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December 12, 2011 09:41 PM UTC

"Senior" Astroturf Front Group Thanks Tipton For "Protecting" Medicare

  • 14 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

The greatest thing since Democrats for Nixon–the Colorado Independent’s John Tomasic:

Freshman Colorado Congressman Scott Tipton received an award recently for his work in support of senior citizens from a group called RetireSafe. Tipton was one of 20 Republicans elected to Congress from swing districts to have received the award, according to RollCall, but the award was fake, or at least the group that gave the award was fake. RetireSafe is an industry front group run by Republican and conservative politics figures and founded by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to push policies that will boost industry profits…

“Local news reports and campaign advertisements trumpeted the awards…” RollCall writes, “providing these Republicans with valuable political cover for supporting controversial bills, such as the budget proposed by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that would have dramatically revamped Medicare.”

…Matt Inzeo, communications director for the Colorado Democratic Party, said the story demonstrated that Republicans like Tipton will have a very hard time this year selling their service-slashing pro-industry priorities to constituents.

“While Scott Tipton stakes his political future on fake awards from front groups, Colorado seniors know he pushed a raw deal on them by trying to turn Medicare into a voucher program,” Inzeo wrote in an email. “Tipton can’t paper over the fact that he would hike seniors’ health care costs by over $6,000 a year, and this charade shows that lame attempts to hide the facts will quickly backfire.”

We’re not so sure this kind of thing generally backfires, in fact it will at least sow confusion among voters about Rep. Scott Tipton’s record on Medicare–and for the very lowest-information voters, well, why wouldn’t they believe it?

It will insult the intelligence of those who know the facts, but that’s not who it’s aimed at.

Comments

14 thoughts on ““Senior” Astroturf Front Group Thanks Tipton For “Protecting” Medicare

  1. But enough about astroturf. Let’s talk deception!

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/

    Inserting the words “for the wealthy” was interesting phrasing by the president, since he suggests these tax cuts were intended to benefit only the rich.  

    The bulk of the 2001 tax cuts were marginal rate cuts, which extended to all taxpayers, while the 2003 tax cuts included a reduction in taxes on dividends and capital gains.

    But the 2001 tax cuts also included tax changes that benefited the middle class, such as a reduced marriage penalty and expanded tax credits, along with an instant tax rebate. Still, it is correct that most of the benefits of the tax cuts flowed to the wealthy (who, let’s not forget, pay the largest share of income taxes).

    Obama has said repeatedly he wants to keep the Bush tax cuts for people making less than $250,000; he wants to reinstate higher tax rates only for the wealthy. (In fact, he would retain about 70 percent of the overall tax cut.) But he should not suggest that the Bush tax cuts were aimed only at the wealthy, since that is not correct.

    Where’s the Pols blog about “Both Ways Barry?”

    One more thing: PhRMA supports Medicare, especially Part D for obvious reasons. This award was for protecting Medicare Part D, and this sounds much less evil, and in fact quite legitimate, once you know that. The truth is, the Ryan Plan does not “destroy” Medicare, it saves Medicare. What it does not do is conform to the Democrat worldview that the state must provide all services to a dependent class. There are many views on reforming healthcare, and no one should assume that theirs is the only one.

    Unless you’re a “low information” Democrat.

    1. “intended.”  As in, Cheney also threw a few bucks at the middle and working classes so no one could ever say that those tax cuts were only “intended” to benefit the wealthy.

      Has anyone ever told you that you’re funny?

    2. where were you on the Newt the serial liar and cheater v Romney the guy so o rolling in it he makes casual 10K bets thread?

      This is pretty much preaching to the already on board grumpy old righties choir but there’s no astroturf group that can rival the ability of AARP to get a message out to seniors. They pretty much have everybody’s contact info.

      And we already know what the majority of seniors think of a voucher program that puts them at the mercy of private insurers under no obligation to provide decent coverage for the amount of the little voucher/discount coupon: The overwhelming majority thinks it stinks.

      1. Is ridiculous. You’re grasping at straws if you think that will hurt Romney.

        As for Gingrich, I just commented about this. Smart Republicans are not dissuaded, and know that Romney is the only one who can win.

        1. you don’t have anything. The GOP positions on social seciruty and medicare are big, big losers with the public. You don’t talk about that because you know that’s true so you just grasp for another talking point straw and then do the mature I’m rubber you’re glue thing. You are the most pathetic shill your party has produced yet.

  2. Medicare  doesn’t do that.  It provides affordable insurance to the seniors the private insurers refused to cover before the advent of this program. Private insurers now find policies that work in conjunction with medicare to be  profitable. Replacing medicare with vouchers would once again put decent coverage out of reach for most seniors and they know it.

    That’s why these GOP plans are so unpopular, even with more affluent seniors.  It’s a giant flop for the same reason GW’s plan to privatize social security was a giant flop.  Everybody knows “privatize’ in this context means “kill”. And everybody knows “kill” means “You’re on your own, enjoy the cat food and please die when you get old and sick”.

    It’s hardly as if you can point to a golden past when, without social security or medicare, Americans lived longer, healthier, more comfortable, dignified lives. Shorter and uglier is the unfortunate historical reality.  

  3. well-produced and expensive mailers in Tipton’s district extolling his yoeman’s service to “save Medicare.”

    At a town hall meeting in Grand Junction earlier this year, Tipton went on and on to a mostly older crowd about how he would protect their Medicare and fight against cuts.

    It’s all bullshit, but effective bullshit.

  4. because every time someone tries to tell me that Paul Ryan has received more than 2.1 million in campaign contributions from health insurers, I just clasp my hands over my ears…

    I am also a ” low information ” Democrat because I believe that cutting medicare from those who need it to finance a regressive tax cut for those who don’t is

    “saving medicare”.

    I’m not really down with “the info” out here in neener neener land.

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