This fact-check piece is about a series of lies Pat Boone is being paid to tell about Ryan’s plan to end Medicare. Not particularly interesting or remarkable: a conservative group (60 Plus) retained a paid hack to go out and spread the gospel.
But. This one lie he’s telling should probably get some attention, because I assume they’re going to cycle it into rotation again:
The claim: Boone also says Ryan is “not proposing to take $500 billion out of Medicare – that’s President Obama’s plan!”
Closer look: Actually, while Ryan would kill the health law, it would retain the $500 billion (over 10 years) in Medicare savings called for in the law, money that comes from cutting some payments to hospitals and cutting some funding from the Medicare Advantage program.
You all will remember this, I’m sure. Democrats didn’t really defend on this attack, because it is (mostly) true that Democrats shifted 500 billion in Medicare Advantage subsidies to the uninsured:
Last fall, Republicans spent millions on TV ads attacking Democrats for cutting Medicare. Those cuts—which reduced reimbursements to drug companies, hospitals and insurance companies and totaled about $500 billion over 10 years—were made to pay for the new subsidies to younger, uninsured Americans.
“Maybe Schauer’s trying to hide his own vote to cut $500 billion from Medicare,” said one typical television ad, this one targeting then-Rep. Mark Schauer (D., Mich.), who lost his re-election bid. “Let’s save Medicare, and cut Schauer.” Like others, this ad was paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee. A total of about $70 million was spent on TV ads attacking Democrats on Medicare, mostly for supporting the cuts in the health care law, according to tracking by Campaign Media Analysis Group.
This week, Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, released his budget proposal. It included a major restructuring of the Medicare program, and repealed much of the Democratic health care law. But his plan keeps in place the Medicare reductions.
500 billion less to Medicare Advantage and more uninsured.
The Political Nihilist Formerly Known as Kryptik
OT: Don’t look now, but everyone’s favorite “citizen journalist” just had his group cleared as a nonprofit.
No justice, I swear.
trollhattan
While it could be, er, risky I’d love to see a counter ad run featuring Little Richard.
“I see Pat’s still stealing after all these years. Wooooooooooooo!”
Hunter Gathers
These dipshits really don’t have else to go on, do they? I look forward to the ‘Obama pals around with terrorists’ meme to make a come back next year. Perhaps they can pair it with the ‘unexperienced’ meme as well.
MikeBoyScout
Wait.
I think you are saying that the Republican Noise Machine is blatantly lying and distorting easily discoverable facts.
I am SHOCKED!
kay
@The Political Nihilist Formerly Known as Kryptik:
It’s probably better. This way, he’ll have to provide some accounting of donor funds.
That’s not going to go well.
He’ll use “O’Donnell accounting”, I’m sure.
JWL
If Obama has lost Pat Boone, he’s lost America.
Jenny
Shorter gop response to losing NY-26: “I know you are, but what am I”.
beltane
For the first time in recent memory, it is the Republicans who have come up with a very confusing narrative in order to deflect from the fact that they are planning to default on the national debt and crash the world economy if their demands to eliminate Medicare are not met. Good luck with that.
The more I think about it, the more the GOP is starting to resemble the villain in an old James Bond film.
General Stuck
Wingnuts are coming fully unglued, after having grabbed the third rail and wrapped themselves up tight in it. I believe there exists a failsafe point whereas the extra credibility the white voting public always gives the GOP on everything, will be reached, to where enough swing voters and moderate conservative will finally make the conclusion that these fuckers are crazy as all hell right now, and not to be trusted with their vote.
There are many signs that is happening in polling, and wild rants like Pat Boone and others trying to extricate themselves from giving into to their urges to go full metal against the New Deal.
