Democrats’ rallying cry on deficit talks couldn’t be clearer: It’s the elderly, stupid.
That means Medicare benefits are off-limits, a message that Democrats plan to reinforce at every opportunity through November 2012. With Republicans demanding trillions in cuts to raise the debt limit, however, savings are going to have to come from somewhere. The most logical option left is Medicaid, a favorite conservative target whose low-income recipients carry little clout in Washington compared to Medicare’s elderly and middle-class base.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=110464