Politics

Has Obama Lost on Medicare?

Obama Campaign Pivots From Attacking Paul Ryan on Medicare to Attacking Him on Education

AP

WASHINGTON – (TheBlaze/AP) Since Mitt Romney tapped Paul Ryan as his running mate, Democrats have aggressively highlighted what Ryan’s budget would mean to Medicare. Ryan’s plan would allow those 55 and older to stay in the health care program for seniors as it is currently set up, but would also offer private alternatives for younger workers. That has left some voters skittish.

But was it enough? Due to a concerted push by the Romney campaign to push the Medicare debate front and center while focusing on President Obama’s own record of cutting Medicare, Democrats may have decided that this strategy is no longer functional.

What else can explain President Obama’s shift from targeting the vote rich demographic of elderly voters to putting college students, a group generally considered far less likely to turn out at the polls, on notice about Paul Ryan’s education plans?

On Tuesday, Obama planned to tell voters in sharply contested Ohio that Ryan’s budget proposal would cut $115 billion from the Education Department, remove 2 million children from Head Start programs and cost 1 million college students their Pell Grants over the next decade. The line of criticism will be coupled with television ads.

Obama’s latest line of criticism was described by Democratic officials involved in the plan. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the strategy before the president began executing it, which he planned to do at Capital University in Columbus and continue later in the day during a stop at a community college in Reno, Nev.

This is quite a safe change of subject, especially given that young voters overwhelmingly favored Obama in 2008, and he continues to enjoy a sizable lead in polls – although not as wide as four years ago. While their parents are less convinced, and they are as much Obama’s audience as their children, the questions remains: Has President Obama executed this pivot because he thinks he’s lost on Medicare?

That case can certainly be made. Consider the Democrats’ first steps toward this education-focused attack. The president started radio ads in New Hampshire that claim 21,000 college students in that state would have their Pell Grants cut by $800 each. Another ad tells Ohio voters that 356,000 students would have their Pell Grants cut.

Officials with the Democratic National Committee also joined in the attack, releasing a Web video that mocked Romney’s suggestion that college students would do better to “shop around” for tuition rates and college loans. The ad suggested that Romney doesn‘t understand students’ struggles to pay for college.

“Students can’t afford Mitt Romney,” the ad says.

Compare these attacks to the President and his party’s previous ads on Medicare, depicting Rep. Ryan throwing old women off a cliff. Which is the more aggressive? The tonal shift indicates a move toward defensiveness.

Moreover, the polling on Ryan’s supposedly volcanically unpopular plan has been disappointing for the Obama  campaign. As the Miami Herald noted:

Right now, Romney might be winning the public-relations war in Florida, according to a poll from Rasmussen Reports, which has a reputation for leaning Republican. Asked which plan “scares you more,” the poll found 54 percent of Florida seniors said Obamacare, while 34 percent said the Ryan plan. Overall, 48 percent were more scared of Obamacare and 41 percent were more worried about Ryan’s plan, which is the backbone of Romney’s proposal.

The Ryan-Romney plan, which has few details compared to Obamacare, would give new recipients a capped subsidy through Medicare to buy private insurance in 2022, and would only impact those who are currently under age 55. That distinction should allay concerns of seniors and those about to retire.

And as the left-leaning website The New Republic said:

There’s no guarantee that the Ryan plan devastates Romney’s chances among seniors. But if Romney does struggle among seniors, that’s going to hurt Romney everywhere, not just in Florida. Yes, those losses would be larger in Florida, but perhaps not as much larger as the conventional wisdom suggests, and certainly not so much larger that media coverage about the fight over seniors should focus exclusively on the danger Romney faces in Florida. There are plenty of seniors in every battleground state, and losses among the elderly would be costly to Romney’s chances across the map. Paul Ryan doesn’t change the electoral map.

So faced with this polling and commentary, the Obama campaign’s response has been to pivot to education. You can read the implications into that yourself.

Comments (49)

  • Samwise636
    Posted on August 23, 2012 at 12:46pm

    All Romney has to do is run this clip from an interview with Jake Tapper in November of 2009:

    Tapper: “One of the concerns about health care, and who you pay for it, one-third of the funding comes from cuts to Medicare.”

