This GOP ad is misleading, but our party leaders left the door wide open for it.

[madfloridian]

And I can not tell them it is not true and try to fight back about it because our party did agree to put Medicare on the table. The politician who is using this ad will get away with it, and we can not fight back.

We can not fight back because that is exactly what our president did. He put Medicare on the table along with Social Security.

This politician's loyalty is to the Tea Party here in Florida, and he is simply turning the tables on this issue because he can now.



Here are a few words about Dennis Ross from a blogger in his area earlier this year.

Increasingly, Dennis’ words do not pass the living room test. If he were sitting in your living room now, with no one around to preen for, he would not look you in the eye in seriousness and declare Barack Obama a troop-impoverishing abortionist.

I promise you I would say all of this to his face in his living room if it ever came up. In fact, as Dennis began his flirtation with Teahadism last year, I actually buttonholed him at an event and said something like, “You’re dancing with a lot of crazy, Dennis. Be careful.” He did not expect me to repeat his answer, so I won’t.

Dennis’ transformation only enhances my respect for Adam Putnam, whom I voted for in 2010. He walked away from a possible leadership post in the U.S. House to return home to quietly and technocratically serve farmers. He’ll never say in public it was because of the crazy, but what do you think? You’ll also notice he never tweets about tribal enemies. Somewhere in the future, I hope he’ll lead a sane and decent Republican party.

We now have a divided government: a House controlled by Republicans, a Senate and Presidency controlled by Democrats. This is not new. We have many times had divided government. It requires compromise and a tiny modicum of good faith to function. In the budget battle, Republicans already have a deal that far exceeds what their 1/3 role in the government merits. And that’s not enough. It will never be enough.

You can not compromise with extremists. They will lie, cheat, and turn the tables on you. They will also use your words in ads against you. And they would in some cases be right.

[UrbScotty]

1. Where's the beef?

Where are the proposed Medicare cuts?

When did the White House or any other Democrat put Medicare on the table?

Links, please?

[madfloridian]

3. I did a DU GD search for you. Also another good link.

Here's some links to a search on the word Medicare here in this forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=1692899

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=1690151

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=1688423

Another link:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-08-08-Obama-credit-downgrade-deficit-cuts-GOP_n.htm

Here's a link to a great article by J. K. Galbraith

http://obrag.org/?p=42814

[madfloridian]

8. More links

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-debt-talks-obama-offers-social-security-cuts/2011/07/06/gIQA2sFO1H_story.html

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0711/on_the_table_50316af9-c94f-47d9-bdb1-09694791e4ed.html

http://www.vxec.com/2011/07/rep-nadler-on-obamas-medicare-proposal-there-wont-be-any-democratic-votes-for-that/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/us/politics/31dems.html

[Bluebear]

31. Curious, no return of the accuser?

[progressoid]

12. Yeah, where's the beef?

When did the White House stand up and say, "All options are NOT on the table. No cuts to Medicare!"?

[Bluebear]

28. Silly ostrich.

[polichick]

2. That's what happens when you voluntarily muddy the waters.

[madfloridian]

4. One would think the GOP would hesitate before heartily defending Medicare...

But, no, they did not miss a beat. They just went for it.

[TheKentuckian]

6. Right on. Arguing for expanding Medicare and lowering the retirement age

would not only be the right thing to do but would make the distinction crystal clear instead of at best a debate on how much to cut.

[readmoreoften]

32. +1. The Corporate Democrats are their own worst enemy.

And our second worst enemy.

[leftstreet]

5. The Dems won't be happy until the House & Senate are 250% Republican

They know they'll keep the Whitehouse

In 2006 and 2008 they faced a serious attack on their Dry Powder Reserves

:-(

[madfloridian]

7. Hurts to see a teaparty candidate defend Medicare from Democrats.

It's really painful.

[guruoo]

10. I can just imagine what it must be like

[madfloridian]

11. ..

:shrug:

Never mind

[readmoreoften]

33. They help the Republicans, and we're supposed to help them help Republicans.

Those are your choices: Vote Republican or Vote to help Republicans.

[madfloridian]

9. The 2nd stage of the debt limit deal is very upsetting.

Almost as upsetting as having to see tea party candidates defend Medicare from Democrats.

Here is what is coming then, and it's clear it will all be on the table again.

http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=9330&Section=4&state=

"The agreement calls for two stages of spending reductions. In the first stage, which will pare $917 billion from the budget, "entitlement" programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid are spared. Instead, the cuts are evenly divided between defense and non-defense "discretionary" programs. Some aging and poverty programs that the elderly rely on, such as heating assistance, could be hit with budget reductions, but so will defense programs.

