Some Seniors Worry Over Ryan Selection

Wall Street Journal ^ | August 12, 2012 | By ARIAN CAMPO-FLORES

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The news that Mitt Romney picked Rep. Paul Ryan, who has suggested changing Medicare, as his running mate sparked worries over the weekend among some residents at the Stella Maris retirement community in Miami Beach—concerns that could reverberate among seniors nationwide.

Nancy Scarchilli, a 92-year-old registered Democrat who is undecided this year, said Medicare "just paid a beautiful penny for my hospitalization" for heart failure, adding that she likes the program "the way it is."

Gisela Adán, another resident of the Stella Maris retirement community, said Saturday she relies on Social Security and Medicare but was unfamiliar with the details of Mr. Ryan's proposals. Regardless, she said, "I vote only Republican," so whatever the party proposes "is fine with me."

"I think Romney should have picked someone more middle-of-the-road," said Manny Meland, an 82-year-old independent who lives in Miami Beach. "I don't want [politicians] to rule with ideology. That puts me off."

Mac Williams, a 62-year-old independent who receives Social Security and lives in New Port Richey, north of Tampa, was similarly turned off by Mr. Romney's choice. "Ryan is entirely too extreme," he said. "I think Romney blew his chance of winning over independents."

On Saturday morning, as the news of Mr. Romney's choice circulated, Mr. Williams stopped at an Obama campaign office in the area and volunteered to help with its phone-bank operation. He said he had already been wary of Mr. Romney. But, he added, that morning's announcement was "like the last nail in the coffin."

[Common Sense 101]

Uh huh, right. You “seniors” better pull your collective heads out of your collective a$$es and start worrying about the future of healthcare with OcommieCare... some of those mythical “savings” come from withholding treatment from one particular age group... guess which one?

[originalbuckeye]

We must drive home the point that Medicare, as we know it, is going away anyway. The public must understand it is unsustainable. Meanwhile, I wouldn't put all my money on many seniors in Miami voting Republican anyway. Mostly, even though they may say they are Independents, they are really Democrats. Obama depends on the ignorance of the voting public. He knows that the lying ads will stick with some. He doesn't care if he lies. He knows that many will: 1. not care he's lying and vote for him anyway; 2. never hear the clarification and vote for him anyway or 3. hear the clarification and vote for him no matter what as they are died in the wool Democrats. He knows there are many in this country that want others to carry them financially. He knows there are many lazy, good-for-nothings who believe this country owes them a living. Unfortunately he is right about what the many believe as that is what the Democrat Party has been telling them. We are fighting for the hearts and minds of the majority. And it's a majority that has been dumbed down by our education system. Many agree with him on all points. Many want Socialism as they are either: 1. the masses who want someone else to carry them or 2. are bleeding hearts who think we are an evil country and the lazy should be carried. Either way we have a tough row to hoe.

[fireman15]

Senior citizens ought to be worrying about health care rationing after a quarter of our health care professionals decide to do something else with their time because of Obamacare.

My wife's eye doctor told her she should get her cataracts fixed now because in the future she expects they will only be allowed to fix one eye. She says she might retire once Obamacare kicks in. Our friend in Great Britain's husband died because he had to wait 3 years for a simple heart procedure that would have been scheduled in a week over here.

[tsowellfan]

Wasn’t this old argument worn out a dozen elections ago?

The dems are specifically targeting the Ryan Plan (now that he's been chosen as VP)

I'm surprised you weren't aware of this. We were all given heads up about the issues each possible VP would face by the dems if they were chosen.

Ryan - Medicare

Rubio - The credit cards scandal

and down the list... etc...

[Common Sense 101]

“I think Romney should have picked someone more middle-of-the-road,” said Manny Meland, an 82-year-old independent who lives in Miami Beach. “I don’t want [politicians] to rule with ideology. That puts me off.”

I realize Manny is 82, but exactly how many naps does one have to of taken over the last 3 1/2 years to have missed the jug-eared moron’s “ideology”. Geesh, what a dumba$$.

[Rusty0604]

If Medicare is going to be broke in just 12 years, it’s not just saving it for people in their 20’s it’s for people in their 50’s. I would like to just mail all these people the quote from Obama during the debate about raising the debt ceiling saying he doesn’t know if they can send out the next SS checks if we can’t borrow more money. Where’s the security?

[SoFloFreeper]

Arian Campo-Flores is apparently a journalist with a pro-Obamugabe agenda!

