Jack Kemp's old district in Republican reliable Snow Country is up for grabs in a special election next week.

This seat was a solid Republican seat for years. It voted twice for president George Bush and solidly for John McCain in 2008'

But it became vacant after incumbent Chris Lee decided he couldn't keep his shirt on (and probably his pants. He got caught responding to a personal ad from a woman on Craigslist . When she saw he was a married Congressman she submitted the evidence to Gawker. Lee quickly resigned .

Guv Cuomo called for a special election for May 24.

The candidates are :
Assemblywoman Jane Corwin (Republican)

Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul (Democrat)

'Buffalo Beast 'editor Ian Murphy (Green Party).He's the clown who prank-called Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker pretending to be David Koch.

Jack Davis ( a phony Dem who hijacked a place on the ballot under the 'Tea Party.')

This race is too close to call between Corwin and Hochul .It wouldn't be if Davis wasn't grabbing significant votes from Republicans who have not done their research to show he's a Dem in Tea Party clothing . Murphy is not really a factor.

This race has grabbed national attention because the Dems think they can pick the seat off. Money is now pouring in to the candidates .Madame Mimi and other prominent Dems have been in for fundraising and campaigning .The House crier ; Speaker Boehner has also come to the oft neglected region of NY .

Both major parties are spending a fortune now . The issues are Kathy Hochul's support for big government spending . Jane Corwin is accused of supporting the Ryan plan for Medicare . This could've been an early indicator of the national mood going into 2012 if it was a 2 party race.

Davis is a Dem plant taking advantage of NY's "liberal" use of 3rd party ballot slots.He's a fraud who is as much a tea party person as Chuck Schumer . Davis ran for office in 2004, 2006, and 2008 as a big government Dem.
The Tea Party Express got involved this week and formally is endorsing Corwin.Tea New York spokesman Rus Thompson says his group is backing Corwin. Truth told ,there is no tea party group that will endorse
Davis because he's a phony .

Davis has been endorsed by the local ACORN party, the Working Family Party. He is pro-abortion ,supports partial birth abortions.

Davis is calling for a new tariff program advocated by Keynesian lefty economist Paul Krugman. He is opposed to any
Entitlement reform at the federal level.

This race could've become a referendum on the Ryan plan or the Democrat big government approach .Instead it became a side show. The Tea Party needs to address this problem before the 2012 elections before anymore TINO's(teaparty in name only)hijack the name.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Davis has been endorsed by the local ACORN party, the Working Family Party. He is pro-abortion ,supports partial birth abortions.

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More tomder55 lies:
Jack on the Issues | Jack Davis for Congress | JackDavis.org

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I oppose partial birth abortion and all federal funding for abortion and agencies that provide abortion.

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Maybe the Washington Compost is lying too ?

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Davis favors gun rights and abortion rights.

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Who is Jack Davis? - The Fix - The Washington Post

Can you show me anywhere that I claimed he favored either partial birth abortion or funding Federal funding ? Answer NO

Go away .You have nothing to contribute.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Can you show me anywhere that I claimed he favored either partial birth abortion or funding Federal funding ?

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Sure - in your opening post:

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Davis has been endorsed by the local ACORN party, the Working Family Party. He is pro-abortion ,supports partial birth abortions

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Jane Corwin is accused of supporting the Ryan plan for Medicare

This race could've become a referendum on the Ryan plan or the Democrat big government approach .Instead it became a side show.

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Hello tom:

Couple things... She is accused of supporting it, because she SAID she did: the Ryan plan "protects Medicare".

And, it IS a referendum on the Ryan plan. The fact that it ISN'T a slam dunk for Republicans, in this SOLIDLY Republican district, tells you how popular the Ryan plan is.

excon

YouTube - Jack Davis on Late-Term Abortion

YouTube - Jack Davis on Federal Funding of Abortion

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The fact that it ISN'T a slam dunk for Republicans, in this SOLIDLY Republican district, tells you how popular the Ryan plan is.

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I'd believe that if Davis wasn't going peeling off about 20% of voters who think there is a TP candidate on the ballot.
Too bad... I would welcome a true campaign between 2 candidates with opposing views on the Ryan plan. Instead there is a trojan horse that will distort the results.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

I would welcome a true campaign between 2 candidates with opposing views on the Ryan plan.

