Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I don't know why they think this is a good idea, but Tea-Publican candidates around the country are replicating the Jesse Kelly "Grandpa Hank" ads we saw here in the special election in CD 8, apparently believing that trotting out their elderly relative somehow insulates them from having to defend their votes to "end Medicare as we know it" by voting for the Paul Ryan GOP Budget -- twice.
So how did that work out for Jesse Kelly? (Most of the people I talked to described the ad as "creepy"). The point of the ads are to have grandma/grandma say with a concerned voice, " You don't want to end Medicare do you (insert name here)?" To which the Tea-Publican candidate says "No grandma/grandpa, I don't want to end Medicare, I want to preserve it." (smile into the camera). That's a take.
They really don't respect the intelligence of older voters if they think this simplistic propaganda ploy is going to work.
We are about to see this strategy put to the test this weekend when the man who wants to kill Medicare, Paul Ryan, makes his first trip to God's waiting room in Florida -- with his elderly mother in tow to protect him. Ryan's Secret Medicare Weapon: His Mom - Washington Wire - WSJ:
When GOP vice presidential hopeful Paul Ryan visits Florida this weekend to discuss Medicare with senior citizens, he’ll bring along a secret weapon: his mom.
He’ll also be borrowing from the playbook of one of his House colleagues, Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada, who featured his own mother in pair of TV ads (here and here) that ran ahead of a special election last year and explained his support for the Ryan Medicare overhaul. Mr. Amodei’s successful strategy became a template of sorts for other Republicans to talk about Medicare.
Mr. Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who is the House Budget Committee chairman and Mitt Romney’s running mate, will appear at The Villages, a sprawling retirement development (pop. 51,000) in Central Florida, with his mother, Betty Douglas, who is 78 years old and lives in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea when she’s not in Janesville, Wis.
What fun it would be if just a handful of the 51,000 retirees grabbed some seats up close to the stage and during an appropriate spot in his speech stand up and shout "Get him!" I bet the boy genius would piss himself.
And let's be clear about his mother, Betty Douglas. She receives social security and Medicare because they are entitlement programs. She, like boy genius, have substantial inherited wealth from the family business. She does not need social security or Medicare. The same cannot be said for many who will be in the audience on Saturday.
Recent Comments