Lookee here:

"A new Gallup/USA Today poll contains a counterintuitive finding: the age group most receptive to House Budget Chair Paul Ryan‘s plan to deal with the budget – seniors."

source:

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2011/04/gallup-seniors.php

[TADSLOS]

Closing in on seniorhood myself and living in a retirement community, I can unequivocally say that the assertion of this article is pure bullcrap. The many seniors I know and associate with are as read in and aware of what’s at stake as any talkiing head or policy wonk group. Ryan doesn’t scare older Americans but Obama sure as HELL does.

[Conservative4Ever]

I caught this too...what an idiot.

[tsowellfan]

Stella; your 'Medicare is NOT going to change'; unless Obamacare prevails and it's author.

Repubs do need, quickly; 'education' ads; that run where the greatest number of Seniors can see them. A continuous loop; would be nice; albeit; we know; not financially, 'practical'. So much to undo; given the fear mongering of the Left.

Exactly!

Those who work Twitter may want to start here. The dems are now targeting Twitter to get out their false allegations...

https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23medicare

[skeeter]

Didn’t the “Affordable Health Care Act” the democrats just rammed through just completely loot Medicare?

[tsowellfan]

“I think Romney should have picked someone more middle-of-the-road,” said Manny Meland, an 82-year-old independent who lives in Miami Beach

For some reason I keep seeing the face of the man who accused Romney of killing his wife.

[AU72]

Some seniors worry over Obama being re-elected.

[tsowellfan]

Didn’t the “Affordable Health Care Act” the democrats just rammed through just completely loot Medicare?

$716 billion was last last number I heard which was stolen from Medicare to pay for ObamaCare.

[ecomcon]

Only if they listen to the media and not get the facts...

That is exactly what they do. They watch tv which is entirely liberal, but never actually watch Ryans video, which is really quite easy to do, and is full of facts. Such as nothing changes for 55 years and older.

I'm 52. I expect to get no SS at all unless the program is made solvent. I wonder if the 92 year old who received "the beautiful penny" understands that the payout probably exceeded the entire amount she paid into SS. For many, they may be receiving survivors benefits from their deceased husband, may have been a homemaker, and may have never paid a dime into SS themselves.

[nascarnation]

There will be two types of “senior” medical care as Obamacare matures.

Offshore clinics for the wealthy.
The best doctors will set up boutique clinics in the Caribbean, short flight from Florida.

And the rest get death panels.
Death panels are the unspoken key to fixing the huge Medicare and Social Security funding shortfalls.

So far Ms. Palin is the only one on our side who has effectively pointed this out.

[cricket]

A p.s. to Stella. . .With Obamacare; and at age 92 it is very unlikely; that you would have been a 'candidate' for anything in the way of 'health care benefits' for your ailing heart. Not even a 'trip' to the hospital. No; another pillow brought to you by a family member or friend.

(If 'Obamacare' brought that pillow; you would have to have someone present to insure that it is placed 'underneath' your head. . .)

All to say, Stella; if you like Medicare the 'way it is'; then support the Party that is trying to lesson the change; for current 'seniors'.

If Obama stays 'in'; you will be counted 'out'.

[DarthVader]

It is you should have seen size of the crowds that they had in VA yesterday. In Manassas they had a venue that could accomodate 12,000 and there was many many more than planned for. The overflow was greater than the crowd in the pavilion.

[chuckee]

Every single campaign stop and speech must begin with the sentence that “the reform does not apply to those over 55” until it sinks in with the general electorate. No discussion of medicare reform should be conducted by Republicans without that preface. It must be repeated over and over for the next 2 months to neutralize the distortions that will come from the other side.

[SamAdams76]

Unfortunately many of our senior citizens are stuck in old ways, still getting their information from the dinosaur media. They sit down for the 7 o'clock network newscasts from Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Peter Jennings and don't realize that the rest of America tuned them out 20 years ago and that if not for the loyalty of the senior citizen audience, the networks would be showing Jeopardy re-runs in those time slots instead.

So they tend to be very impressionable. Constantly falling for phone-scams ("I'm a friend of your grandson who is in jail and need your credit card number to bail him out - please don't tell his parents..."). So when the Democrats run ads about those evil Republicans that are going to push them off a cliff in their wheelchairs, they panic like cattle in a thunderstorm.

I agree the best way to get in front of this is to pre-empt the attack ads by getting our message out first.