    Obama: “Mmm Hmm. Right.” (as he nods in agreement)

    Tapper: “Are you willing to pledge that whatever cuts in Medicare are being made to fund health insurance, one-third of it, that you will veto anything that tries to undo that?”

    Obama: “Yes.”

    Go to Youtube and type in “Obama In November 2009: Right, One-Third Of ObamaCare Funding Comes From Cuts To Medicare”

    Report Post » Samwise636  
    • Samwise636
      Posted on August 23, 2012 at 1:41pm

      That should be “how you pay for it,“ rather than ”who…..”

      Report Post » Samwise636  
  • kat747
    Posted on August 22, 2012 at 10:41am

    Considering the Pres Johnson dumped the Medicare money into the general fund for the Democrats to eat off of (Pres Johnson was a Democrat) and
    Considering Pres Barry Soetoro (aka Obama) transferred $716 BILLION Dollars into his ObamaCrap
    Pork Bill (Soetoro/Obama is a Democrat),
    you can only know that whatever Paul Ryan comes up with to save the money in Medicare that the seniors PAID INTO FOR YEARS for their healthcare will be better than ObamaCrap.

    Report Post »  
  • TakeTwo
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 6:06pm

    Obama has lost it. I am seriously concerned about fellow American’s if these Polls indicating a tie are remotely correct.

    The you can fool me once (2008) but not twice (2012) rule is on folk’s, really

    Report Post »  
  • Amarilloan
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 5:39pm

    Hope and change…the subject. If they keep changing the subject because they are losing the arguement, eventually they will run out of subjects to change to.

    Report Post »  
    • mtcountrygrl
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:10pm

      Here’s how you win this argument…Did you know that the government does not even keep track of how many Pell grant recipients COMPLETE COLLEGE?! Why, because the numbers that drop out are stagering. If you are not paying for something, you generally do not value it much. And since the government has been subsidizing college, costs have gone through the roof. So college grads who do complete their courses and do so on loans, are saddled with enormous debt. If you don’t think this program needs to be reformed and cut, your crazy!

      Report Post »  
  • TheBurningTruth
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 3:12pm

    The point that needs to be made to these 20 something kiddies with no real world experience is that THEY are the ones that will be paying for the trillion dollar deficits with reduced employment and higher taxes consequences of Barry and the Bandits. If they’re going to college then they would reasonably (yes, I know that they‘re Progressive Liberals that don’t think rationally) expect to be successful. Yet President Marxist’s economic plan is to penalize the successful in favor of the failures. Re-elect Barry and anybody within reach of SSI will retire to lock in their benefits and these kiddies will be left holding the Barry Bag.

    Report Post » TheBurningTruth  
  • lizaz
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:24pm

    The dictator‘s campaign has now announced they will target Paul Ryan’s education program….I wonder if they have anything to say except demean, degrade and debase the Romney/Ryan campaign. It seems they don’t have an accomplished record to talk about, so I guess we’ll only hear negative lies about R/R. That will get very tiring, in fact, I’m TIRED OF IT ALREADY!!! We will be grateful when NOVEMBER 6 comes…..vote for saving our country from communism…VOTE R/R!!

    Report Post »  
  • kryptonite
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:12pm

    Yes, the Ryan plan is superior, hands down: YOU choose your plan, not Barack Pinocchio.

    Now that the FACT that the Commie-in-Chief slashed Medicare to pay for Obamacare been exposed, Barack Pinocchio has to find a new lie to sell.

    Report Post »  
  • blackbean
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:09pm

    Can’t wait until Nov. 6! Good bye mr. narcissistic novice and mr gaffe. What will we do for conversation around the water cooler afterwards?

    Report Post »  
    • oneshiner
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 5:34pm

      Can only hope Obamacare fails and Romney & Ryan put us on the straight road again to common sense. Obama will break all of us if his stupid thingie goes through. People, get smart. Everything this man’s done has put us deeper in the hole, just hope there’s some way to dig out with competent people to run our government. BO is Incompetent to be President, he’s proven that the first 3 years.

