Democrats Fail to Get Boost From Ryan’s Medicare Plan

Democrats’ hopes that they could use Paul Ryan’s views on Medicare against the GOP presidential ticket and congressional candidates have been dashed.

The GOP vice presidential nominee and House Budget Committee chairman proposed a Medicare voucher system as part of his budget plan in Congress. Democrats thought they could use the idea to scare senior citizens with the idea that Mitt Romney, if elected president, would implement Ryan’s idea and eviscerate Medicare.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel called the plan a “majority maker” for the party in Congress.

But Politico notes that Democrats don’t appear even close at this point to winning the 25 seats they need to re-take control of the House.

This is true despite the fact that Democrats have launched television ads in congressional districts around the nation focusing on the Ryan plan and portraying Republicans as heartless automatons who would eliminate entitlement programs.

“Democrats took a chance and played the only wild card they had to fulfill their dreams of taking the majority, and it has fallen flat,” Andrea Bozek, a National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman, told Politico.

By the accounting of Real Clear Politics, Republicans lead Democrats 226 to 183 in House races, with 26 toss-ups. In the Senate, Real Clear says Democrats are now set to control 46 seats after the election, compared to 43 for Republicans, with 11 of this year’s races a toss-up.