It’s fascinating to watch Democrats and their liberal media friends as they treat Republicans like a bunch of kids at summer camp, keeping them up at night with scary stories. There’s Mr. Schumer, the camp counselor, carefully lowering his voice to a whisper, then jumping up and yelling, “Mediscare! Run for your life!!” Just as the terrified Republican kids come tearing out of the tent, spooky-looking liberal media goblins jump out from the bushes screaming, “Voter backlash! You’re all going to die!!” Political pandemonium ensues. Works every time. Just like Lucy, Charlie Brown and that darn football. So we’re supposed to believe that the special-election results in New York’s 26th Congressional District were a bellwether of a 2012 Republican disaster because Democrat Kathy Hochul won by making Medicare an issue. Of course, Democrats would say Medicare was the main issue, especially after one of the party’s ideological advocacy group allies gained national attention with a TV spot showing a Paul Ryan look-alike shoving Granny over a cliff. Predictably, the morning after the election, the New York Times pronounced the results “a referendum on House Republicans’ efforts to reform Medicare.” It was as if GOP candidate Jane Corwin and her national Republican supporters had begun every campaign speech by declaring, “I can’t wait to get to Washington to help John Boehner and Paul Ryan throw all those old people off of Medicare!”
And what should Republicans now be talking about instead of Medicare reform, according to their friends on the Democratic side of the aisle and in the liberal media? Jobs and the economy. And right on cue, those Republicans tearing away from Mr. Schumer’s tent whip out a “new” job creation plan that looks very much like the one they’ve been pushing all year. Apparently, they think that will make their tormentors stop jumping out of the bushes.
