he said on CBS. "Our point is we need to preserve their benefits, because government made promises to them that they've organized their retirements around."
"In order to make sure we can do that, you must reform it for those of us who are younger," he continued. "And we think these reforms are good reforms that have bipartisan origins."
On Sunday, Romney campaign aide Brendan Buck said Ryan would campaign in central Florida next weekend, a rebuff to critics who said the vice presidential candidate was skipping Romney's stops in Florida this week to avoid questions about his Medicare proposals from senior citizens there.
All the same, Romney surrogates on Sunday were quick to point out that Romney's name was at the top of the GOP ticket, and that he would advance his own economic proposals if elected president.
"It is the Romney-Ryan ticket, and as president, Romney will be putting forth his own budget," Senior Romney campaign adviser Ed Gillespie said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Democrats, however, have been eager include Romney when discussing Ryan's budget plan.
"I don't think it's a solid message at all. Especially for independents and obviously seniors in Florida," Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking member of the House Budget Committee that Ryan chairs, said on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien"
"The Ryan plan, the Romney plan, simply transfers the growing risks and costs on to seniors and in the process, it gives seniors a much worse deal on health care than members of Congress have," Van Hollen continued. "So you're going to be saying to folks on Medicare, 'Members of Congress get a lot more health care security in the plan they have than we're going to give to seniors on Medicare.'"
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The DNC needs to start running that ad of Ryan tossing grandma out of her wheelchair & off the cliff.
Great picture of the no more Medicare or SS for seniors. Up yours too bromwan!
The kip flopping campaign is trying to downplay this guy's fails budget proposal. Its fair to say that the reason the new vp nominee is bot campaigning in Florida IS because oc the many retirees.
The teapublikkkan party might have been energized for about two seconds but the crowds are still small and the only way to pick up crowds would be for the twit bukkynbishop bishop go start paying people to attend. I bet $10K he should stoop that low. Where are your taxes flip floppef? Your nominee gave them up.
Ha! I wonder why Ryan isn't going to Florida?
What middle class person in their right mind would vote for Vulture/Voucher?
They want to raise our taxes so that Romney, Paris Hilton, and Trump(the "job creators") can get another tax cut.
No one should take any comfort in Romney's and Ryan's promises. Radical Ideologues, such as Ryan, have never believed in the Medicare-Medicaid, nor Social Security systems to begin with.Ryan, particularly, is a proponent of the atheist Ayn Rand's ideas that glorify greed and selfishness; and don't think that the government should do anything at all to help citizens.Make no mistake about it, they want to destroys these programs, not fix them.Romney has called Ryan's budget marvelous, and embraced it.He can't keep this charade up, and dodge questions about what he would do anymore.
This is a beautiful thing. With the capital gains tax changes Ryan is promoting, Romney actually would have paid 0.87% tax in 2010. Ryan plans to absolutely gut medicare replacing it with COUPONS for those under 65 but leave it for those currently on it. But here's the thing, if people opt out of this atrocity of a health plan people OVER 65 won't have money going into their plan.
Romney and Paul are going to gut all social services you don't think you use, while you really do. Slashing education grants, slashing teachers salaries, neutering medicare, inflating the military, raising taxes on the lower and middle class, reducing the taxes of the rich...
If you people seriously vote for them, I hope you get everything you deserve and more. In fact, I would prefer giving them control of only the red states for the next four years and see what shambles it brings to those states.
The ONLY assault on middle class comes from this president. Obama has done more damage to the middle class than all others before him. His pandering to unions and his payback to cash contributors have bilked the middle class of BILLIONS while America stands in the unemployment line. Obama's response to this and Ryan is just sling more mud. Truly undeserving of this great office Obama has become a cartoon clown. Trouble is no one is laughing.
"His pandering to unions and his payback to cash contributors have bilked the middle class of BILLIONS while America stands in the unemployment line."
This is garbage, while Obama may not do everything possible its clear that Romney has no intentions whatsoever of making the middle class group prosperous. These absolute garbage comments are ridiculous.
As for unions, people have literally DIED for what workers these days take for granted. Weekends, 40 hour work weeks, equal pay, proper working conditions. Unions keep jobs safe in the manufacturing sector and it's a bold face lie saying that they don't.
To Ron Reagan .. President Obama has done so many things to help us. The only assault he's done is on the messed up ideas of the Republicans in Congress, as it should be. Where are the jobs that the new 2010 Republicans promised with crossed fingers behind their backs! Where are they .. that's what the Republicans ran on relentlessly. Where are the jobs they promised! No, there was going to be no new jobs from them, and they knew it all along .. just like you Republicans know that you're going to get absolutely nothing good done this time around, too. You do not help. Our president has had a heck of a job cleaning up your messes. Now, he can concentrate on jobs more, but he needs four more years to do it .. you all certainly won't. You know how to destroy, that's all. And you destroy by doing nothing for the most part .. and putting up that wall of 'no' for another. We're tired of you Republicans taking our money, putting it in your pockets, and blaming your messes on someone else. We're tired of you.
