Republicans Launch an Ad Campaign That Will Help Democrats Win House Seats

Last updated on April 5th, 2013 at 10:41 pm

 

paul Ryan

The National Republican Congressional Committee is spending $40,000 to run ads against Congressional Democrats, CNN reported today. The NRCC is accusing Democrats of voting to keep devastating Medicare cuts in place while at the same time accusing them of not voting for Paul Ryan’s budget. You know, the one that turns Medicare into a voucher system.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

The ads characterize the Democrats as voting against a balanced budget, and instead approving measures like increased spending on President Barack Obama’s health care plan and a tax on the coal industry.

“These House Democrats are going to have a hard time explaining why they voted to keep Obamacare’s devastating Medicare cuts in place and taxpayer-funded first class air travel over balancing our nation’s budget,” NRCC Spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said. “Their approach to solving our nation’s fiscal woes is completely out of synch with what hard-working families deserve and expect.”

Robert Greenstein, President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), broke down Ryan’s fiscal year 2013 budget. (In March of 2013, Ryan introduced H.Con.Res 25 , his updated version of the 2013 version for fiscal year 2014). “(I)t’s Robin Hood in reverse — on steroids. It would likely produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history and likely increase poverty and inequality more than any other budget in recent times (and possibly in the nation’s history).”

So, Republicans are accusing Democrats of voting for devastating cuts against Medicare while at the same time accusing them of not voting for Ryan’s budget, which tried to destroy Medicare. Another irony is that Ryan’s version of “Medicare” would rely upon vouchers and exchanges. Sound familiar? Uh huh.

Of course, that’s not how they’re phrasing it. They falsely suggest that Ryan’s budget was a “balanced” budget. They might believe that, but that is not reality and the majority of the public isn’t buying. Both Paul Ryan and his budget are unpopular:

According to a Rasmussen poll, Ryan’s favorability tanked to just 35% among all likely voters, which is a 15 point drop from his heyday as Mitt Romney’s running mate. A whopping 54% view Paul Ryan unfavorably, with 12% undecided.

A separate Rasmussen poll determined that 35% favor Ryan’s budget plan with 49% opposed and 16% undecided. “It was described as a plan to balance the budget in 10 years without raising taxes but cutting spending by nearly $5 trillion in areas including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security but not defense.” That description is hopeful at best, since Ryan has still not done the math and his budget lacks specifics.

This is what Republicans want to identify with? Seriously?

Perhaps Republican constituents don’t know that Ryan’s “immoral” and extremist budget didn’t  have a snowball’s chance in hell of passing in the Senate,  but Democrats and Independents are more likely to understand basic civics, seeing as they don’t rely upon a fictional character from a novel aimed at teenagers for their monetary policy.

 

h/t TPM

 

 

 

 

 



Copyright PoliticusUSA LLC 2008-2023