It’s all substance under the bridge!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2012

Who lost Medicare: What follows isn’t really about the press—except to the extent that what follows hasn’t been discussed.

We just thought you ought to see the way your side lost Medicare. That includes the willing, overpaid children on The One True Liberal Channel.

At the first Obama-Romney debate, Romney stated a remarkable point. Obama looked down, accepting a good solid scolding.

So Romney kept repeating his point, over and over again:

ROMNEY (10/3/12): On Medicare, for current retirees, he's cutting $716 billion from the program. Now, he says by not overpaying hospitals and providers. Actually just going to them and saying, "We're going to reduce the rates you get paid across the board, everybody's going to get a lower rate." That's not just going after places where there's abuse. That's saying we're cutting the rates. Some 15 percent of hospitals and nursing homes say they won't take anymore Medicare patients under that scenario.

We also have 50 percent of doctors who say they won't take more Medicare patients.

This— We have 4 million people on Medicare Advantage that will lose Medicare Advantage because of those $716 billion in cuts. I can't understand how you can cut Medicare $716 billion for current recipients of Medicare.

Now, you point out, well, we're putting some back. We're going to give a better prescription program. That's $1—that's $1 for every $15 you've cut. They're smart enough to know that's not a good trade.

I want to take that $716 billion you've cut and put it back into Medicare. By the way, we can include a prescription program if we need to improve it.

But the idea of cutting $716 billion from Medicare to be able to balance the additional cost of Obamacare is, in my opinion, a mistake.

[...]

LEHRER: We'll talk about—specifically about health care in a moment. But what— Do you support the voucher system, Governor?

ROMNEY: What I support is no change for current retirees and near-retirees to Medicare. And the president supports taking $716 billion out of that program.

[...]

ROMNEY: Second reason [for repealing Obamacare], it cuts $716 billion from Medicare to pay for it. I want to put that money back in Medicare for our seniors.

[...]

ROMNEY: First of all, I like the way we did it in Massachusetts. I like the fact that in my state, we had Republicans and Democrats come together and work together...

What we did in a legislature 87 percent Democrat, we worked together; 200 legislators in my legislature, only two voted against the plan by the time we were finished. What were some differences? We didn't raise taxes. You've raised them by $1 trillion under Obamacare. We didn't cut Medicare. Of course, we don't have Medicare. But we didn't cut Medicare by $716 billion.

[...]

ROMNEY: If I'm elected we won't have Obamacare. We'll put in place the kind of principles that I put in place in my own state and allow each state to craft their own programs to get people insured and we'll focus on getting the cost of health care down.

If the president were to be reelected you're going to see a $716 billion cut to Medicare. You'll have 4 million people who will lose Medicare Advantage. You'll have hospital and providers that'll no longer accept Medicare patients.

I'll restore that $716 billion to Medicare.

That last chunk was from Romney's closing statement. It represented the fifth separate time he had said that he would restore that $716 billion to Medicare.

The president hung his head like a Chinese convict as Romney kept repeating this garbage. What has happened since then?

Florida has tilted to Romney. As it has, the children on MSNBC have kept repeating the stupid claims they get sent to them by the White House. Romney tried to flip on abortion! He tried to change his tax proposal!

Have you seen anyone discuss the need to rebut Romney’s Medicare pillage? Did we mention the fact that Florida’s listing?

Can you imagine why?

Learning from history: After the first Bush-Gore debate, Gore was endlessly mocked for saying he would put surplus Medicare payments into an ironclad lockbox. He challenged Bush to make the same pledge.

Gore stated this point four times. Romney stated his point five times.

Gore was mocked, but Romney wasn't. (Liberals were silent each time, of course.)

Using your words, explain.