If Ayn Rand or Ryan philosophy it true what is the need of having a country or government? Somalia is a model society Mitt and Ryan wants us to become, no EPA, FDA, Medicare or no government regulation at all a free country. Good for selected few but a bad choice for the rest of us.
Romney double-downed on his endorsement of the Ryan privatization of seniors' Medicare to give more tax cuts to himself and the rich.
America deserves better.
Obama / Biden 2012
Say goodby to FOOD STAMPS, AID TO CHILDREN, HEAD START, PELL GRANTS, MEDICARE, MEDICADE, SOCIAL SECURITY, TEACHERS, PUBLIC EDUCATION, and a hell of a lot more.DEFEAT ROMNEY- RYAN. BEFORE THEY CAN DEFEAT AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT!!!!!!
@ Ron Reagan
I think you need to do a little serious research and stop listening to Fox News and Limbaugh and their ilk. You do not know a thing of which you speak. Romney and Ryan will destroy America if they are elected. For those who vote for them, and if they are elected, you deserve what will happen. The only problem is that the rest of us will have to suffer for your stupid mistakes.
"My mom is a Medicare senior in Florida," he said on CBS.
Ok, then why wouldn't she be affected by your plan? Pretty slick, having it only affect people not currently thinking about Medicare.
Something has to be done about the huge budget deficit as well as the huge National Debt. But I see here some are selfish *astar** and only think of themselves. When about half of the people aren't paying any income taxes and 100 million are living off some Government Program something HAS to be done! What hapened to people having pride in themselves and the country??
For those of you who choose to ignore the FACT that Medicare is going to be bankrupt in 12 years, I'd like to know what YOUR solution is. Let is go bankrupt? What's Obama's solution? At least Paul Ryan is bringing the conversation to the table... something that no one else seems to have the courage to do.
Not ONE MORE DIME to blood sucking insurance companies. Yes let's put a middleman with their hand out to make a PROFIT from suffering. Didn't they get enough out of me for 65 years. They had 65 years to make a profit off of me. I think that is enough. All we are is a conduit for money to flow through. ENOUGH!
Ryan may be an amicable dude, but his smile seems sinister enough not to believe every word he says. His budget plan, though radical and responsible, lacks crucial details and is woefully inadequate on specifics as well, as we hear from some political reports. Joe Biden seems much more convivial than Ryan. The Dems will need to launch a blistering campaign to discount Ryan's unnecessary broadside on their party. Income tax returns of Mitt should continue to be the focus to try and smite the GOP. Ryan's own pitfalls in W's gov. ought to receive a laser focus so much that it should cripple his ability to even talk back.
I'd like to remind you that Ryan's plans for Medicare have bipartisan support from very left leaning Senator Wyden, D-Oregon. Why no outrage against Wyden?
@ "Ron Reagan"...
Your comments are laughable at best. The real Ronald Reagan wouldn't even have a place in the current GOP...
Ryan's changes to Medicare has the assumption that seniors can find and afford private medical insurance. That "might" work if there is no discrimination in how much people pay for private health insurance. I don't think that the Ryan plan really allows for the president's health insurance plan to stay in place.
Florida is a lost cause. Why are they wasting time and money. There is no way in hell the seniors in Florida will vote for this ticket knowing that they will be tinkering with their Social Security and Medicare if they were lucky to get elected. Not gonna happen. So they will be better off trying to find electoral votes elsewhere, because floridas 27 are safely in the Democratic column this time around...again.
At least Ryan seems to have a bit of intelligence. He is definately not ready to become President though so that a lone is
a bad pick. It is sad that there is no one in the GOP that is ready for the Top job. Rommey seems wishy washy and ackward and he is a notorious liar. Everythingout of his mouth is lies. So how can anyone trust this guys to be honest about anything when he becomes President. The other sad thing is that all the other Presidential candidates called him a Liar and now they are backing him. Newt Gingrich said over and over loud and clear that Rommey was a LIAR. No is he on
every TV station promoting this man. Shame and very scary out there. Obama is not a perfect but I he is honest.
Under Ryan's Medicare plan, seniors get to choose the existing plan or a new plan with greater choice for care selection. Yes, Medicare as it is now will change. For the better. Isn't it about time?
Romeny thinks the Ryan budget is marvelous.
Romney/Ayn Rand 2012
Note the republican senate wants no part of Ryan Budget they have voted against it every time he put it up for a vote,