Even if the policy picture looked
better for Romney than many
would assume, the question still
remains: Can he make a campaign
about Medicare work politically?
Romney, speaking to supporters
at an Aug. 16 fundraiser in Greenville, S.C., acknowledged that
“Usually Republicans are talking
about a lot of other things” besides Medicare.
But, he said, “the president’s
plan does something people
normally don’t associate with
HUFFINGTON 08.26.12
BRING IT
Democrats and that is he cuts
Medicare. … So we’re going to be
going around the country talking
about Medicare.”
After Romney picked Ryan, it
didn’t take long for him to make
clear that he would not wait
for Democrats to attack him on
Medicare. When the presumptive
nominee and his running mate sat
down with CBS News’ Bob Schieffer for their first joint interview,
Romney himself went after the
roughly $700 billion in cuts to
Medicare that were part of the
Affordable Care Act that Congress passed and Obama signed
in the spring of 2010.
“There’s only one president
that I know of in history that
robbed Medicare, $716 billion to
pay for a new risky program of
his own that we call Obamacare,”
Romney told Schieffer.
“What Paul Ryan and I have
talked about is saving Medicare, is
providing people greater choice in
Medicare, making sure it’s there
for current seniors. No changes,
by the way, for current seniors, or
those nearing retirement,” Romney said. “But looking for young
people down the road and saying,
‘We’re going to give you a bigger
choice.’ In America, the nature of
this country has been giving people more freedom, more choices.
THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
the Romney campaign on TV advertising since April in key battleground states and cities.
In retrospect, the briefing
looked like an attempt by the
Romney campaign to tamp down
any speculation that they were
panicking as they prepared to announce Ryan for VP.
“Clearly Romney’s team feels
that they had to do something.
They must feel like they are losing ground. They’re clearly seeing
something that I’m not privy to,
but it’s enough to scare them to do
this,” said a Republican operative
with a long history at the Republican National Committee, who did
not want to be identified. “If anyone says they’re not, they’re full of
shit. Something’s there.”