I only take comfort in the fact, that if I am wrong about that failsafe point, then we are doomed regardless, and might as well have a cup of tea and a donut.
unless and until something the dems do or allow to happen to medicare or SS that directly impacts, or cuts benefits, then it is all smoke and mirrors the wingers have. The ACA didn’t gut medicare, nor are there Death Panels. Seniors scare easy sometimes on these things, but once they figure out they are being lied to, take their revenge accordingly at the ballot box.
kay
@General Stuck:
Do you think it’s a wild rant? I don’t think he has any idea what’s in the PPACA or Ryan’s plan.
He’s a 60 Plus employee, and this is what he was told to say. He probably thinks it’s a reasoned argument.
Baud
The Republicans need to pass a law that would make it illegal for any Americans to get sick. Problem solved.
Martin
Actually, it’s not $500B less to Medicare Advantage because the $500B that HHS currently pays out annually in Part A, B, and D benefits effectively gets diverted into what becomes an expanded Part C system. So yeah, they cut $500B in outlays over 10 years by keeping the ACA bits, but end up diverting $5T over 10 years to those same insurers that are taking the $500B ‘hit’.
beltane
@General Stuck: The fact that they’re trotting out Pat Boone means they are starting to bleed part of their base of old, white Christians. They’ve already lost everyone else.
trollhattan
@beltane:
Maybe we can trap their jumpsuited butts inside their hollow volcano?
Just Some Fuckhead
This may be the first time Pat Boone isn’t singing the tune of the black man.
handy
@kay:
I’m just hoping they don’t ask him to cut a hip hop cover album. That would be another disaster.
El Cid
The 3 term Republican mayor of the mostly wealthy suburban town of Roswell, Georgia, really has taken the lessons of Bush Jr. and Greenspan to heart.
Now, more than ever, in your heart, you know he’s on the right.
See, in these times of economic troubles, Roswell has a $500K surplus.
Therefore, having a budget surplus means you’re stealing from the people. This was what Bush Jr. and Greenspan said regarding the Clinton-left surplus.
The presence of a surplus means you’ve taxed the people too much. Really. That was the argument. A key reason Bush Jr. used to cut taxes so drastically on the wealthy was that we had taken too much from them because look at all these unused dollars just sittin’ around waiting for gubmit byurocraps to steal ’em.
Well, I mean, the city of Roswell might have a surplus. They’re not sure yet. Because the full reporting of the county tax situation isn’t back yet. It might actually be less collected on the county level.
But, you know — why not fucking return that surplus to the people whether or not there is an actual surplus because who needs an extra $500K in tough budget times when these residents might see a property tax bill lowered by $12.
Fuck doing shit we couldn’t do but needed to do — we got all kind of people who could use $12. That’s like 2 Burger King combo meals — like with the nice Angus Fecal Combo.
What the fuck is a few more potholes being fixed compared to getting $12 less in taxes per year?
jl
I probably am missing something, but the charge Boone is being paid to repeat is bogus, and they way they are forced to phrase it gives away the bogosity:
“take $500 billion out of Medicare”
They can’t say ‘cut’ because what the Democratic policy did was take the money out of an ineffective program. If some hundreds of billions of dollars in the Medicare program were thrown into pit doused with gasoline and set on fire, a vote to end that program and use the money for something else could be called ‘taking money out of the program’ but it could not be called a cut in services.
The Ryan program keeps wasteful programs, and eventually reduces the value of Medicare voucher subsidies to zero.
So, I do not see why the Democrats should be afraid of this ‘take money out of the program’ nonsense.
What am I missing. If I were a Democrat, I would simply respond that we took the money out of corporate fat cat Medicare profiteers’ pockets. Ryan wants to end the program and sneakily take out money people need to cover their costs of care.
Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal
judas priest! pat boone has another thing coming
kay
@Martin:
That’s a remarkably informative paragraph, Martin, as usual.
Now I’m exhausted, just parsing that, and so ready to go on my Memorial Day break:)
I was out on state roads today, and everyone is pulling a boat, which means I must pass them. I’m amazed I got back here in one piece.
