Benefit Cuts on the Menu? Hochul Puts Medicare and Social Security “On the Table”

Is Democrat Kathy Hochul’s Plan to Cut Both Medicare and Social Security a Blueprint for Pelosi’s Democrats?

In a debate for the NY-26 special election televised Thursday, Democrat Kathy Hochul announced that despite weeks of her absurd Medicare attacks against Republican Jane Corwin, Hochul is actually in favor of cutting Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, all while raising taxes:

HOCHUL WANTS BENEFIT CUTS AND TAX HIKES TODAY: “I for one think that everything should be on the table: Entitlements, defense spending, but also revenues.” (Remarks from Kathy Hochul, WGRZ, 5/12/2011)

BY PUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY “ON THE TABLE,” HOCHUL GOES WHERE REPUBLICANS DID NOT: “The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has conducted a long-term analysis of a budget proposal by Chairman Ryan to substantially change federal payments under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, eliminate the subsidies to be provided through new insurance exchanges under last year’s major health care legislation, leave Social Security as it would be under current law, and set paths for all other federal spending (excluding interest) and federal tax revenues at specified growth rates or percentages of gross domestic product (GDP).” (“Long-Term Analysis of A Budget Proposal by Chairman Ryan,” Congressional Budget Office, April 2011)

The natural question is how exactly Hochul plans on cutting Medicare and Social Security, and whether other Democrat recruits agree.

Hochul’s admission follows an earlier statement praising Pelosi for “do[ing] a great job for this country” as Speaker. It’s worth remembering, then, that the last time Pelosi messed with Medicare, she and other Democrats cut the program by $500 billion to pay for their government takeover of healthcare:

HOCHUL: PELOSI HAS “DONE A GREAT JOB FOR THIS COUNTRY”: “I think she’s [Pelosi’s] done a great job for this country.“(Remarks from Kathy Hochul, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, 5/10/2011)

BUT PELOSI CUT MEDICARE BY $500 BILLION TO PAY FOR HER GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTHCARE: “It would cut an additional $60 billion from Medicare, bringing total cuts to the program to more than $500 billion over the next 10 years.” (Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery, “With Senate ‘Fixes’ Bill, GOP Sees Last Chance to Change Health-Care Reform,” The Washington Post, 3/24/2010)

Now that Kathy Hochul has admitted that her plan to address the deficit is to cut Medicare and Social Security while raising taxes, will other Democrats follow her lead? We wonder what the Big Labor bosses bankrolling the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have to say about that:

DCCC HOSTS CANDIDATE MEET-AND-GREAT AT TEAMSTERS HQ: “Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Israel and Pennsylvania Rep. Allyson Schwartz, who is heading up the DCCC’s recruiting efforts, will host Democratic candidates from 34 districts across the country for a ‘Meet our 2012 Candidates’ event at the Capitol Hill offices of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. …

“Democratic officials familiar with the scheduling for the event say that the candidates will huddle with labor leaders and participate in briefings and conservations on economic policy, messaging, and campaign-building.”(Alex Isenstadt and John Bresnahan, “Nancy Pelosi, labor leaders to meet with 2012 hopefuls,” Politico, 5/5/11)