The Obama campaign said that Paul Ryan “flip flopped” on the issue of Medicare now that the Romney campaign is accusing President Obama of reducing Medicare spending in the same way Ryan had proposed in his budget.
On a conference call with reporters, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ryan’s Democratic counterpart atop the House Budget Committee, noted that the president’s health care plan cut more than $700 billion mostly out of the Medicare Advantage program, which affected insurance companies and hospitals rather than beneficiaries.
But Ryan’s budget plan also calls for the same spending reductions, even though Romney is now accusing Obama of “raiding” Medicare by instituting the cuts and has said he would restore the spending.
“It’s kind of sad to see Congressman Ryan be forced to flip flop on this issue by Gov. Romney,” Van Hollen said on the call.
He claimed that while Medicare trustees have estimated the spending reductions would extend the life of the entitlement program for eight years, Romney and Ryan would essentially be negating that extension should they implement their plan.
“They will hasten the insolvency of the Medicare program by 8 years, that’s according to the Medicare trustees. So what they’re announcing is that by the end of their term if they were to be elected, Medicare would have begun to go bankrupt by the end of their term,” Van Hollen said.
Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt suggested they would continue to hit Ryan on the apparent contradiction between his budget proposal and Romney’s plan, a strategy that allows them to hit their opponent on policy while also suggesting Ryan is a flip flopper, a claim they’ve long been making about Romney.


You gotta hand it to Republican politicians. There has never been a time when lower and middle income people have prospered during Republican administration, yet they are able to convince the low info voters that surrendering to them all the money will make THEIR life better. It never fails to amaze. I know many right wingers are "single issue" voters and will vote R&R just because of religion or race, but you would think that older people would have figured it out by now!!!
GOP must have got a new marketing strategy - The GOP Gymnastic Mixed Senior-Junior Team, Ryan the young flipper and Romney the old flopper, what a team for the next Olympics. They keep their muscles strong and the joints loose with billions of dollars provided by any person or company in the world sent to their campaign headquarters totally kept in secret from the public where it came from. I hear those Chinese dollars really have some special performance enhancing tonics in them too, and the ones from the Cayman Islands, Switzerland and Bermuda really are tops too. Well look at it this way, if they don't win they will be on a good start for the 2016 Brazil Olympics.
Obama wants to gut medicare so he can create a more socialist style of medicare and social security.
Romney want to turn over medicare and social security as a unregulated wall street voucher entitlement program.
POLE: What the hell do you think Medicaire is??? It's socialized medicine already my friend. And no, Obama has not "gutted" it by any stretch of the imagination. He has in fact made it more efficient and better as well.
I believe Fox News more then you my friend inept!
They have access that you don't have with capital hill reporters and journalist!!!
What is more socialist than Medicare? The Affordable Care Act?
Please explain how buying your own health insurance is more socialist than the government giving out money in a pay it forward system.
NOTE: "Pay it forward" means your investment has already been spent. By the time you receive Medicare, you're literally getting money from the government that they collected from the working class that year.
If you're worried about socialism, the ACA fixes that problem. Which is why the GOP is in such a bad spot, they can't simultaneously be FOR Medicare and AGAINST socialism.
Many have! Romney wants to take 30% of my income so that he can give himself a 13% tax cut.
Tinkle upon economics has a 30 year history. That history shows incomes for most Americans staying flat or going down while the incomes of the aristocracy has gone up 380% and is still rising.
Don't vote for the aristocracy.
but didn't you know that giving romney billions of dollars will encourage him to start new businesses and make billions more AND we get to help create more jobs for chinese people..... how is this flawed?
MIKLKIT, for life of me, I don't know what you guys have a problem with. You think it's easy owning half a dozen dancing horses that you schlep all around the world? I will defend Ann Romney's right to to use her pony's for huge tax write offs as well as Willard's numerous offshore accounts scattered aroud the world.
When I saw that phot of him the other day standing there with all these coal miners, I couldn't beleive my eyers. Here are all these working stiffs who are putting their faith in a guy who couldn't care any less about them. A sorry commentary.
Why are libs so stupid?
Trickle down works!
you just have to have more regulations to prevent fraud!