General Stuck
@kay:
Being a wild rant and coming from pre made talking points are not necessarily mutually exclusive. There are wingnuts saying all kinds of outlandish shit, even for them, these days. McConnell set off a firestorm with his couched rhetoric today, leaving an impression that the senate wingnuts will block the debt ceiling limit raising. When he was only talking about his vote. That is just incredibly “wild” and quite dangerous to the worlds economy, talking this way, from the party of business, when he is the leader of the senate repubs who do have the power to block such a raise. They are all talking out of their asses, from the unbelievable corner they’ve painted themselves into. And are quite dangerous, just like any cornered animal would be.
Dems are not going to hand over medicare though, but they might try some nuking of the debt limit law as unconstitutional, necessary to save the world economy. Now that is crazy.
Jenny
This is the final straw. I’m tossing out all my Debbie Boone memorabilia!
Cat Lady
@beltane:
I’ll bet most people over 65 are saying to themselves “Pat Boone is still alive?” I spend a lot of time around old people and they listen to their children, not some washed up shill. Most likely they think he makes good sausage products, and should stick to that/
Just Some Fuckhead
@Jenny:
Why? Because she refuses to put her father in a nursing home with a high mortality rate?
kay
@General Stuck:
I actually think Medicaid is safer than Medicare, because Medicaid (as it exists now) is so crucial and central to the PPACA.
And Obama (and Democrats) are never, ever going to give up that hard-won victory. They paid dearly for that.
MikeB
From the Ian Murphy/Buffalo Beast parody site http://www.janecorwin.org/
“Jane Corwin has been given an award by Pat Boone, spokesman for the 60-Plus association. Boone was a famous singer in the days before it was learned that music could convey human emotions.”
General Stuck
@kay:
Without well funded medicaid, we would have a small army of seniors kicked out of nursing homes and walking the streets and sleeping in cardboard boxes. With maybe little soylent green trucks patrolling for the ones that didn’t make it through the night. So I agree as much as I can at anything the wingers might do at this point in time.
kdaug
Wait – I thought these cuts were to “Medicare Advantage(R)”. If I’m not mistaken, that’s a for-profit private insurance add-on to vanilla Medicare, largely marketed by AARP.
If the “cuts” don’t abolish it entirely, they don’t go far enough in my book (kinda like Obama did with the school loan middlemen), but the salient point is that the Republicans are conflating Medicare with “Medicare Advantage(R)”.
Cute, and easy to see why people are misled, but it’s a goddamned lie.
eemom
Pat Boone, another for the why the fuck isn’t he dead yet list. What is he, 150?
bobbo
Pat Boone? I think Pat Sajak would make a better pitch-man.
lacp
So they’re drafting Pat Boone for Prez in ’12? Fuck me on toast; that’s a cunning plan to end all cunning plans. Then, again, Ronald Wilson Reagan……
kay
@General Stuck:
I think we should get to that next week, when I get back from my (monthly) 4 day vacation.
I skimmed the part of the Ryan plan for “dual eligibles” in Ryan’s plan (those people who receive both Medicaid and Medicare; nursing homes).
It looks draconian (and a little bizarre),just skimming. It’s explained in the CBO analysis.
kdaug
@Martin: Aaaand, my slow-typing/didn’t-read-all-the-comments/limited-information ass is once again upstaged.
General Stuck
@kay:
Have a nice fun holiday Kay, and try not to think of all this crap/ It will still be here when you return. :-)
Gravenstone
@eemom: It’s that deal with the devil, of course.
Martin
Oh, and to make clear the magnitude of the Medicare problem, and that Dems can’t do nothing:
There are 4 parts to Social Security/Medicare:
Old Age/Survivors (OASI)
Disability Insurance (DI)
Hospitalization Insurance (Part A or HI)
Supplemental Medical Insurance (Parts B and D or SMI)
OASDI is still adding to their trust at an okay clip. It pays out about 85% of what it brings in and banks the other 15%. So that’s an entitlement that’s not in bad shape.