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Hello again, tom:

It'll happen. Wait till 2012.

excon

Yes... it will not be this race . This posting is also a warning to people who think TP candidates represent their views just because they run on a TP line . This will be a problem in States like NY that usually allow multiple 3rd party slots on the ballot and relatively easy process for getting them on the ballot.
This guy is running as a Tea Party guy when he is clearly a rich Dem. In TP clothing . Actually he's like Donald Chump ;Republican-turned-Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-'Tea Party' candidate . He ran all his other races as a Dem.

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After three straight losses as a Democrat, Davis courted the right — though he’s provided no roadmap to explain his shift.

After failing to win the endorsement of either the Republican Party or the Conservative Party in this special election, Davis started a ‘Tea Party’ line.

Tea party activists were miffed; Davis never talked to them or asked for their support. He just got to the Board of Elections before they did. In New York, anyone who files 3,500 signatures to get their name on the ballot can create their own party line. (In New York, candidates can run on a variety of “lines”, allowing for multiple candidates on the ballot in a general election.)

Now, neither party wants him. When he went to the Republican Party in hopes of an endorsement this year, he shocked officials with his suggestion that Hispanic farmworkers be deported and replaced with inner-city African-Americans. (“We have to put the blacks back to work. If we had less immigration, we’d have more blacks working,” an unrepentant Davis told a local paper after the event.)

While Republicans have worked to paint him as a liberal Democrat and Democrats insist he’s a Republican at heart, Davis’ ideology is too inconsistent to be readily categorized. Davis favors gun rights and abortion rights. He’s also an outspoken immigration opponent and believes Mexican immigrants will start a new civil war.

But his real issue is free trade. Now 78-years-old and a life-long resident of western New York, Davis graduated from Buffalo University with a degree in engineering. He founded a silicon carbide heating elements company, I Squared R Element, in 1964. He was a Republican until about a decade ago; that’s when the decline of American manufacturing became his overriding concern. He was kicked out of a 2003 fundraising dinner with then-Vice President **** Cheney for raising the free trade issue. Soon after, he became a Democrat and started running for office.

He avoids actual campaigning. He’s refusing to participate in debates, as he did in his past bids. Last night he apparently hit a Republican volunteer trying to get him on videotape.

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Who is Jack Davis? - The Fix - The Washington Post

He will pick off enough votes to make this race close. The difference will not be the issues debated so any talk of this being an early indicator of 2012 is fanciful.

This special election is today. The question to decide is who killed or will kill Medicare as we know it ?

Is it Ryan and his proposal to reform Medicare ? Or it it Obama Pelosi ,Reid ,and their $575 billion in cuts from the program's funding over the next 10 years ? This at the same time Obamacare increases eligibility . So more seniors will be eligible and less $$ available for a program already on the ropes .
So who's really rolling grandma over the cliff ?
How will the shortfall be covered ? Well there is this thing called the Independent Payment Advisory Board who will decide if grandma should be covered . Do you think there decisions will be based on whether grandma needs the treatment ,or if the government program can pay for it?

The other issue here is a warning to any Republican who thinks it's a good idea to run an independent campaign in 2012.

Currently it looks like Democrat Kathy Hochul has a small lead going into the polling today in this traditionally Republican district. There is a false flag Tea Party impersonator on the ballot who will pick off enough votes from Republican Jane Corwin to possibly throw the election to Hochul.

Beware the trojan tea bag . It contains poison.

Oh yeah... one more.. a warning to Republican officials... keep your shirts on ,your hands to yourself ,and your privates in your pants . Dems can get away with that . Republicans can't .

Hello again, tom:

Given that the Tea Party Candidate has been found out, it really IS turning out to be a referendum on the Ryan plan. You and your minions can say it isn't.. In fact, I hope you do say that.

Plus, you blame the Democrats, but are unwilling to touch ANY of your rich supporters gold... I suppose I could say that it's THEM who are killing Medicare. Why not??

excon

Under the Ryan plan the rich have to pay more out of pocket. It's the people with less $$ who get the voucher benefit because they are individually risk-adjusted and the poor, who are in worse shape than the rich, will get bigger vouchers. Those who will have to pay more out of pocket will be the rich. . You know that and I know that.

Also the Ryan plan reduces or eliminates loop holes that favor the rich . Obama has done nothing about that except talk a great game.

The Dems.plan of demagoging this with 'Mediscare' may work in this race because there are too many Republicans who are not adequately coached or educated on the plan. That unforced error will be corrected by next year.

Hello again, tom:

You STILL are not addressing the 600 lb. gorilla in the room.. It matters NOT how many vouchers you give to the old and infirm, if there's NOBODY on the other end to take them. Without being forced, there's NO insurance company in the world who would WILLINGLY sell insurance to these sick and old people.. It's just not profitable.

