RightChange: Entitlement Polls And Scare Tactics

“Medicare will end as we know it”, “They want to kill Seniors,” “Seniors will die,” “Seniors will have to eat kitty litter.”  The following phrases are all from the Democratic scare tactic bank filed under “Medicare.” Do Seniors really believe this rhetoric?  According to recent polls – maybe not.

The irony of the Democratic scare tactic is that it attempts to distract the American public from Democrats plan to simply let Medicare become bankrupt in 2020.  Paul Ryan’s plan actually saves Medicare and keeps it from bankrupting our economy.  Ryan has been doing an exhaustive round of town hall meetings in Wisconsin this week to try and deliver his Medicare proposal being misrepresented by Liberals.

Some polls show, his attempts are working:

“A new Gallup/USA Today poll contains a counterintuitive finding: the age group most receptive to House Budget Chair Paul Ryan's plan to deal with the budget - seniors.

The poll finds 48 percent of seniors (those 65 and over) support Ryan's plan over President Obama's plan, while 42 percent back the president.

That's the highest total among the age groups tested - a 47 percent plurality between the ages of 50 and 64 backed Ryan, and a 45 percent plurality of those between 30-49 backed Ryan. But young voters overwhelmingly sided with Obama by a 23-point margin, 53 to 30 percent.”

Even the left-leaning New York Times poll proved Seniors might not be buying Obama’s “Mediscare!” campaign:

“The CBS News/New York Times poll is thought to skew a little to the left due to its tendency to oversample Democrats. That's why Washington insiders sat up and took notice on Good Friday, when the poll reported that a plurality of Americans actually approve of GOP Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare reforms.

A startling 47% approved of changing Medicare from a program in which the government "pays doctors and hospitals for treating seniors" to a program in which the government "helps seniors purchase private health insurance." Only 41% disagreed.

The Times poll contains other data that should worry President Obama if he continues to demagogue the House-passed GOP budget. By 55% to 33%, Americans prefer a smaller government with fewer services to a bigger government with more services. That basic 3-to-2 ratio -- indicating this is a center-right nation -- has prevailed for a quarter-century.”

The scare-tactics aren’t working.  They are simply an attempt at distracting the public from Obama’s plan to bankrupt Medicare and Seniors don’t seem to be falling for it.

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