DI pays out almost 25% more than it brings in. Its trust will be empty in about 7 years at the current rate.
Part A pays out almost 15% more than it brings in. Its trust will be empty in about 9 years at the current rate.
Parts B and D pay out only a few percent more than they bring in because Part B is means tested. That trust has maybe 15 years before it’s empty – it’s a very small trust because B is a much newer program than Part A.
Now, payroll taxes will recover as employment increases, but it’s not clear whether they’ll increase enough to put Part A back in the black. Those costs are rising quite fast. ACA eliminates about 25% of the long term structural deficit that Parts A, B, and D face. That deficit can increase or decrease based on employment, costs, and so on, but that’s what the experts expect will happen. That means that 75% of the problem remains. ACA should bring in more revenue to these programs through its various provisions, but some of that doesn’t start until 2014. It also should reduce costs, but some of that doesn’t start until 2014 either. There’s expected to be a period between 2014 and about 2020 where these programs run even or a slight surplus before they go back into the red. Rather than blowing up in 2017 or 2018 and not being able to pay out full benefits, Part A should now last until 2025 or maybe a few years longer. We still need to either increase revenues by about 25% or substantially cut the rate of cost growth.
There is no point beyond 2020 that Medicare (HI or SMI) is expected to break even, even after the boomers are dead. Something MUST be done soon, but there are some pretty reasonable options out there that don’t involve cutting services. The sooner we do something, the less extreme that ‘something’ will need to be.
beltane
@Cat Lady: My mother is 71 and she has always been a Beatles fan. I think the Republicans are appealing to voters who passed on a decade ago.
Martin
@kdaug:
No, there’s two programs that people commonly get mixed up.
Medicare Advantage (also known as Part C) is a private (could be for-profit or not-for-profit or non-profit) insurance plan that covers what Medicare A and B would cover and is funded by diverting what Medicare would have paid for services to buy you that policy. Part C used to pay out about 15% more than it brought in (it was supposed to be temporary in order to ‘jump start’ the program) but will pay out only what Medicare would have otherwise paid out, so it no longer costs the government more. Insurers that wish to offer Part C plans must get them approved by HHS, and HHS can terminate plans, ask them to be revised and cover more, etc. but they need to essentially cover what Medicare A+B covers. AARP does sponsor a Part C plan, offered by someone else. Most major insurers have Part C plans to choose from.
I think you’re thinking of what HHS calls ‘MediGap’ or what the TV commercials call Medicare Supplemental plans. These are plans that are completely independent of Medicare and provide coverage for stuff that Medicare A+B don’t cover. These plans don’t cost the government anything.
The savings to Part C are part of the $500B, but not all of it. There’s a whole bunch of different bits and pieces that add up to that $500B.
Failure, Inc.
I thought Boone died a few years back. Oh well.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Me, I’m waiting for Connie Francis to weigh in.
Death
@Failure, Inc.:
Nope, it’s next year.
DFH no.6
@General Stuck:
Well, as I’ve said (tiresomely, I suppose) I hope you’re right, and my skeptical take (that the fascists are taking a bit of a hit now – when we are far away from the 2012 elections – in order to advance their long game by “chipping away” at the welfare state/modern social compact in general) is wrong.
We’ll see. 2012 will be the proof of whether this is really a massive political blunder or a relatively minor tactical defeat – but long-term strategic victory – for Republicans. My bleeding heart truly, deeply wants the former; my nagging, pessimistic old head says the latter is, unfortunately, too likely.
Or maybe they’ll actually default on our sovereign debt in August, and we won’t have to wait for 2012 because after the world economy crashes hard and for good we’ll be living in a dystopian nightmare under a rightwing dictatorship, fighting off the hordes of zombie cannibals.
President-for-Life Palin, anyone?
Really, though, this is some serious shit. I like and support Obama – he really has to come through on this one and hold the line on Medicare, Medicaid, and SS. These cornerstone programs do not need to be compromised, period.