In the second stage, a 12-member Congressional committee - six members from each party -- must agree on an additional $1.5 trillion in cuts by Thanksgiving, and Congress must vote on their proposal (with no modifications) by December 23. Here, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will all be back on the table. In the case of Medicare, the powerful panel will be looking at changes like raising the eligibility age, increasing premiums for wealthy recipients, hiking deductibles and co-pays, and slashing payments to providers and drug companies.

To cut Medicaid, this joint committee will consider giving states more flexibility to reduce eligibility and benefits, meaning that it might become even tougher for elderly nursing home residents to qualify for Medicaid. The committee will also be looking at cutting payments to nursing homes, which just got hit with a more than 11 percent reduction. Nursing home residents could feel the impact in the form of reduced services and compromised care.

For Social Security, one thing the panel will undoubtedly consider changing is how the program's cost of living increase is calculated, which will result in lower benefits. Pushing back the eligibility age for future retirees could also be on the table."

Cuts to Medicare are already happening, through the cuts to benefits to providers. Hospitals and nursing homes having to lay off and put dents in care because of the cuts.

I hate this ad, but Ross will get away with it because we did put it on the table.

[swilton]

13. Compromise/Bi-partisanship?

a figleaf for regressive economic policies benefiting elites and corporations.

[joshcryer]

14. Reminds me of Obama's Harry and Louise ads...

[Cool Logic]

15. Most political ads are misleading...

But since they are produced to be consumed by the middle 10%, facts are of little use.

[Doctor_J]

16. As soon as the president put the Medicare cuts on the table I knew this would happen

Morally reprehensible, politically disastrous.

[DeSwiss]

17. K&R n/t

[RedCloud]

18. Did Ross vote for the Ryan plan?

[madfloridian]

19. Yes, he did.

http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/112/house/1/277

Let your mouse hover over Central Florida. His vote will show up.

But he still gets to run the ad, and we still can't say it's wrong because our party did put it on the table in the debt ceiling deal.

[McCamy Taylor]

20. Obama is to blame only because he did not refute the Wa Po bs story.

I hate to say "I told you so," but I did.

If the Dems had as much money as the GOP they could fire back with ads about the Ryan Plan.

[Union Thug]

21. Geez, didn't see that coming; nope I'm really surprised... n/t

[Motown_Johnny]

22. (D)s want to cut costs, (R)s want to cut benefits

you can fight this easily

[madfloridian]

23. Not really on Medicare....cutting provider payments directly harms seniors.

[Bluebear]

29. Lol

[mitchtv]

24. who here is suprised?

nt

[Faryn Balyncd]

25. The GOP plan is to get Democrats to pass cuts to SS & MC, then blame them

The GOP knows that if they did what they want THEMSELVES, they would be slaughtered at the polls.


They can only successfully destroy SS and MC by conning Democrats into doing it for them.




:hi:

[madfloridian]

26. Because if they tried it, we would fight them.

Just like we did when Bush wanted to privatize Social Security. But if it is our own party, it seems we won't fight.

[Doctor_J]

38. And it worked

if you still consider Obama a Democrat, that is.

[emsimon33]

27. Thank you as always!

[Bluebear]

30. First thing I said. The ads will write themselves

[madfloridian]

35. And they have.

Started writing themselves. Our party took a powerful weapon out of our hands when they put entitlements on the table. Leaves us with no argument. :shrug:

[grahamhgreen]

34. Obama's boodbath 2012.

[jwirr]

36. He definitely did leave the door open - at the age of 69 I do not

remember one single Democrat talking about cutting the big 3. We built them - the rethugs are delighted that they can now say it is the Democrats who are trying to cut them and all they need to do is play his own words back at him. That is what has bothered me most about all of this. I was pretty sure that our Democrats in the Senate would not let him get by with it.

[madfloridian]

44. This is the first I remember it as well.

And nobody seems courageous enough to speak out for us.

[Ganja Ninja]

37. He's getting exactly what he deserves. n/t

[Safetykitten]

39. So many here said this would happen. Now we are in the insane land of defending a

position that we OWNED.

But look what we got for throwing SS/MC over the side.

I mean we got something right?

[madfloridian]

40. Good question.

I have no answer to that. I can't think of a thing we got in exchange.

[JoeyT]

41. Yeah, I can't wait to be expected to defend him against ads

suggesting he's sending jobs overseas and killing what's left of the middle class with more free trade.

How do you defend against the truth? More importantly: Why would you?

[TomCADem]

42. Attack Democrats, Give Republicans A Free Pass...A GOP Attack Ad On DU? Really?

<>

[madfloridian]

43. You don't get it, do you? We are being played like fiddles.

Those ads are so tragic. If our party stood up firmly and strongly for our social safety nets and did so with passion.....the other side would not be able to run ads like that. And if they tried we could defend ourselves.

Now we can't even tell them they are wrong.

Yes, indeedy, I posted that GOP ad on DU.....because that is effing where we are now. And it did not have to happen.