      Report Post »  
  • h20sue
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:59pm

    I‘ll tell you what’s scary! Obama’s availability to The Executive Order. He doesn’t give a rip about Congress, or what American’s want. If it’s something he wants, he sneaks off on Friday afternoon or night, signs an Executive Order and that’s that! He always waits until the end of the week to to this so everyone has returned home and there are no questions to answer. By Monday, it’s disappeared, done, and nothing Congress can discuss, or do! (If they had the nerve to stand up to the Donkey Butt.

    Report Post »  
  • jackact
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:50pm

    Yes Obama has lost on Medicare.
    And foreign policy.
    And the economy.
    And immigration.
    For anyone keeping track.

    Report Post »  
  • JUSTANOTHEROPINION
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:49pm

    It’s still too early to make an intelligent guess in which way the election will go.

    Report Post »  
  • ColoradoMaverick
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:48pm

    In my opinion, Obama never had that argument to begin with. He knows his record on medicare sucks, just like everything else he has done, so his only choice is to change the subject. Mr. Smoke & Mirrors is at it again and only fools with fall for his lies again.

    Report Post » ColoradoMaverick  
  • Mike Benton
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:45pm

    Go to You Tube and see Ryan’s videos. They are great on this subject!

    Report Post » Mike Benton  
  • JohnLarson
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:44pm

    Democrats have won whole elections based on fear mongering the Ryan budget… races that Ryan had nothing to do with.

    And Ryan’s plan makes the same savings that Obama does in Medicare, without going after benefits. The difference is Ryan ends medicare as we know it, turns it into a for-profit voucher system that won’t keep with inflation. Ryan and his magic bucks won’t work.

    Report Post »  
    • teddrunk
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 2:19pm

      John, the system is going bankrupt on it‘s own and there is no Democrat that has the guts to do anything but stick their heads in the sand and pretend the problem doesn’t exist. America knows better and is tired of the fiscal dishonesty.

      Report Post »  
  • sgtbrown01
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:41pm

    Hmm dems blew another timeless nartive they have used for years….no surprise there Obummers arrogance is and will forever be his downfall now the Dems are trying to change the subject again …nothing to see over here folks…..Rats are jumping the ship so the progressive movment will survive the fall of Obama

    Report Post »  
  • SimpleTruths
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:40pm

    Obama cut nothing from Medicare that affects the recipients of the program, all the cuts are targeted to reduce fraud and waste from over payments to insurance providers. The insurance industry puppet masters controlling the right wing message machine have once again pulled the wool over your eyes. You should be celebrating this effort, oh wait I forgot, Obama did it so it has to be bad. Drones, all of you.

    Report Post » SimpleTruths  
    • johnjamison
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:48pm

      FACT Obama cut 706 billion from medicare to help fund Obamacare,,what planet do you live on?

      Report Post »  
    • Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:52pm

      November 9th, 2009 Interview with Jacob Tapper at ABC News.

      TAPPER: One of the concerns about health care and how you pay for it: One third of the funding comes from cuts to Medicare.
      OBAMA: Right.

      Obamacare (Obama) cut 400B in medicare payment rates. Essentially, by fiat he declared that Medicare will no longer pay X for service Y and will now pay X minus Z (400B). If this isn’t a cut, I’m not sure what it. So, a couple of things happen. Price of service stays the same and the senior pays the difference or providers stop providing service to Medicare patients. Both have and are happening.

      Obamacare (Obama) cut 160B in Medicare C (med adv) under the same premise as above.

      Drones? I’ve read the 2,700 pages…have you?

      Report Post » Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve  
    • wianno94
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:53pm

      Yeah, all your medicare benefits will stay the same. You just won’t be able to find a doctor or hospital to provide them.

      Report Post »  
    • sgtbrown01
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:03pm

      Dems cutting fraud and waste….How stupid are you they are the ones who want and push people to exploit the fraud and waste

      Report Post »  
    • SimpleTruths
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:55pm

      If you look at the facts, instead of just repeating talking points, you would find that there is no cut at all, the 700+billion is projected savings from enacting measures to reduce fraud and over payments. This projected savings is then used to fund some components of the Affordable Care Act. Of course this doesn’t sit well with the insurance industry so it has to be portrayed as something bad. Ryan’s plan does just the opposite, it has actual reductions in benefits to future Medicare patients while enriching the insurance industry masters. You people are amazing, you advocate making your collective life worse in the name of making the wealthy wealthier. This has to be the snow job of snow jobs and you’re going all in.

