Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul Medicare, voted down by the Senate last night, may carry electoral risk for those who back it, as recent state and national survey data suggests, yet presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is now backing the plan.
Updated: Don’t mess with Medicare and Social Security: That’s the message that progressive groups are gleaning from a new poll of swing state voters. Commissioned by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), Democracy for America, MoveOn.org and Credo Action, the survey’s results show overwhelming opposition to cuts in both areas. In fact, in Minnesota, 72 percent of respondents were opposed to Social Security cuts, while a majority of Minnesotans polled said they were less likely to back Sen. Amy Klobuchar next election if she votes to reduce Social Security benefits.
The ad wars in the 8th Congressional District continued this weekend with the announcement that Americans United for Change plans to spend “five figures” on a television ad campaign targeting four members of the House who voted for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. The ad buy targets Rep. Chip Cravaack for backing the measure, which includes drastic changes to Medicare through a voucher system for private insurance. Cravaack is also being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but he’s got defenders: The conservative 60 Plus Association has bought ads of its own.
Minnesota U.S. Reps. Michele Bachmann and Chip Cravaack are the targets of radio ads by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee over their votes to “end Medicare.” The ad buy is extremely small and is part of the DCCC’s “Drive to 25″ campaign, an effort launched in January with the aim of gaining back the 25 seats the Democrats need to win the House in 2012.
The Republican budget proposal that passed the House on Friday would significantly change the way Medicare operates, and those House members who voted for it are taking heat from Democrats and liberal groups. In Duluth, a billboard urges Cravaack not to privatize Medicare, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) says that Bachmann voted to “end Medicare.” But are these claims accurate?
On Wednesday morning, Gov. Mark Dayton signed an executive order allowing Minnesota to accept early Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act amid hundreds of tea party protesters at the Capitol. As the tea party booed Dayton, he handed over the microphone and allowed opponents to have their say. Among those speaking was Jake McMillian of Bradlee Dean’s controversial hard rock ministry You Can Run But You Cannot Hide.
Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen’s new ad, released Wednesday, targets his DFL opponent Jim Meffert. The ad calls Meffert a “big spender” and says that he wants to cut Medicare by $500 million. The ad is similar to one Paulsen released last week and is accompanied by a new website, TheRealMeffert.com.
Democratic leaders in the Minnesota Legislature urged Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday to apply for $236 million in federal health care money. In a letter to the governor, Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Majority Leader Tony Sertich wrote that it would be “irresponsible” for the state to not seek the funds when many patients in Minnesota are struggling with the tough economy, adding, “You cannot let political ambition get in the way of doing what’s right for Minnesota.” They join the Minnesota Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic in calling for Pawlenty to secure the funds for Minnesota.
In a rare bit of agreement on health care policy, the members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation sent a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, urging support for Minnesota’s rural hospitals. At issue is a…
Rep. Michele Bachmann’s been pretty gung ho in her attacks on Medicare and Social Security: After saying she thinks the country needs to “wean” many off these programs, she called Social Security a “tremendous fraud.” But her…
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