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By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Editor’s note: Line of Attack is a weekly feature in which we parse a political attack, looking at the strategy behind it, how the campaign is delivering it and what facts support or refute it. We’ll assign it a rating on the fairness meter: Legit, Eye Roll, Guffaw, Laughable or Outrageous.
Attack: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan -- oh and Dean Heller too -- plan to end Medicare, outsource your job and increase your taxes so the rich can get richer.
Method of Delivery: It started as a series of web ads running on Nevada-focused sites (including this one). Now, we’re one of 23 states in which members of the AFL-CIO, MoveOn.org and AFL-CIO affiliated Super PAC Workers’ Voice are going door-to-door handing out viewers’ guides to the Republican National Convention.
Strategy: Rain on the Republicans’ parade worse than Hurricane Isaac. The conventions are the first burst of the parties’ big finish, like that moment in Stars and Stripes Forever when the flag above the band is supposed to unfurl: If it goes off without a hitch, the audience claps and cheers you all the way home; if it’s botched, everyone leaves unsatisfied. Republicans have centerstage all week, and while the AFL-CIO can’t hijack the GOP show, they can try to influence the at-home audience with a bad pre-performance review.
Fairness Meter: We’ve been hearing this line of attack on a loop for the past year, but let’s parse this now charge by charge.
Ryan’s plan wouldn’t end Medicare. Yet it raises the age of eligibility by two years (from 65 to 67) and changes Medicare from an insurance program to an insurance-subsidy (or voucher) program. That likely leaves seniors with less bargaining power, and hence, less purchasing power, as the subsidy is pegged to the Consumer Price Index, which isn’t rising as fast as the cost of health care. Still, it’s not ending Medicare, so this attack ranks a Guffaw.
On outsourcing: Romney wants the US to adopt a “territorial” system where companies only pay taxes on income made on US soil, instead of the difference between the national 35 percent rate and foreign rates (average: 26 percent) when they bring profits home. Opponents say making foreign income permanently tax-free encourages more outsourcing. But Romney’s plan also drops the US rate to 25 percent, severely lessening the blow vis-a-vis most foreign countries, like China -- but not the Caymans. Eye roll.
Finally, they charge Romney cuts taxes for the rich while raising them on the middle class. The Bush tax cuts expire at the end of the year; Democrats want to extend them on income up to $250,000; Romney favors extending them for everybody. But his tax plan doesn’t extend some tax benefits popular with lower- and middle-class filers -- bringing their effective tax rate up. Legit.
This article seems to have been ghost written by some Democratic flunkee. It is the same garbage in the Democratic ads. Neither the Republicans or Democrats want to do away with Medicare. It needs to financially solvent for our children and grandchildren. In terms of corporate taxes they need to be taxed in the jurisdiction where the income is derived. Otherwise corporations will move their main offices to another country. The rate at 35% needs to be reduced to make us competitive with Europe and now Asia. Every wonder why so many companies are moving their main offices to Singapore. Concentrate on the facts or go back to journalism school.
"Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan -- oh and Dean Heller too -- plan to end Medicare"
You forgot the ending of that statement that is in every line from Democrats which states "plan to end Medicare AS WE KNOW IT".
Simply put, privatizing Medicare (Ryan's voucher plan) would end Medicare as we know it. When the CBO scored Ryan's plan it concluded increased costs would be shifted to seniors to the tune of $6,000 per year. That is the non-partisan CBO's conclusion, not democrat operatives.
Question, will the privatization of Medicare allow insurer's the right to turn down senior's for pre-existing conditions, such as OLD AGE? Yes medicare will end as we know it.
To wizard. I don't consider Soc. Sec. and medicare as entitlements. I've earned their benefits! Soc. Sec. is good for the next 25 years without changing benefits. After that monthly payments will go down about 20%. If you consider these as entitlements then you've been watching too much faux news.
Enjoyed the article, Karoun.
One thing that should be added to this snapshot of recent political histrionics by Tea/Republican Party and the Ryan Plan is this truth: For years and years and years and years and years, they have tried to destroy Medicare anyway they can. If they can outright get rid of it, that's good for them. If they can wreck it and marginalize it, so that it will whither away over a period of time, that's good to them too. But this Ryan Plan is the most insiduous, it plans to make it disappear by separating generations of Americans...oh, it don't effect YOU...you senior citizens that vote now...it effects those younger Americans...the ones that could care less to vote. You ask me, this is the most nefarious attempt I've ever seen by the Tea/Republicans to make an important American institution die off. By planned obsolescence.