      Report Post » SimpleTruths  
    • Wango
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 2:51pm

      CLOVENROTHBARDIN . . .

      Let me make this real simple:

      What we’re trying to accomplish with this stimulus package is to create jobs and help the unemployed. What we’re trying to accomplish is to use the kind of legislation that when they’ve passed it in the past have grown the economy and gotten people back to work. We want to make it easier for employers to keep people employed. We want to make it easier for employers to invest in their businesses, to invest in their employees, and to hire people back to work. And on top of it, for those people who have lost their jobs, we want to help them with their unemployment insurance and with health insurance.

      We have a lot of laid off workers. And more layoffs are occurring. And we know, as a historical fact, that even if our economy begins to slowly recover, that unemployment is going to linger on and on and on well after that recovery takes place. What we have been trying to do is to try and get people back to work. The things we’re trying to do are the time-tested proven bi-partisan solutions to get businesses to stop laying off people, to hire people back, and to help those people who have lost their jobs. It’s more than just giving someone an unemployment check. It’s also helping those people with their health insurance while they’ve lost their jobs.

      Hope that helps clear things up for ya.

      Report Post » Wango  
    • Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 3:40pm

      @simpletruths,

      So Obama lied in that interview when he said that he cut Medicare?

      @Wang
      Spin baby spin. Keep the Keynsian lie machine rolling. Tell me what Dr. Keynes’ money multiplier was for the 1Tr in stimulus. Can you? Tell you what, I’ll even give you a hint. For every dollar we realized in GDP delta we added 2.08 in new debt. So please, I can’t wait to hear the further defense of Keynsian policy.

      Report Post » Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve  
    • Wango
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 3:46pm

      ROTHBARDIAN . . .Setting hook #2! Boy, they’re biting today.

      Sorry, but those aren’t my thoughts. That’s Paul Ryan speaking from the House floor on February 14, 2002. Amazing, right? The deficit hawk soars! Yeah, I was pretty awestruck, too. So, you might want to direct your questions to Mr. Ryan. I‘m sure he’ll say whatever it is you require to continue supporting his ironclad conservative principles.

      Wake up, CLEVBARTHIANDUDE . . .you’re being played.

      Report Post » Wango  
    • Wango
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 4:06pm

      CLEVEDUDIANBARTHSTEIN . . . Hello? Hello? Aw, I made you mad, didn’t I? Are you mad? Don’t be so hard on yourself. When somebody rides by and knocks you off your high horse with his bare hands, well you just get right back up on that darned old horse and try again. You hear? Atta boy!

      What? Not yet? Not ready? OK, take a little breather. You go lie down over there on the couch. I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket and some orange soda. You can curl up with a grilled cheese sandwich and a little Excellence in Broadcasting to comfort you. That make you feel better? I’ll bet!

      Report Post » Wango  
    • LakeHartwellSailor
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 4:30pm

      Can you explain exactly HOW these cuts will reduce fraud & waste? Because I cannot find anything that explains how the reduction occurs. Or, are you just spouting the party line?

      Report Post » LakeHartwellSailor  
    • Wango
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 4:48pm

      SAILORMOONLAKE . . . Try to keep up.

      Report Post » Wango  
    • Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 5:07pm

      @Wang,

      Speaking of setting the hook. Doesn’t make me mad. I’m not voting for Ryan. I’m not a Keynsian. So tell me this. If Keynsism is so good then why the fault with Romney/Ryan? I don’t have the explaining to do. You do. I’m a libertarian. I’m consistent in my views. You’re the idiot attacking a point of view and then defending it at the same time.

