Dems Mediscare Their Way to “Shredding the Social Safety Net”

Democrats Demagogue GOP While Hiding Their Plan to Bankrupt and Ration Medicare

Former President Bill Clinton jumped into the Medicare debate yesterday, accusing his own party of “whipping up fear” for “short-term political gain”:

“ ‘The Democrats may have to give up some short-term political gain by whipping up fear, if it’s a reasonable Social Security proposal, if it’s a reasonable Medicare proposal. You cannot have healthcare devour the economy,’ he said.” (Erik Wasson, “Bill Clinton to Dems: “Don’t Avoid Medicare Reforms After NY Win,” The Hill, 5/25/2011)

He’s not the only one who thinks so. A wide array of editorial boards came out this morning slamming Democrats’ Mediscare demagoguery and “lies”:

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “VOTERS MIGHT ALSO APPRECIATE A DOSE OF HONESTY AND REALISM” FROM DEMOCRATS: “Nonetheless, effective as the playbook was in one special election, Democrats cannot expect to build their entire 2012 campaign around attacking the Ryan plan. … Sooner or later, Democrats will have to admit that Medicare cannot keep running as it is — its medical costs are out of control, and a recent report showed its trust fund running out of money in 2024, five years earlier than expected. Bill Clinton was right on Wednesday to warn his party that it must bring down those costs if it is to have any credibility on the deficit and the economy. …  It might require, as Mr. Clinton put it, giving up some short-term political gain, but voters might also appreciate a dose of honesty and realism in their political diet.” (Editorial, “Running on Medicare the Right Way,” The New York Times, 5/25/2011)

USA TODAY: DEMS’ “DEMONIZATION” OF MEDICARE WHILE IGNORING THEIR PLAN WILL “SHRED THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET”: “Just as surely, Democrats know that the simple math of health care will eventually shred the social safety net they seek to protect. Demonization of the Ryan plan might be a short-term political winner, but unless the Democrats propose a viable money-saving alternative, the future of Medicare might be the least of their problems.” (Editorial, “Our View: ‘Mediscare Won’t Save Medicare,’” USA Today, 5/26/2011)

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “DEMOCRATS RAN A MEDISCARE CAMPAIGN.”(Editorial, “The GOP’s New York Spanking,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/26/2011)

NEW HAMPSHIRE UNION-LEADER: DEMS’ MEDISCARE “LIE” IS “SHAMELESS.” “Democrats, though, claimed that the plan “ends Medicare.” Democratic candidate Kathy Hochul’s campaign also claimed Republicans would “end Medicare.” … The non-partisan Politifact.com site rated that claim a ‘pants on fire’ lie. It noted that Medicare continues under the Ryan plan, and funding for it increases. But being caught in a lie hasn’t dampened the Democrats’ enthusiasm for it. Yesterday, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., head of the DCCC, said the DCCC will continue to use that attack. Shameless.” (Editorial, “Mediscare in NY: Terrifying Seniors Works,” New Hampshire Union-Leader, 5/26/2011)

INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY: “RYAN’S BUDGET SAVES MEDICARE,” DEMS SUPPORT MEDICARE’S “CERTAIN FISCAL DESTRUCTION”: “House Budget Committee Chairman Ryan’s budget saves Medicare, whose unsustainable status quo leads to certain fiscal destruction.” (Editorial, “ ‘Medi-Scare’ Was Real Winner in New York,” Investor’s Business Daily, 5/25/2011)

Democrats would rather talk about the Republican plan than explain their own. That makes sense, given that their plan is to bankrupt Medicare and then ration it:

IBD: DEM PLAN FOR MEDICARE IS “BANKRUPTCY” AND TO “DECIMATE MEDICARE BY DEFAULT.” (Editorial, “ ‘Medi-Scare’ Was Real Winner in New York,”Investor’s Business Daily, 5/25/2011)
WSJ: OBAMA MEDICARE PLAN IS MEDICARE “RATIONING”, WILL “THROW GRANNY OVER THE CLIFF”: “One place to start is by attacking the Democratic plan to cut Medicare via political rationing. Mr. Ryan’s budget had the virtue of embarrassing President Obama’s spend-more initial budget, and the White House responded by proposing to increase the power of the new Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) to decide what, and how much, Medicare will pay for. The ObamaCare bill goes to great lengths to shelter this 15-member, unelected board from Congressional review, with the goal of letting these bureaucrats throw granny over the cliff if Medicare isn’t reformed. Yet few Americans know anything about IPAB or its rationing intentions.” (Editorial, “The GOP’s New York Spanking,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/26/2011)