Ryan will support regulations in exchange for tax cuts which is fair and balanced!
You should be more concerned with the 5 trillion dollars of debt Obama has added to our national debt in less than 4 years. When, not if, the debt catches up to us with the ability for us to borrow as a nation ends, there will be a real financial crisis upon us all. Wealthy people are not the problem. Big government, higher taxes and too much debt are the problem. Throwing more tax dollars at a problem, which is Obama's answer to every problem only makes the problem cost more money. Tax the rich will not solve the problem. If you raise the tax on the landlord, the rent goes up. If you tax the business man, he will raise the cost of goods and services he provides. The middle class will not benefit from taxing the rich. Makes a good sound bite and talking point for Democrats to get your vote.
Obama should have been more like his predecessor and kept it off the books. If you make tax rates more equatable, middle class will benefit. That is econ 101. WHY ARE RIGHT WINGERS UNABLE to understand the difference between income tax and business tax? Obama has NEVER suggested raising business taxes.... In fact he has slashed CG taxes and small business deductions. Very rich people do not create jobs with their personal wealth....they buy more houses and show ponies....give me a break
tony stark,
You do know he inherited a mess! and by him taking it on, it is now his baby!
he needs just as much time as the one before him, if you truly are a independent thinker and not a dem or repub party hack!
8 > 4
And not to mention funnel more of their millions into veiled offshore accounts in tax havens around the globe..
The tax code is the tax code. Do you believe that ony Republican in office or running for office have off shore accounts? The tax code needs to be reformed, so why don't Democrats offer a plan and write a bill to do just that. I bet Harry Reid wouldn't allow a vote on that one. Just like many bills he is holding as we speak.
Again, leaders accept responsibility, losers make excuses and blame others. Obama is no leader.
Ill never understand this.
The Godless Liberals are more interested in feeding the hungry and healing the sick than the Christian Right.
They never seem to mention God when talking about this issue. Or feeding the hungry.
Weird huh? Its almost like there is some kind of agenda or something.
But then again, I guess Jesus "Gave at the office" as well.
Produce some facts to back up your statement. Really sad that you believe that statement
Absolutely true.....liberals are for "general" charity. Conservatives only give to charities that support their individual beliefs. Not saying it is wrong, it just is.
Tony C, did you take history in high school. History is full of facts to support freethinker's claim. God! (there you go), American history is full of facts to support it. While republicans make claims about the left creating death panels, they craft legislation to insure that there are real death panels, the health insurance industry. If you don't have the money to pay them, what alternative are you going to be left with under the proposed legislation?
LOL!!
So the line from little pauly here is that- I'm advocating the same cuts, but when Obama makes the cuts it constitutes "raiding" medicare...
teapublicans - when you just don't have the time, to hire your own clown show..
""But Ryan’s budget plan also calls for the same spending reductions, even though Romney is now accusing Obama of “raiding” Medicare by instituting the cuts and has said he would restore the spending.""
Now it's more "birthers" - OMG
I was under the impression that we were done laughing at them... But apparently the show is coming out for a second act...
K1200RS, we don't even call them "birthers" anymore, especially since they have their houses wallpapered with copies of the POTUS' birth certificate.
Now they're just "carnival barkers".
Obama/Biden 2012
What's the deal with Ayn Rand's philosophy now being accepted (like it ever wasn't) as a major influence to how Paul Ryan and others on the right after just a few months back falsely accusing Obama to be some follower of her beliefs. Rush, O'Reiley, every Fox talking head, every prominent republican, and all of you dweebs on here. Now your fully accepting of someone subscribing to her beliefs. The whole party, including you right-wing voters, are FLIP-FLOPPERS!
You people can't hold the same position for 6 months. Kind of clears up the reason you elect so many politicians who flip-flop their way through this political game.
lol thats not all Ryans been forced to flip flop on...he stated just over the weekend (again) that he had never taken the stimulus money he so ardently opposed publicly. Yet, proof shows (his own letters mind you) he DID in fact request funds. Yesterday apparently he finally admitted it, kind of..he basically said he forgot because he thought it was something else. lol dude is a TERRIBLE liar.
