Medicare, Social Security enter CD 2 race
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, September 20, 2012..........The battle over Medicare and Social Security moved to a North Florida congressional district Thursday, as Republican Congressman Steve Southerland and former state Sen. Al Lawson, his Democratic challenger, traded accusations over the future of the programs.
The charges began with a Thursday morning event, when Lawson and Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith met with a handful of supportive seniors to highlight Southerland's backing of GOP budget proposals that critics say would essentially turn Medicare into a voucher system.
Southerland supported a budget crafted by Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, now the running mate for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Democrats have seized on the Ryan plan in an attempt to drive a wedge between Republicans and seniors, even though Ryan and others repeatedly stress that the changes would not affect anyone over 55.
Lawson did not propose an alternative to the Ryan plan during the event or while speaking to reporters afterward. But Lawson said he believed that a new approach could allow leaders in both parties to work together and find a way to salvage it.
"If you change the way you do business in Washington, the program will be saved," Lawson said.
He also underscored Republican efforts to partially privatize Social Security after the 2004 elections -- efforts that fizzled in the face of sometimes bipartisan opposition and have been largely ignored since the financial crisis in 2008.
"The Democrats made a great decision by not going along with that," Lawson said. "Even many of the Republican congressmen today recognize the fact that that would have been a very poor and bad decision."
Seniors in the room seemed to be worried that they would be affected by the Ryan plan -- but also said the idea that they wouldn't be is little comfort.
"Well, I care about my children and grandchildren," said Barbara DeVane, with the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans.
Lawson also shrugged off the distinction while speaking with reporters.
"But it's still changing the game," he said. "It doesn't make any difference whether they're 55 or 65; the Ryan plan is about changing the game."
Southerland spokesman Matt McCullough slammed Lawson in response to the event, pointing to Lawson's support for the 2010 health-care overhaul, part of which restrains the growth in Medicare in future years. Supporters insist that won't affect benefits.
"Senator Lawson’s recipe of cuts to Medicare Advantage, hospitals and nursing homes will have a devastating impact on Florida seniors and his reliance on staged, strictly controlled events with a handful of campaign supporters will do nothing to change that," McCullough said.