Plus, IF, as you say, the vouchers WILL cover the needs of the old person so he DOESN'T have to go into his OWN pocket, Medicare ALREADY does that, and it does it CHEAPER than private insurance companies could.

The TRUTH of the Ryan plan, that YOU don't mention, is that EVERY old person will dig into his own pocket to cover the shortfall in his medical care. THAT is the PURPOSE of the program - to SAVE MONEY..

If, again, as you say, it's the RICH who are going to be bearing the burden of the Ryan plan, why don't you just TAX the rich NOW and leave Medicare alone?

excon

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Originally Posted by tomder55

there are too many Republicans who are not adequately coached or educated on the plan. .

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Or as my Dad always said, "not all republicans are idiots, but most idiots are Republicans". :)

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You STILL are not addressing the 600 lb. gorilla in the room.. It matters NOT how many vouchers you give to the old and infirm, if there's NOBODY on the other end to take them.

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I'll raise the 800lb gorilla... the service providers that are no longer taking Medicare patients.
When Doctors Opt Out - WSJ.com
When Obamacare begins reducing reimbursements more as a cost saving this will become a crisis .

BTW ;many seniors with preexisting conditions supplement their Medicare with private insurance already. How'd they do that ?

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Originally Posted by tomder55

BTW ;many seniors with preexisting conditions supplement their Medicare with private insurance already. How'd they do that ?

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Hello again, tom:

Uhhh, because the LAW makes 'em. There AIN'T no physical for ANY Medicare supplemental policy. But, they ain't complaining... This is a gimme program, cause they're WELL subsidized to make up for the profits they DON'T get from selling insurance...

excon

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Originally Posted by tomder55

BTW ;many seniors with preexisting conditions supplement their Medicare with private insurance already. How'd they do that ?

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My husband had stent surgery last year. It came to $82,000+. He was just past his 65th birthday. Medicare picked up all but $1,200. The insurance he has through his former workplace, which had paid for a bypass about eight years ago, refused to pay anything.

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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

My husband had stent surgery last year. It came to $82,000+. He was just past his 65th birthday. Medicare picked up all but $1,200. The insurance he has through his former workplace, which had paid for a bypass about eight years ago, refused to pay anything.

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Holy crap! Here your costs would be for extras like a private room, no other costs involved.

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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

My husband had stent surgery last year. It came to $82,000+. He was just past his 65th birthday. Medicare picked up all but $1,200. The insurance he has through his former workplace, which had paid for a bypass about eight years ago, refused to pay anything.

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I'd be willing to bet Medicare didn't pay almost $81k, they pay according to a fee schedule. So how much did the providers write off?

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

I'd be willing to bet Medicare didn't pay almost $81k, they pay according to a fee schedule. So how much did the providers write off?

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Providers? The paperwork said Medicare paid it.

That site is for physician fees. His cardiologist accepts Medicare reimbursement, so he charged accordingly.

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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

Providers? The paperwork said Medicare paid it.

That site is for physician fees. His cardiologist accepts Medicare reimbursement, so he charged accordingly.

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He can bill whatever he wants - he can only collect what Medicare allows. That is why so many doctors have jumped ship on Medicare because it doesn't pay enough.

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

He can bill whatever he wants - he can only collect what Medicare allows. That is why so many doctors have jumped ship on Medicare because it doesn't pay enough.

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Yes, he accepts Medicare assignment, thus he bills only what he knows Medicare will pay. Btw, he's one of the top cardiologists in this county. But much of that bill was for hospital charges.

My husband got an itemized bill. Amazing what certain things supposedly cost. Next time we will supply our own from home and save money.

Doctors have jumped ship because they are greedy. One of my oncologists pushed meds on me (that I refused). I found out later she would receive a percentage from the pharmaceutical company for having gotten me on that drug. I'm guessing that's s.o.p.

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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

Doctors have jumped ship because they are greedy. One of my oncologists pushed meds on me (that I refused). I found out later she would receive a percentage from the pharmaceutical company for having gotten me on that drug. I'm guessing that's s.o.p.

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Pharmaceuticals, that's a whole new topic. But, my wife has been in medical billing for a long time. Doctors have a lot of expenses, malpractice insurance for example, and they deserve to get paid well for all they've done to get where they are and considering the risks of the profession, the hours they put in, etc. Medicare doesn't pay what they're worth.

