With Next Election In Mind, Medicare Politics Among The Dynamics Similar To 2010 Congressional Contests
Some news outlets report that "what goes around comes around" as many House Republicans are being reminded of the last election's raucous town hall meetings - this time, though, they are in the hot seat. Meanwhile, members of the GOP freshmen class have asked the White House to condemn liberal attacks on the Medicare proposal advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
The Miami Herald/Dallas Morning News: Redistricting Key To Control Of Congress
In politics, as in life, what goes around comes around. Many House Republicans have received a raucous reminder in recent weeks. Two years after tea party critics invaded town meetings and hectored many of Democrats for supporting President Obama's health care-reform plan, opponents of the controversial Ryan budget gave GOP lawmakers - including its architect, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin - similar treatment. Critics of his proposals to phase out Medicare and give greater tax breaks to the wealthy, some organized and some spontaneous, invaded GOP town meetings and derided Republican lawmakers for failing to keep campaign promises to concentrate on spurring the economy and creating jobs (Leubsdorf, 5/13).
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: House GOP Launches Its Own Medicare Attack Ad
On Wednesday, a group of House Republican freshmen held a press conference asking President Barack Obama to condemn Medicare-related political attacks by Democrats and liberal groups. Republican House members have been facing these attacks for supporting Rep. Paul Ryan's plans for turning Medicare into a premium subsidy system (Bendavid, 5/12).