Wall Street Journal/NBC Poll Blows 'Mediscare' Media Meme Out Of The Water

38 percent of Americans are more likely to vote for a candidate that supports "changing Medicare for those under 55 to a system where people choose their insurance from a list of private health plans and the government pays a fixed amount, sometimes called a voucher, towards that cost," and 37 percent would be less likely to vote for a candidate that supports Paul Ryan's Medicare reform plan.

The Weekly Standard explains the numbers from the Wall Street Journal/NBC Poll:

If that number stands, that's pretty great news for Republicans.

And one could even quibble with the question wording. It uses the much feared "voucher" word, which Ryan's reform technically isn't. And it simply says future beneficiaries could put their voucher toward "private health plans," potentially leaving the wrong impression that some seniors could be denied coverage in the open marketplace. The private plans would be regulated by the government and required to offer coverage to all beneficiaries.

I wonder what the numbers would have shown had the poll question been phrased accurately?

Better news for Republicans is in this latest poll also as WS continues to explain:

.....While Ryan's Medicare reform is a wash, the poll shows that Obamacare is much more unpopular. By a 12-point margin (47% to 35%), respondents say they're more likely to vote for a candidate who favors repealing the "health care reform law." And 50% of respondents say they're less likely to vote for a candidate who supports the individual mandate, while 31% are more likely to vote for that candidate.

The media's favorite meme of late has been how the public is scared of Paul Ryan's plan, yet the numbers, even with a question phrased to misrepresent the plan, are still proving that media meme wrong.

Evidently the public is not as stupid as liberals and the media seem to think they are.

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Paul Ryan: 'Getting Back To The Four Foundations Of Economic Growth'

"America was knocked down by a recession. We are threatened by a rising tide of debt. But we are not knocked out. We are America. And it is time to prove the doubters wrong once more – to show them that this exceptional nation is once again up to the challenge."-- Paul Ryan

I just listened to the 24 minute speech by Paul Ryan at the Economic Club of Chicago, given on May 16, 2011, discussing "Shared Scarcity versus Renewed Prosperity." (Video below)



The whole speech is well worth the time it takes to listen to it. He pulls no punches, not against previous Republican leadership nor present Democratic leadership and the fiscal irresponsibility shown by both political parties over decades.

"This crisis has been decades in the making. Republican administrations, including the last one, have failed to control spending. Democratic administrations, including the present one, have not been honest about the cost of the tax burden required to fund their expansive vision of government. And Congresses controlled by both parties have failed to confront our growing entitlement crisis. There is plenty of blame to go around. "-- Paul Ryan

You can see the entire transcript here, but I am going to highlight the four foundations of economic growth he envisions:

First, we have to stop spending money we don’t have, and ultimately that means getting health care costs under control.

Second, we have to restore common sense to the regulatory environment, so that regulations are fair, transparent, and do not inflict undue uncertainty on America’s employers.

Third, we have to keep taxes low and end the year-by-year approach to tax rates, so that job creators have incentives to invest in America; and

Fourth, we have to refocus the Federal Reserve on price stability, instead of using monetary stimulus to bail out Washington’s failures, because businesses and families need sound money.

He goes on to explain each of the four, in order and does so impressively.

Recently Ryan went from townhall meeting to townhall meeting, explaining "The Path to Prosperity" which is his baby, his plan to set America on a path to prosperity once again instead of the downward debt ridden country we are becoming under our current path.

In each of those townhalls, Ryan patiently and clearly answered every question thrown at him in a manner that all of us non-economists could actually understand.

The more I watched him, the better the understanding became about his plan, his ideas, and his desire not to change America but to get back to the America we once were.

I am left wondering why the GOP cannot find a candidate like Ryan to go up against Obama in 2012.

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Only Age Demographic To Favor Obama's Deficit Reduction Plan Are Those 18 to 29 Years Old

Browsing through stories over at Memeorandum I ran across a Hotline On Call headline and discussions associated with it that state "Seniors Most Favorable To Ryan Budget."

So clicking over to the Gallup link provided, I see something else that the headline doesn't cover.

It isn't just "seniors" that favor Republican Paul Ryan's budget reduction plan but it is every age group except those that fall between 18 to 29.



Those 30 to 49 years old favor Ryan's plan over Obama's by a 45 to 39 margin.

Those 50 to 64 years old favor Ryan's plan over Obama's by a 47 to 41 margin.

Those 65 and older favor Ryan's plan over Obama's by a 48 to 42 margin.

The only group that favors Obama's plan at all are those aged 18 to 29 by a 53/30 margin.

The same USA Today/Gallup survey, conducted April 20-23, finds Republicans holding a significant edge over Democrats in public perceptions of which party would do the better job of dealing with the federal budget. Nearly half of Americans, 48% prefer the Republicans in Congress on this question, while 36% favor the Democrats in Congress.

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This is good news for Republicans because the most active voters are in the older age groups.

This also shows the Democrats active campaign since Ryan unveiled his plan, to scare seniors into believing Republicans want to end their benefits, has failed dismally.

Ryan has been doing the rounds with a series of Town Hall style meetings to explain his plan and getting a decent reception with question and answer segments, mostly disturbed by preplanned Teamster and SEIU chapter disturbances.

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