C'mon, voters, both young and old. Wake up. Their goal is still the same, just the method changes with the wind.
Medicare is here to stay. PERIOD. Make the Tea/Republicans sit down at the table to discuss and negotiate ways to strengthen and make Medicare last. WITHIN the existing system. Rather than trying to replace it with something inferior, guaranteed not only to kill off an integral American plan to help people, but to kill off the very people themselves in future generations through indifference, uncaringness and blatant disregard for the health, safety and very lives of Americans.
Why is it that all the other developed countries can afford national health care, BUT the us with the most millionaires and billionaire CAN'T?
It is because these rich, greedy, selfish people, own the politicians and don't care about the 99%.
we don't need to cut medicare, social security or any other social programs.
What we need to do is stop fighting wars and tax rich people.
The national debt is exactly equal to the amount of taxes rich people stopped paying starting with the tax cuts for the rich by reagan(the killing president).
If rich people had paid their proper taxes there would be no economic problems.
If the tax laws did not allow hinding money for corporations in other countries- the job problem would never have occurred.
When are people going to wake up and start holding politicians accountable to the 99%.?
@ NVFisherman...
"This article seems to have been ghost written by some Democratic flunkee."
Did you even READ the article?
If you did, your reading comprehension needs some work.
As to the Rmoney/Ryan Medicare debacle, it's a DOOZY!
"Ryan Plan Would Crush Seniors Beneath Mounting Medical Costs"
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the...
"Romney/Ryan Medicare plan bad for America's health"
http://thegazette.com/2012/08/26/romneyr...
"Report: Seniors to pay $60,000 more under Romney/Ryan Medicare plan"
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/24/re...
When candidates say bluntly and directly - let's end the Department of Education. Let's get rid of teachers.
Frankly, I don't need to parse that. You had me at hello. I KNOW what you are about.
I would hope that common sense would prevail but I have to the vote for the President - because no matter how you parse this recent rhetoric - the GOP has gone extremist CRAZYTOWN.
Run away - don't stick around to parse.
Until Republicans address the issue of bogus pre-existing condition exclusions, the Ryan plan is going to be met with criticism. Are these vouchers any good if the private company just says "you had cancer 9 years ago, we want nothing to do with you"?
I've yet to hear ANY mention from the republicans addressing the travesty of pre-existing exclusions other than "we aren't addressing that".
Medicare AS I KNOW IT is a single-payer insurance plan which has charged me and my children a premium every payday for all of our working lives. This plan guarantees coverage with a 20% co-pay and an annual deductible and becomes effective when we reach age 65. It covers a wide variety of health costs. It does NOT require extensive research to determine the best possible affordable plan.
The Ryan/Romney plan will eliminate any vestige of the single-payer insurance plan for my children, throwing their years of payments into limbo. Rather, they will be dumped into the open market to get whatever coverage they can find, afford, and qualify for, and will be generally at the mercy of some insurance broker whose primary interest will be his own profit. Their co-pay will increase substantially, to the point where there may NO coverage if they remain in good health, although the precise amount of that co-pay will undoubtedly vary, based on the plan they can find. While my deductible has been going up under the current plan, it will go up even more under the proposed plan. My co-pay has, so far, not changed: but, so far as I know, the future effect on my co-pay has not been determined.
Essentially, the Ryan/Romney plan is the equivalent of taking a hamburger with all the trimmings off the lunch table, and replacing it with a cheese sandwich - with no trimmings, not even grilled. Does this represent taking lunch off the table? Not really, but it represents taking lunch AS WE KNOW IT off the table.
The GOP has tried to eliminate Medicare since it came out. Now they say they want to 'keep' Medicare but will change the operating principals to eliminate affordability and increase profit. This is equivalent to changing the menu at McDonald's to hot dogs and chili-dogs and leaving all else intact.
Environmental law treated as a financial inconvenience.
Public education will be taken apart and replaced with schools teaching 3,500 year old religious philosophy that has a strong disdain for reality.