Hello again,

So, whaddya know about that? Any Republican who ties his future to the Ryan plan will most likely go down in flames...

excon

Maybe ,but I see this as a repeat of NY 23 special election 2009 .
That was also a Republican seat that went Dem . The only difference was in that race the Republicans picked a RINO who eventually withdrew and gave her support to the Dem Owens. She still managed to pick off enough Republican votes to swing it in Owens favor.

Yesterday Davis got almost 10 % of the vote . But the voters who threw their support to him are Republicans who want to construct all types of trade barriers ,or got fooled by the phony tea party banner he ran under.

Back in 2009 the national press jumped on that Republican reversal and was quick to point out that demonstrated the national mood ,and that the Republican's goose was cooked in 2010.
How'd that work out ?

If you can find a similar 3 way race in 2012 ,be my guest to apply any lesson learned from this contest. What this should be is an eye opener to the TP. They should make sure they control the party label and not let it get hijacked by a trojan horse. They should also consider a similar strategery by running a phony on the Greens or Peace party or something similar.

There is also another lesson here. Jane Corwin is a NY establishment Republican. It may very well be the weakest Republican party nationwide. They had a chance to nominate conservative Iraq war vet David Bellavia .I believe he would've been the stronger candidate. To paraphrase the President... nominating her was 'bringing a knife to a gun fight'.

The national GOP was just as lame. Johnny Bonehead got interested in the race far too late and let the fake TP dude and the Dems outspend the GOP . Perhaps he thought the district insignificant .He's wrong .Now going into 2012 Hochul will be the incumbent . It will be her seat to lose.

As for Medicare. The Republicans do need to fine tune the message and the need for their reform ,and to effectively counter Democrat Mediscare tactics. Perhaps the American people aren't ready to tinker with the nanny state. Eventually they will have no choice. We may need to be dragged kicking and screaming like the Greeks. Ryan is trying to avoid that economic hair cut .

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Ryan is trying to avoid that economic hair cut .

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Hello again, tom:

IF the public believed that, then this race would have turned out differently... We've discussed this before, but, according to the Republicans, the last election was about jobs, jobs, jobs.. Then as soon as they had a chance, they slammed their social programs down our throats. THAT didn't go unnoticed...

IF the public believed the Ryan plan was TRULY about the deficit, then EVERYTHING would have been on the table... Instead, it looked like they were pursuing an agenda instead of a balanced budget. REFUSING to tax the rich didn't go unnoticed.

You say the nation isn't ready to give up the nanny state... If the Republican fix is to DISMANTLE the nanny state, I agree. But, if the fix is SHARED sacrifice, who knows? Nobody ASKED that question yet.

excon

Let's see the Dems propose tax reforms that are based on shared sacrifice and we'll see. But that isn't what they want . They want to fleece the people who already pay the most Federal taxes at a time when they know tax increases are counter productive if your goal is jobs jobs jobs.

Hello again,

Just watched Paul Ryan on Morning Joe. He sounds like the Democrats who were saying that when the public actually LEARNS what's IN the HEALTH CARE bill, they'll love it...

Ryan STILL believes, in the face of the defeat last night, that when the public actually LEARNS what's IN his bill, they'll love it...

Guess what?

excon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tomder55

They want to fleece the people who already pay the most Federal taxes at a time when they know tax increases are counter productive if your goal is jobs jobs jobs.

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Hello again, tom:

No, they don't know it... Wall Street just enjoyed their BEST year in a LONG time. They had the present Bush tax rate for the last 8 years, and didn't produce any new jobs.. In fact, the OPPOSITE happened...

You SAY I want to fleece the rich... I SAY you want to throw granny off the cliff. There's a deal somewhere in the middle that'll save us. That is if any politician has the balls to do it.

excon

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They had the present Bush tax rate for the last 8 years, and didn't produce any new jobs.. In fact, the OPPOSITE happened...

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Hard to say that when American business pays the highest rate in the industrial world .
Tax the evil rich... the evil rich with their mobile money go elsewhere.

The Dems used all hands on deck to eeek this one out . Let's see that effort duplicated around the country next year. They are going to need every penny of the President's $billion in campaign funds.

Compromise... hummm just saw the gang of 6 breakup and reunite for another go of it. No one expects anything from them. The Biden (watching expenses like a hawk) group takes turns waking him up... haven't heard anything constructive from them . The last compromise I saw the Dems do was that dead of the night game played to pass Obamacare... adding to our already unsustainable entitlements.

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Originally Posted by excon

I SAY you wanna throw granny off the cliff. There's a deal somewhere in the middle that'll save us. That is if any politician has the balls to do it.