DFH no.6
@bobbo:
Careful. Sajak’s a full-fledged wingnut, too. You might get your wish.
Boone (and Sajak) look pretty silly to us, for good reason.
But the fascists will use all the angles they can, with many $$millions to spend in all directions to spin their shit into the appearance of gold, and a fully-compliant media helping wholeheartedly, to boot.
General Stuck
@DFH no.6:
Somebody has to expect the worst, Might as well be you.
Though I agree with the big picture long term assessment that we are generally spirally toward a dystopic disaster in this country, unless something gives, meaning a sizable portion of GOP voters are not completely crazy.
These are not only cornerstone programs for the nation of citizens, they are the bedrock of the dem party, its lifeblood. Go back and re listen to Obama’s last State of the Union speech, it might give some comfort.
edit – and Harry Reid was even more profound in his recent press conferences during the short term funding of the government, regarding hands of SS and medicare. nah gonna happen.
NobodySpecial
Nope. I expect the worst.
Democratic lawmakers have been shown time and time again that there is no penalty for moving with the rightwingers.
No, there will be public rage and threats, but that’ll be beaten down with talk of ‘center-right nation’ and ‘nothing can be done’ and ‘wasted effort’ fighting people on ‘our team’ when they vote for cuts. The apologists will be out in full force, and another piece of the New Deal will fade into the swamp when the likes of President Nelson get done pandering to the nutjob Tea Partiers.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@DFH no.6:
On Jeopardy last week, there was a category where celebrities described their favorite books. Sajak’s is Atlas Shrugged. Can you imagine the national economic and social meltdown if Pat Sajak took off for Galt’s Gulch? Vanna wouldn’t know which cubes to flip, amusing anecdotes about cats and honeymoon mishaps gone untold. The horror. The horror.
DFH no.6
@General Stuck:
You’re right. These programs are both the bedrock and lifeblood of our modern nation of relatively widespread prosperity, and of the Democratic Party itself.
I expect the Dems to fight hard for them. I just see the fascists winning – or at least, seldom losing – the message war with profoundly stupid messages that still resonate not just with their fascist base (as expected) but with a large enough portion of the low-information/politically shallow-minded “swing” voters to win elections and advance the fascist’s evil agenda.
Thus, the 2010 elections, for instance.
And the fascists are helped mightily by contemporary media, which sets the framework for acceptable discourse.
I was listening to Nice Polite Republican radio this morning, and it was all about how much a problem the federal debt is, and how federal spending is out of control, obviously, and how, of course, entitlements like Medicare and SS are a huge part of that problem, and so they have to be dealt with (i.e, cut back, at least). Either now or later, but much better now (in the middle of a nasty economic downturn, no less). It was enough to make you scream (and I finally turned the program off in disgust).
It was completely, 100%, rightwing frameworks. That’s the political sandbox we’re playing in.
The right just enjoys far more avenues to “catapult the propaganda” as some famous guy once put it (in an unusual moment – for him – of candor and lucidity). That’s why I’m guardedly hopeful but pessimistic.
DFH no.6
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Of course Pat Sajak’s favorite book is Atlas Shrugged.
No doubt he imagines himself as one of society’s indispensable “producers” because he’s wealthy. That’s all the proof anyone needs.
There really is no God. Or, as Mark Twain said, if there is, He’s a malignant thug.
And on that note, adieu (play on words intended).
Ruckus
@Cat Lady:
I thought the
winealcohol product they made on his farm was pretty good if you liked a nice hangover and didn’t mind drinking something that tasted like an 8 yr old’s chemistry set leftovers.Ruckus
What I like is that the money that is being spent to stop these programs probably comes from profits from the insurance industry and investors. They have this money to spend on all the repeal/curtail crap because they already made it from all the people they plan on fucking harder in the future for even more money.
Any other ideas where all the money comes from?
opie_jeanne
@beltane: but won’t some of those OWC’s remember and still resent Pat’s foray into the realm of Satan’s music?