Romney's energy independence means selling our continental oil abroad with profits going to a very few. These plans, if carried out, will sell the last of our petroleum reserves to international sources, since there is no law that can prevent any private company from selling to the rest of the world (axis of evil countries excepted).
Romney's energy plans will consume our reserves for the future and leave this country wasted.
With no action, Medicare will die an unnatural death. With the billions, President O. has stolen, the death is much sooner. With changes, AND enforcement of fraud against vendors AND people claiming to be beneficiaries we can save Medicare and preclude Mr. O from merging it with Medicaid so ONLY THE DESTITUTE and career dependents get any benefits.
GOP does not want to kill Medicare, raise taxes nor out source jobs. Some please tell me how you out source federal jobs. Republicans have had control before did they do away with Medicare, does the Bush tax cuts sound like raising taxes. Obama and the unions are playing a dangerous game, its called lying. One can only deceit the American voters for so long, then it begins to appear fishy and untrue. Obama is playing word games, and voters are buying it. "War against Women", Wealthy are not paying their fair share, seniors will have to pay $6,500 more in Medicare if Romney is president, come on, when does the lies end. Romney is not president, how would expect to win if this was all true. Obama is destroying Medicare and he admitted it today, he used $500 billion in Medicare to help strengthen Medicare, how do you take money from one program to strengthen another. Voters wake up, Obama is just selling you lies, you bought it in 2008 don't fall for it again. Obama was for change in 2008, sure was, higher unemployment, more foreclosures, higher deficit, and wasteful spending.
The romney/ryan/republican plans
STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN.
YES, they kill Medicare, period.
VOUCHERS PRIVATIZE MEDICARE.
That kills Medicare.
Raising the age to 67 IS INSANITY!
Greedy, heartless, rich republicans DON'T CARE!
Republicans destroyed our middle class and
economy.
ROMNEY/RYAN ARE WORSE THAN BUSH!!!
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN!
daydreamer.....
A stupid movie for stupid, fox republicans.
Nothing more.
FOUR MORE YEARS FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!
teamster,
Do you have any idea of the average life expectancy today? According to the SSA website, men at age 58 today can expect to reach age 83 on average. That is about 8 years more SS benefits than when the program was first started.
Increasing the retirement ages by 2 years is not unreasonable at all given our longer life expectancies. And I am willing to bet that in the next 10 years they will increase again.
I just ran the numbers for myself today. If I retire at age 66, 8 years from now, I will receive about $500k between when I retire and when I die at age 83 according to the tables.
Given that I am 58 now, there is a VERY good chance that there will be more advances in medicine that will push my life expectancy even further out in the next 10 - 20 years. SS *MUST* adapt to this somehow, either higher taxes, or a completely new system for younger people.
First off, we voters won't vote for romney/ryan
who will throw younger Americans UNDER THE BUS.
The OBAMA/BIDEN plan will save Medicare WITHOUT
PRIVATIZING IT.
Second, don't talk to me about life expectancy.
I have had 4 co-workers die at age 52, 53, 54
and 55 from cancer and heart problems.
And I had a close friend die at age 39 from
cancer.
And since you wigs and republicans don't
understand the heavy lifting jobs that we
blue collars workers do, we will be lucky to
make it to 62.
Don't make me laugh.
And boftx......
We blue collar, union workers are on our feet for
8-12 hours a day.
Try it sometime.
We don't sit behind a desk all day.
Wizard, sorry ot took so long to get back to your so incorrect response. You just repeat the extreme right. SS is an insurance not an entitlement. It began as an insurance to guarantee retirement income for those who couldn't afford it. Whats wrong with Medicare?? We are the only Industrialized country without a national health plan per se. Medicaid (and I never mentioned it) is an entitlement for the indigent. And we have to take care of those who can't take care of themselves. That's what good Christians, Jews, Muslims etc. do. They take care of their fellow man. I suggest you do a little more research and quit listening to the drug addled rush, the air head hannity and those imbeciles at faux news.
I think it is hilarious these Birther idiots actually think most Americans would be put-off learning Obama is anti-Imperialism. Could anything be more INLINE with American History than that? What the hell do you stupid people think we were founded fighting?
BTW most of us understand Obama. We don't need some moronic "movie".