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.
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.
Democratic members of Congress balked at being called socialists during a debate on Friday over the Republicans’ proposed budget and the Progressive Caucus’ proposed budget. Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama accused the progressives in Congress of being socialists who are putting America “at risk.” Rep. Keith Ellison asked that Brooks retract the word “socialist” from his remarks.
Following the Tuesday release of House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2012 budget resolution, senior groups and analysts have come out specifically against the proposed health care changes, saying seniors would pay twice as much for health care as they are now.
Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin introduced the Republican budget proposal on Tuesday, a budget that would spend $6.2 trillion less than President Obama’s budget, repeal funding for the Affordable Care Act, phase in a voucher system for Medicare, and cut $700 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. Minnesota’s political leaders were quick to respond to the proposal, with reactions falling along partisan lines.
CNN announced Tuesday afternoon that it will broadcast both Rep. Michele Bachmann’s reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union address live and the official Republican response by Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Bachmann’s speech will be given through the group Tea Party Express. The Minnesota Independent will be live-blogging Bachmann’s response this evening.
As Minnesota Public Radio’s Tom Scheck puts it, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan has thrown Norm Coleman under the bus. In a web-only interview with Katie Couric — now being circulated by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign…
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