Running Scared

Running scared is the lesson of the day for the GOP. On Thursday, May 5, 2011 Reuters reported that House Republicans were planning to back off their postal two genetically change the way Medicare and Medicaid works. They plan originally called for phasing out the program over time and replacing it with a program where future retirees would have to purchase a private plane. It seems as though Republicans are smarter than I thought. When you mess or even think about messing with Medicare or Medicaid the American people are going to come down on you like white on rice.

I don't understand why so hard for the GOP to get it. Republicans over the years has made multiple attempts to dismount Medicare, Medicaid, and during the Bush administration Social Security. They still think that completely eradicating these programs is good for the country. A better idea for the country is cutting government subsidies to oil companies. But when you are the party of the rich and big business you seem to want to do these things. The Reuters article pointed out that the Medicare and Medicaid proposal would never make it through the democratic controlled Senate and could be a potentially politically potent weapon for Democrats to use against Republicans in the 2012 election. Talk about stating the obvious, if I were a Democratic strategist I would tell the party that they should take the issue of Medicare and Medicaid and use it as a bat to knock the crap out of Republicans in the 2012 election.

The good news for Democrats is that they have already started according to the same article Democrats have been running ads pointing out that while the GOP opposes more taxes oil and gas industry they are more than ready to write major overhauls to Medicare and Medicaid. They are even referring to the GOP as the "gas and oil party." To me that sounds like a very good description of group of people who would rather eliminate taxes for an industry that is making record profits then protect those institutions that actually help people who are in need of dollars to pay for their prescription drugs and other medical needs.

As these last few weeks have demonstrated there is too much at risk for the American people not to keep the Republican Party in check. Left to their own devices as they have said they are more than willing to eliminate Medicare, Medicaid, and even Social Security. They are more than willing to cut other social programs which are critical to the revitalization of the American economy. Such popular programs like unemployment insurance, community block grants and funding for higher education. The GOP would rather give more tax cuts and other benefits to their friends on Wall Street and their masters from the oil and gas industry.