The Democratic
attack about "ending Medicare" was a pervasive line in 2011 that
preyed on seniors' worries about whether they could afford health care.
They ignored the fact that the
Ryan plan would not affect people currently in Medicare—or even the people 55
to 65 who would join the program in the next 10 years.
They used harsh terms such as "end" and "kill" when the program would still exist, although in a privatized system.
They used harsh terms such as "end" and "kill" when the program would still exist, although in a privatized system.
They used pictures and video of
elderly people who clearly were too old to be affected by the Ryan plan. The
DCCC video that aired four days after the vote featured an elderly man who had
to take a job as a stripper to pay his medical bills.
"Both parties use entitlements as political weapons," Ryan said in an interview with PolitiFact. "Republicans do it to Democrats; Democrats do it to Republicans. So I knew that this would be a political weapon that the other side would use against us."
Liberal bloggers and columnists contend it's accurate to say Republicans voted to end Medicare. Left-leaning websites such as Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, and The New Republic said PolitiFact's analysis was wrong, as did New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
"According to (PolitiFact's) logic, if the FBI were replaced with a voucher program wherein citizens would receive subsidies for hiring private investigators to look into criminal activity, but the agency running the voucher program were still called the FBI, it would be unfair to say that the FBI had been ended," wrote Jed Lewison for Daily Kos. "I guess it's their right to make that argument, but it's transparently absurd."
In a blog post, the DCCC stood by its claim, saying the ad accurately stated Ryan's plan would “abolish” Medicare.
"Both parties use entitlements as political weapons," Ryan said in an interview with PolitiFact. "Republicans do it to Democrats; Democrats do it to Republicans. So I knew that this would be a political weapon that the other side would use against us."
Liberal bloggers and columnists contend it's accurate to say Republicans voted to end Medicare. Left-leaning websites such as Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, and The New Republic said PolitiFact's analysis was wrong, as did New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.
"According to (PolitiFact's) logic, if the FBI were replaced with a voucher program wherein citizens would receive subsidies for hiring private investigators to look into criminal activity, but the agency running the voucher program were still called the FBI, it would be unfair to say that the FBI had been ended," wrote Jed Lewison for Daily Kos. "I guess it's their right to make that argument, but it's transparently absurd."
In a blog post, the DCCC stood by its claim, saying the ad accurately stated Ryan's plan would “abolish” Medicare.
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