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Obama is already throwing granny off the cliff with his Medicare cuts and unaccountable health boards.

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

Obama is already throwing granny off the cliff with his Medicare cuts and unaccountable health boards.

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Hello Steve:

Well, I see you're in no mood to make a deal..

excon

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Originally Posted by excon

Hello Steve:

Well, I see you're in no mood to make a deal.

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What, looking for an MVP to rescue your middling team?

The season is still young yet, and hot bats cool off sooner or later.

And Ryan's plan is just a back door effort to repeal Obamacare, and let Insurance companies get back control over who lives, and who doesn't. Funny how the cuts to Medicare were directed at administrative costs for Medicare advantage and not in services for seniors.

He may call it premium support, but it shifts financial burden from government to seniors. A smoke screen for not making jobs, or putting everything on the table for budget considerations.

Gee Steve, he is talking about your future finances, not mine. You better count your money now, or suffer later. Granny won't be the only one going over the cliff, you will be next.

Oh my, Bill Clinton and Paul Ryan on the same page about Medicare?

Bill Clinton to Paul Ryan on Medicare Election: ‘Give me a Call’

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The day after the stunning upset in the special congressional election in upstate New York, Rep. Paul Ryan is a man under fire.

But ABC News was behind the scenes with the Wisconsin Congressman and GOP Budget Committee Chairman when he got some words of encouragement none other than former President Bill Clinton.

"So anyway, I told them before you got here, I said I’m glad we won this race in New York," Clinton told Ryan, when the two met backstage at a forum on the national debt held by the Pete Peterson Foundation. But he added, “I hope Democrats don't use this as an excuse to do nothing.”

Ryan told Clinton he fears that now nothing will get done in Washington.

“My guess is it’s going to sink into paralysis is what’s going to happen. And you know the math. It’s just, I mean, we knew we were putting ourselves out there. You gotta start this. You gotta get out there. You gotta get this thing moving,” Ryan said.

Clinton told Ryan that if he ever wanted to talk about it, he should “give me a call.” Ryan said he would. Watch it here.

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Bill Clinton: We’ve Got to Deal with Medicare

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Former President Bill Clinton, still widely considered one of his party’s foremost politicians, said on Wednesday that Democrats should cut a “reasonable” deal with Republicans on Medicare savings rather than conclude from Tuesday’s upset in a special Congressional election that bashing Republicans on the issue is the key to a party comeback in 2012.

Mr. Clinton’s message, while more politically pointed, followed similar comments on Wednesday morning from Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner as both responded to a Democrat’s victory in a conservative district in upstate New York. The race turned on House Republicans’ budget plan to replace Medicare with a voucher system and dramatically reduce future federal health-care spending.

“You shouldn’t draw the conclusion that the New York race means that nobody can do anything to slow the rate of Medicare costs. I just don’t agree with that,” Mr. Clinton said at a budget forum sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Instead, he said, “you should draw the conclusion that the people made a judgment that the proposal in the Republican budget is not the right one. I agree with that.”

But Mr. Clinton said he feared that Democrats would conclude “that we shouldn’t do anything.”

“I completely disagree with that,” he said. “I think there are a lot of things we can do to bring down Medicare costs.”

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The Dems won't care, they've already bought into Mediscare as the campaign tactic of choice.

It was an issue last election cycle when Obama said lets do something, and the Republicans sat on there asses, and made it an issue with lies, and rhetoric about killing grandma. Now they turn around, and beyatch about the same thing being done to them. What's good for the goose..!

The repubs refused to vote, but Obama care is half Republican amendments. Still they cry foul!! That's what compromise is about good ideas from both sides, but they made it an issue because an election was coming up, and power was all they cared about, not policy.

We have a law, lets work with it, make it work for every body. Conservatives need to stop acting like Rush Limbaugh, and get with the program. Why do the righties hate America so much??

I'm sorry for your loss in NY. The voters have spoken.

No loss, a step closer to single payer, and Universal Medicare for every U.S. citizen.

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Obama care is half Republican amendments

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Not even close ,and the amendments are periferal . Clintoon's point is sound. The Dem talking point about saving Medicare "as we know it " is a mute point . It fundamentally changes under Obamacare with government command and control ;or it changes with market based programs ;or a combination of both . That is the debate going forward .

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Originally Posted by talaniman

We have a law, lets work with it, make it work for every body. Conservatives need to stop acting like Rush Limbaugh, and get with ethe program. Why do the righties hate America so much????

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Dude, Republicans were virtually locked out of any discussions. That's not compromise.