      Report Post » Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:40pm

    On Tuesday, Obama planned to tell voters in sharply contested Ohio that Ryan’s budget proposal would cut $115 billion from the Education Department, remove 2 million children from Head Start programs and cost 1 million college students their Pell Grants over the next decade

    except none of this is true

    ryans plan state cuts have to be made to the federal budget, but it stipulates nothing . it is the dems pulling the teachers, firefighters police trick stating that these will be the cuts , though there are plenty of other areas to cut long before cuts to these programs should even be considered

    in other words………………the dems are LYING again

    Report Post » Psychosis  
    • johnjamison
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:58pm

      Exactly maybe they’ll cut ATF (MURDERING CITIZEN AND REGULATING CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS) EPA(CRUSIFYING LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES TO SCARE OTHER BUSINESSES FROM STAND AGAINST TYRANNY,TAKEING AWAY THE MOST BASIC RIGHTS OF U.S. CITIZENS)FCC (REGULATING THE FIRST AMENDMENT)DOFA(GIVING BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS TO FORIEGN NATIONS EVERY YEAR)OR SHUT DOWN NAFTA AND FAIR TRADE AGREEMENT(CREATEING AN INFLUX OF FORIEGN GOODS THAT AMERICAN MANUFACTURE S CAN’T COMPETE WITH DUE TO LABOR AND REGULATORY COST)DOE(WHO HAS DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT COST US CLOSE TO A TRILLION AND WE;RE MORE DEPENDED ON FORIEGN OIL NOW THEN WHEN IT WAS ESTABLISHED)DOE(WHO HAS USED IT AUTHORITY TO INDOCTRINATE AND DESIMATE MORALLY SINCE IT’S START) POINT IS THERE ARE HUNDRED OF FEDERAL AGENCIES TO CUT BEFORE TOUCHING TEACHERS,FIREMEN ,OR POLICE.

      Report Post »  
    • barber2
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:10pm

      The Democrats specialize in 99% ( remember that old parroted phrase ??) LIES or “half-truths“ like that word ” change” they like to throw around. Yes, the Obama Democrats offered “ change” in 2008 : people thought it meant a turn to ” more civility.“ Who ever would have guessed that they meant a change from ” capitalism ?! “ Guess when you appoint ” czars ” and when one of them is an avowed Communist like Van Jones, the word “ change” can have a whole new meaning !

      Report Post »  
  • wisehiney
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:32pm

    We, we ,we, we’re bad!
    Don’t, don’t get us mad!
    ‘Cause if you do,
    We’re gonna get you!
    You, you, you, yo mama too!
    (fake whisper) Don’t know yo daddy!

    We had great cheerleaders way back.

    Report Post »  
  • momrules
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:27pm

    The question is……. If Obama loses will he leave?

    Report Post »  
    • Wildblue3
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:50pm

      He won’t leave easily but he will leave. Even if I have to fly down their myself and pry him out of the office.

      Report Post »  
  • blackfeather
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:26pm

    …he lost with me when I saw the arrogance in his face while he strolled up Pennsylvania Ave.

    Report Post »  
  • JohnLarson
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:22pm

    The same savings Obama made were in Ryan’s plan, and they don’t cut benefits.

    Ryan wants to turn Medicare into a voucher system, unlike Obama… that never works politically.

    Report Post »  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:22pm

    That’s like asking if Hitler lost the war on June 7th 1944. Not yet…but he’s going to.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:42pm

      Do you think he will do what Hitler did? He and Moochelle will commit suicide?
      Nah, he’s WAY too arrogant, he loves himself too much to do that. He might pretend and let Moochelle go through with it.

      Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:09pm

      Yep, he’ll have Axelrod burn his body.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • SREGN
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:18pm

      Will the Czars and Czarinas all flee to Argentina?

      Report Post »  
    • Wango
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 3:07pm

      Gonzo . .Wow! Wowie wow wow! Hitler, the Nazis, WWII, suicide, cowardice, burning of dead bodies by a Jew, with Russian oligarchs and Argentina thrown in for good measure – all in just a couple of little tweets. And you wonder why so many people call conservatives hyper negative knee jerk reactionary victims.

      Report Post » Wango  
  • hi
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:16pm

    Obama won’t lose unless we announce it on the Maury Povich show.

    Report Post » hi  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:16pm

    Obama lost.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • GoodStuff
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:11pm

    Yes…we won.

    Report Post »  

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