A fascinating conversation between Dick Morris and Greta Van Susteren on Friday: VAN SUSTEREN: You know, this is not a give and a take in a debate. This is -- this is really -- this is insulting. MORRIS: And their emotion is understandable. Somebody is trying to take away their health care. This program of the administration's is the repeal of Medicare. That's all it is. They have... MORRIS: And the -- there's a commission that's set up in the executive branch to cut Medicare. That's what it's charged with. And because they know the cuts are going to be unpopular and they know people will oppose it, they're providing these cuts take effect automatically unless they're overridden by Congress, and they know that'll never happen. And then on top of that, they're expanding coverage by 50 million people with no extra doctors. That means rationing, and that obviously means the elderly are not going to get the medical care they need. Those demonstrators are right. [. . .] But the real thing that's bothering Obama and the Democrats is not the poll numbers. They can tolerate bad poll numbers. It is the block voting of senior citizens against this package. The Democratic Party is composed of building blocks, interest groups. Republicans aren't. They're just a group of people who think the same on issues. But Democrats are blacks, plus Hispanics, plus women, plus young people, plus labor unions, plus the elderly. And when one of those blocks turns against what the Democrats are doing, the party gets scared to death. And right now, senior citizens are by more than 20 points opposed to this program. And that is why the program may be defeated because they know that if they lose the elderly, they lose them forever. They won them over Social Security, now they'll lose him over the repeal of Medicare, and they're not prepared to do that. That's why the meetings are so important. Right now, this issue is at the cusp, 50 percent pass, 50 percent fail. I don't know which is going to happen. The compromises don't mean anything because they still will have rationing and Medicare cuts. In fact, the Blue Dogs want to cut Medicare by more. The key thing right now is to get the elderly to speak up for their medical care because for them, this is not an issue of taxes or costs, this is a matter of life and death literally! MORRIS: I think the 270 Democrats should get on a plane and take a junket to Europe and go sun themselves on a beach because if they show up in their districts, they're going to get clobbered. And I think the point is that they're learning that. And I think that this is creating a massive grass roots movement that has the White House terrified. And I think that there's a very good chance that the elderly may save their own Medicare system, thank the Lord! VAN SUSTEREN: Well, it's sort of interesting looking at the protesters -- (INAUDIBLE) calling them protesters, I guess really they're sort of passionate voters. I don't know if they rise to the level of protester. Maybe if you get a sign, you're a protester. I don't know. But how different from what protesters usually look like. You know, you think of protesters usually looking like -- you know, usually the younger population. MORRIS: Hey, Greta... VAN SUSTEREN: This is very different. MORRIS: ... these are the same guys you had in the '60s. They're just 70 now. (LAUGHTER) VAN SUSTEREN: Well, except that some of the people -- some of the people who are complaining about the protesters are former protesters themselves. MORRIS: That's right. VAN SUSTEREN: And suddenly, they don't -- they're not quite as enamored with the 1st Amendment when -- you know... MORRIS: This is just Woodstock grown up, you know? (LAUGHTER) VAN SUSTEREN: I guess so. It's grown up. Maybe we need a little music with it. But anyway... MORRIS: But you know, it's so important that they get the facts on what he's doing. And that's why my wife and I wrote "Catastrophe," our book, chapter four has all of these facts. People need to read it, write their senators, write their congressmen. Don't e-mail them, write them, hand write it. Buy a postage stamp. These guys are not high-tech. Write them, tell them what you think. And even if you have a liberal senator, Barbara Boxer, write her because it makes all kinds of difference how many members of the caucus are getting deluged with mail. Drown them! VAN SUSTEREN: I think... MORRIS: You won't have a shot in September. Do it now!
About those Medicare cuts, a few articles that highlight what they'll mean to the elderly:
Longterm-care-coalition decries Medicare cuts
Medicare cuts will cause many cancer centers to close
Medicare targets cancer patients' radiation therapies for a 20% cut
$16 Billion in Medicare Cuts Over 10 Years in CMS Final Rule Will Hurt Jobs & Seniors’ Care
Of course they all have an ax to grind. But these are the kinds of things seniors are worried about, with good reason.
Cutting Medicare to pay for its monster big brother ObamaCare makes no sense on the face of it. If the similar but much smaller system is fiscally unsustainable and unable to meet the goal of "quality healthcare for all," how can the super-sized version succeed, especially if it has to leech off the smaller system? Sigh.
Morris is right. ObamaCare means the end of Medicare. As seniors discover this they become vocal.
The cuts to Medicare are being put in place and senior citizens are fighting for access to medical treatment.
We're at the cusp and things could go either way.
Write, using paper and envelopes, to your representatives, and do it soon.
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