David, Mitt Romney is telling even bigger lies and getting caught everytime.
***edit/fix***
What's the deal with Ayn Rand's philosophy now being accepted (like it ever wasn't) as a major influence to how Paul Ryan and others on the right want to legislate, after just a few months back falsely accusing Obama to be some follower of her beliefs. Rush, O'Reiley, every Fox talking head, every prominent republican, and all of you dweebs on here. Now your fully accepting of someone subscribing to her beliefs. The whole party, including you right-wing voters, are FLIP-FLOPPERS!
You people can't hold the same position for 6 months. Kind of clears up the reason you elect so many politicians who flip-flop their way through this political game.
Want to know where republicans stand on an issue? Just look to the negative accusations they try and push on to someone on the left.
I heard that old Teabagging Paul Ryan is abandoning his so-called "conservative" principals, i.e., he'll say anything to get elected.
Obama/Biden 2012
TO: FreeThinker-657099 who wrote:
Hey, this is a political campaign!
Keep people's religion out of it!
obama,,,aka bush jr should just step up and do his job,,or quit
Republicans should stop the filibuster marathon so he can. It's amazing you can talk about Obama doing something and leave out the concerted effort on the right to block everything.
Why dont you talk about the 30 bills Harry Reid is sitting on in the Senate then we can talk.
Once you get around to the near 1000 filibusters! I'm not a fan of the games from either side, but that has been the case with republicans since election night 2008. You can't honestly want to cry about the other side starting to take up a tactic that the right has perpetuated. As your buddy Romney would say "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander!"
Can ANYONE really believe ANYTHING Romney (or Ryan) says ANYMORE?
Let's all just lighten-up a little okay! How about a sing-a-long! You know the tune! (Written by Bruce-16282590)
You should really try to make a living in a circus. It will fit you style perfectly.
Oh sorry circus workers, I did not mean to insult you.
Why isnt NBC reporting on what is going on in homeland security and that criminal Bull dyke Janet Napolitano.
Sounds like you don't need a report. You've already decided who's worthy of ridicule.
Just like Bruce and many others on this post, Bear
Why doesnt NBC have the guts to report what that trash at media matters said about our brave special operations soldiers who have questioned the leaks coming out of the White House.
Were these same "brave" soldiers half as outraged by Dick Cheney outing a covert CIA agent in an attempt to spite her husband who had called out the Bush administratioin lies of WMD's existing in Iraq? BTW pal, all of the guys in that video just happen to be Republicans. A real shocker, ain't it? These guys are all purely partisan, one of them is a regular on Fixed Nuze and I remain unmoved by their display of phoney outrage.
Or perhaps they should concern themselves with the entire debacle in Iraq which sent thousands of our troops to their deaths on a fool's errand, grieviously wounding many thousands more and emptying out treasury to the ultimate tune of close to Two Trillion dollars???
Ayup! Why do the republicons have no problems with the guy who outed a spy. Did I mention that it was one of OUR spies?
And they also have no problem with cheney selling nuclear technology including centrifuges to Iran from 1998 to 2005?
Cheney is a wanted war criminal and a traitor to America, and yet republicons still like him.
What does that say about republicons and their morals?
Why has NBC refused to report on Fast and Furious and the criminal actions of Eric Holder and Barack Obama.
NEWSFLASH
It seems a new study shows that Medicare is a more important issue to most voters than ObamaCare.
Looks like Romney/Ryan have opened a new can of worms...
and Obama/Biden have opened a new can of WHUP-ASS on them!!!
Yippee-ki-yay, mother.......
BRUCE, I suspect you may well be right. I heard a few pundits earlier today saying that it many respects, this is the worst run campaign kickoff in recent memory. Neither Willard nor his new stooge knew what the hell the other was doing. Stay tuned for more laughs. It should be entertaining.
Last I heard 73% of voters want Medicare left alone. And Romneyhood wants to raid it.
I'll repost this again, I'd really like a response from one of you right-wingers...
