History has demonstrated over and over again that Republicans want to kill Medicare. It's a fact, Factcheck.org would prefer to ignore the obvious, for the sake of neutrality and the appearance of balance.
At issue is the recent DNC ad declaring Rep. Paul Ryan and his band of cutthroat political pirates want to slowly squeeze the life out of Medicare. According to Factcheck.org's web site:
THAT'S THE PRIVATIZATION PART OF THE PLAN! That means "a system of private...." insurance plans okayed by the government for everyone under 55. Oh god my brain is hurting now. They even ignored the fact that a commission, packed with pro-privatization members, stacked the deck resulting in the following predictable outcome:The ad refers to a proposal endorsed by most House Republicans as part of the alternative budget they presented earlier this year.
In fact, the GOP plan actually called for: Preserving the current Medicare program for anyone now receiving it, or within 10 years of qualifying for it.For those now under age 55, converting Medicare to a system of private, government-approved health insurance plans purchased mostly with government payments.
That's right, Republicans only wanted to privatize Medicare "just a little." It's the "both party's are the same" argument. But of course, Factcheck.org is just being fair:The proposal is similar to one endorsed a decade ago by the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. It is controversial, to be sure: Most Democrats don’t like it, and not all Republicans do either. It’s a plan to change Medicare significantly but not to "abolish" it.
We’ve criticized Republicans and we’ve criticized Democrats for making scary, false accusations about Medicare. This latest round of ads just continues a pattern of partisan warfare by both sides that relies on false claims and appeals to fear.Again, it's not a false claim. The Republicans historically have made it known they want to undo the New Deal. It's sad that these politically ignorant , all things are equal "fact checkers," don't take into consideration the historical wreckage left behind the Republican Party. They have always opposed Medicare!
By the way, according to fivethirtyeight.com, the public option is supported by 47% vs. 42% opposed in Ryan's district. Does Ryan really speak for his constituents?
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