Reply #2: I think you're confused [View All]

[sandnsea]

The Medicare bill Dean, in his own words, 'spoke favorably' of, was back in 1995, the Domenici plan. It would have cut $270 billion in Medicare spending and was the plan that Clinton vetoed and that shut down the government. Most Democrats voted against this bill. An agreement was finally made that implemented about half those cuts.

In 1997, when the economy improved, Medicare got some cuts and new coverage programs. Some were for it and some against. Dick Gephardt is a traditional Democrat who appears to view U.S. policies in a very traditional Democratic way. Kerry is what I've called a pragmatic liberal. A solid liberal who is willing to look at new ideas if they might deliver traditional liberal services in a better way.

Howard Dean is a liar. He tries to avoid owning up to his position on Medicare in 1995 by diverting from Gingrich to Domenici. One budget was as bad as the other.

He also tries to say he didn't make any service cuts in Vermont, he just threatened to make them in order to raise cigarette taxes. The fact is, he did both. That he did both is NOT the issue; it's that he won't tell the truth about it.

The kind of medical care Dean intends to deliver is important. But we'll never know exactly what that is because he hasn't told a consistent truth about one single thing since he announced his campaign.