Obama, Romney tangle on health care, jobs

KEN THOMAS, Associated Press

Friday, July 20, 2012

MANALAPAN, Fla. (AP) — President Barack Obama is warning Florida retirees that Republican challenger Mitt Romney would undercut the new health care law and alter Medicare, a play for voters in one of the nation’s top swing states.

Obama wraps up a two-day trip to Florida on Friday with stops in Fort Myers and suburban Orlando, where he is pressing the case that retirees would be hurt by Romney’s opposition to the health care law and by Republican-led efforts to turn Medicare into a “voucher program.” Romney is keeping his focus on the economy, charging that Obama remains more concerned about holding onto his own job than creating more jobs for Americans.

In pre-convention summertime campaigning, Obama and Romney are locked in a tight contest and seeking advantages in about a dozen toss-up states that could help decide the election. None is more prominent than Florida, which narrowly decided the 2000 election and could provide a major boost to whoever prevails here.

Obama, addressing elderly residents of a sprawling South Florida condominium complex on Thursday, jumped on Romney’s opposition to the health care law. He said repeal of the law, which was recently upheld by the Supreme Court, would force more than 200,000 Floridians to pay more for their prescription drugs.

The president charged Romney with seeking to turn Medicare into a voucher program, drawing jeers from retirees at West Palm Beach’s Century Village, home to thousands of reliably Democratic voters.

“So if that voucher isn’t worth enough to buy the health insurance that’s on the market, you’re out of luck,” he said. “You’re on your own.”

Romney would offer subsidies — Democrats dismiss them as vouchers — to help future retirees buy private insurance, or give them the option of traditional Medicare, with a gradually increasing age to qualify for benefits. Current retirees would not be affected.

Romney has criticized Obama’s health care law, saying it calls for $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. But Obama would make most of those cuts by reducing payments to service providers such as hospitals and nursing homes, not beneficiaries.

“(Obama) has offered no serious plan of his own to save Medicare and is content to use it as nothing more than a political issue,” said Lanhee Chen, the Romney campaign’s policy director.

Romney pointed to new government figures showing that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose by 34,000 last week, a figure that may have been skewed higher by seasonal factors.

The former Massachusetts governor is finishing off a week of aggressive anti-Obama rhetoric with a campaign stop in Bow, N.H., on Friday, where he is expected to renew his economic critique of the president.

Romney has faced repeated criticism for his record running Bain Capital and for refusing to release several years’ worth of tax returns. He has tried to go on the offensive, seizing upon comments last week in which the president said, in part: “Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” Romney said the remarks showed a lack of understanding about how small businesses operate.

Obama’s team has dismissed the line of attack, saying the president’s words were taken out of context and intended to distract voters from Romney’s business record. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday that Obama was “using every tool in his toolbox to advance economic growth” despite resistance to his jobs agenda in Congress.

Romney is spending most of the weekend with family at his New Hampshire lake house before heading to California for fundraisers on Sunday and Monday. While he has no public events during the weekend, Romney often uses private time in New Hampshire to discuss campaign strategy with senior staff and family.

Romney aides have left open the possibility that the Republican could name his running mate by week’s end ahead of an overseas trip next week intended to burnish his foreign policy credentials.

The campaign released a fundraising appeal late Thursday from one of Romney’s five sons seeking to capitalize on the vice presidential speculation. For $3, donors could win a chance to join Romney and his running mate at a future event.

“There are many incredible men and women who my dad would be lucky to have as a running mate,” Craig Romney wrote. “And that’s why I’m so excited to invite you to meet him or her on the campaign trail with my dad.”

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Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Boston contributed to this report.

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spelchek 11 months ago

Hey Florida, take a look at the unemployment numbers this week. Guess whose policies got us in this perpetual recessionary bliss? I'll give you two hints. It's neither Bush or Romney... Shoot, I hate to admit it; but at this point I'd vote for Hillary just to get these two out of the picture. Obama makes her look like Margaret Thatcher.

JCLifer 11 months ago

Hillary would be a much better president than Obama and Romney combined.

I would love to have a Ron Paul vs. Hillary election. That one would give us some real meat on each side to consider. The two losers we will have instead makes me just not want to vote.

spelchek 11 months ago

Agreed. However, I'm voting for the blue state rich guy. :)

JCLifer 11 months ago

There are a whole bunch of Southern Baptists and Ron Paul supporters who absolutely will not vote for a Mormon.

dokeus6 11 months ago

Count me as one of them. I wouldn't vote for someone whose religion believes in polygamy. That is just a scary thought. More than one spouse. EEK!!!

JCLifer 11 months ago

No kidding. One is one too many most of the time...

spelchek 11 months ago

Yes, marriage to more than one is horrible. Being married to one and cheating with rest is the trait of a lady and a gentleman. Just ask Bill Clinton, he'll tell yeah right after he doesn't inhale.

spelchek 11 months ago

All I'm saying Grace is if given the mandatory choice between Obama and Hillary, I'd choose the latter. Mr. Romney hasn't exhibited the traits of a miser either (in the political arena). I give you RomneyCare as Exhibit A. You don't give Hillary enough credit as a careful observer. She watched her husband negotiate with a Republican led house and senate which ultimately gave him 8 years in office. I think she would have been wise to do the same; I cannot however, see our current president doing the same. He is already circumventing congress (his own party) to drum up populist support. He makes Hugo Chavez proud I'm sure.

dokeus6 11 months ago

and so is cutting the tax breaks out for income levels above $250,000 can't forget that one graceful.

spelchek 11 months ago

The democrats had a complete majority from 2007-2010; why didn't they end the breaks then? With all this rich bashing why hasn't any real action been done up to now? Why isn't Claire McCaskill promising to raise taxes on the wealthy as part of her campaign? The idea is apparently so popular nobody wants to vote or campaign on it except Mr. Obama. All talk and no walk.

dokeus6 11 months ago

Both parties are for the same things. The only differences between the two parties is social issues.

I have posted about the documentary called "Ethos" before. here is the url for it. ethosthemovie.com/

I have passed the word around to others that I know to watch it. All i can say is give it a watch and make up your own mind about what is going on in our country.

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