What's the deal with Ayn Rand's philosophy now being accepted (like it ever wasn't) as a major influence to how Paul Ryan and others on the right want to legislate, after just a few months back falsely accusing Obama to be some follower of her beliefs. Rush, O'Reiley, every Fox talking head, every prominent republican, and all of you dweebs on here. Now your fully accepting of someone subscribing to her beliefs. The whole party, including you right-wing voters, are FLIP-FLOPPERS!
You people can't hold the same position for 6 months. Kind of clears up the reason you elect so many politicians who flip-flop their way through this political game.
Want to know where republicans stand on an issue? Just look to the negative accusations they try and push on to someone on the left.
Remember this Einstein:
So you know what you can do with your request.
President flip-FLOPPER
Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally.
Than just about every big business and corporation in the world is weak and failing. Debt isn't a sign of weakness or failing. If that were the case than everybody with a mortgage or a car payment is financially weak and failing. Debt doesn't make you weak, an inability to pay that debt does. Since the debt limit has been raised repeatedly by every president in modern history, please explain the difference with this particular president? Reagan raised the debt limit 17 times! When Obama is re-elected, and if the debt limit were raised still at the current pace, that would make 4 times total over 8 years.
Correction, when Obama is re-elected and if the debt ceiling is raised still at the current pace, that would work out closer to 3 times over 8 years, as the debate over raising the debt ceiling won't come to a head until the end of the year. But Reagan still stands at 17 times raising the debt ceiling.
And to keep things in context, I don't think anyone in their right mind would be in favor of raising the debt ceiling to cover invading another country, pay for prescription drugs at the highest possible cost, and finance a tax break on top of it, after you send checks out to every single American for $300-$600. You claim Obama is vote buying with his executive order on the children of illegal immigrants, what was Bush trying to buy from the American public.
No foresight or investment in America, but a public financial incentive to allow them to raid the country's money for their self-serving interest.
Probably need to change your name from BrainCandy to BrainWashed.
And exactly how many times will Romney/Ryan raise the debt-ceiling to pay for their new tax rate for the wealthy on top of the Bush tax BREAKS they want to make permanent for the wealthy.
I can just see Mitt and Paul at the local Flip-Floppers Anonymous meeting...
Leader - Are there any new members here tonight?
Romney - I'm any old member, my name's Mittens - but I brought a new member with me...
Ryan - Hi, my name's Paul and I don't know why I'm here... I won't cut Medicare and Obama's stimulus was wasteful government spending that I find un-American...
Members - Hi Paul...
This sounds typical of the BS that Obama and his minions continue to put out. When you don't have a solid record on your own, attack the opposition, especially when they don't deserve it. If you tell a lie enough times, some people will begin to assume it to be truth.
The american people must be brain dead. I mean, I demand an eeg, apnea test and calorics. Maybe the voters organs can be saved, but his brain is hopeless.
How else is one to explain even seriously reconsidering reelection for an individual with Obama's record?
For that matter, how did he get into the white house in the first place?
One can sort of excuse succumbing to a fraud once, but TWICE? That's like the Titanic backing into the iceberg for seconds as it's taking on water.
The republican plan is simple. "I've got mine" now go get your own. Selfishness is there template. I wish reporters would start calling them out on this. Ask a question about something and get an answer, if they don't answer or tell you something you know not to be true call them out on it. If they still dance around it, cut them off and leave.
What I have read from several news sources is the president’s health care plan cuts more than $700 billion mostly out of the Medicare Advantage program, which affected insurance companies and hospitals rather than beneficiaries.
Where Mitt's & Ryan's plan you get a voucher and pay $6000.00 and up for insurance that you have to buy.
They are treating SS and Medicare like is welfare. To the people that are financially set, good for you. This is something that people have paid into for 30-50 years. A majority of people need this to get by or need it because they can not afford anything else. That's why it was setup!
And the Obama plan is simple.
Athens, Greece. Drive everything bankrupt & have "his people" outside setting the cities on fire.
At least Ryan has a plan.
That is, a plan other than certain bankruptcy.
Who cares whether he flips & flops.
Well, that's the pot calling the kettle black or vice versa. BO has changed his jargon so many times in order to look good that he has no integrity at all. Most politicians are liars, and BO takes the gold medal.
There is a difference in changing your mind and lying. BO is a liar.
have you already quit your day job?