Fighting Washington: Dems Protesting Bipartisan Plan to Save and Protect Medicare

June 25, 2012

Candidates,

With the bipartisan Wyden-Ryan plan to save and protect Medicare coming up for a vote this week in Congress, Democrats are already staging protests claiming Republicans want to “end Medicare to protect tax breaks for millionaires.”

Expect to be attacked and have your position distorted by Democrats. You should be out-front on the issue of protecting Medicare, and stay on the offensive.

Your campaign might consider using surrogates – seniors who support your campaign, your parents or grandparents – to validate your support for protecting Medicare. Personalize the issue by talking about family members of yours who rely on Medicare and why it’s important to you that it is protected and strengthened.

The talking points below should help you to respond to these attacks. As always, the NRCC communications staff is happy to provide any help we can.

Stay on offense by highlighting the Democrats’ history of cutting Medicare as part of their government takeover of healthcare:

Democrats’ Plan for Medicare:

• Medicare is going bankrupt and Democrats are making it worse.

• The only people who voted to cut Medicare are the people who voted for ObamaCare, which cut $500 billion from Medicare to pay for a government takeover of healthcare.

• The Democrats’ government healthcare takeover empowers unelected bureaucrats to make decisions that could deny care and increase costs for seniors.

Washington is Broken:

• Both parties in Washington have failed for years to do what’s necessary to protect Medicare for future generations.

• Rather than pointing fingers and using scare tactics, both sides need to work together for the good of the country and come up with a solution that preserves and protects Medicare.

• Democrats in Washington seem more interested in political games and distorting my position than they are in protecting Medicare for our seniors.

Bipartisan Plan to Save and Protect Medicare:

• This bipartisan blueprint is the only plan to preserve and protect Medicare.

• The President’s health care law gives control over Medicare to 15 unelected bureaucrats, while our bipartisan plan empowers 50 million seniors to make decisions on what type of care is best for them.

• It would not affect anyone 55 years of age or older.

• For those 54 and younger, Medicare would let future retirees choose from competing plans that fit their needs best, offering the same kinds of choices Members of Congress currently enjoy.

Main Themes to Path to Prosperity: For more information on Paul Ryan’s plan click HERE.

• Reforms our broken tax code to spur job creation and economic opportunity by lowering everyone’s rates, closing loopholes, and putting hardworking taxpayers ahead of special interests.

o The President’s Budget adds $1.9 trillion in new taxes and makes the burdensome tax code even more complicated for families and small businesses.

• Cuts government spending to protect hardworking taxpayers.

o Cuts $5 trillion, instead of spending $1.5 trillion more like President Obama’s plan.

• Tackles the drivers of our debt, so our troops don’t pay the price for Washington’s failure to take action.

o President Obama’s budget imposes $200,000 in new government debt per household over the next 10 years for a total of $11 trillion.

• Reverses the President’s policies that drive up gas prices, and instead promotes an all-of the-above strategy for unlocking American energy production to help lower costs, create jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

• Strengthens health and retirement security by taking power away from government bureaucrats and empowering patients instead with control over their own care.

Lastly, remember these Do’s and Don’ts on word choice when discussing these programs:

DO NOT SAY	DO SAY
Entitlement reform Strengthen Privatization Secure Every option is on the table	Save Preserve Protect