Jeb Bush pushes to ‘phase out’ Medicare

[n2doc]

By Steve Benen
Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush appeared at a New Hampshire event last night sponsored by the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity, and the former governor raised a few eyebrows with his comments on the future of Medicare.

“The left needs to join the conversation, but they haven’t. I mean, when [Rep. Paul Ryan] came up with, one of his proposals as it relates to Medicare, the first thing I saw was a TV ad of a guy that looked just like Paul Ryan … that was pushing an elderly person off the cliff in a wheelchair. That’s their response.

“And I think we need to be vigilant about this and persuade people that our, when your volunteers go door to door, and they talk to people, people understand this. They know, and I think a lot of people recognize that we need to make sure we fulfill the commitment to people that have already received the benefits, that are receiving the benefits. But that we need to figure out a way to phase out this program for others and move to a new system that allows them to have something – because they’re not going to have anything.”

Remember, Jeb Bush is the ostensible moderate candidate in the massive GOP presidential field. It says something important about Republican politics in 2015 when their most mainstream candidate is also the candidate who wants to scrap Medicare altogether.

more
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/jeb-bush-pushes-phase-out-medicare

[geek tragedy]

1. coming to an attack ad near you. This should play well in Florida nt

[world wide wally]

9. Didn't Florida elect and reelect him?

And now Rick Scott, who literally robbed their Medicare money.
I don't think those people down there like themselves a whole lot.

[DrDan]

33. we also voted for Obama twice

the problem here is the quality of Dems we run against these cretins

[Lochloosa]

36. I agree. Even though I voted for Crist, i pinched my nose doing it.

[LevelB]

39. Whoever the Democratic nominee is will

set phasers to 'kill'...

[Marrah_G]

2. And what for profit company is going to insure elderly people?

Does he not fucking understand WHY we have Medicare?

[n2doc]

3. Well you did answer your own question

Bush sees it as a opportunity to steal more taxpayer money for his buddies. That is all medicare is to him. Just like public school dollars are just a mine to be exploited by charter schools.

[Hortensis]

4. No, no. You're unjust. It's about making seniors stronger and more moral. Not like today's sponges.

[n2doc]

5. "Turning Takers into Makers!"

I can just see it now. "We want to shrink that 47% down until we can drown them in a bathtub"

[lark]

66. Think it's the opposite.

They want to make sure that the 47%ers have little/no choice but to make tons of babies that will work for them at slave wages since contraception and pregnancy wouldn't be covered under any of "their" plans. They want ignorant people that don't know they have any options but to work hard for pennies for the masters in the 1% and die young. Think that's one of the reasons they are so anti-abortion, want to keep the slaves coming since they tend to die young without any healthcare. Just 1/2 the reason really. The other half of the reason is to keep the fundamentalists in line. Repugs obviously don't care about people's health at all, so that wouldn't persuade them to keep Medicare either.

[n2doc]

69. Depends on their color

I don't think the Jebbies want more POC around. I agree they want to make people as miserable and desperate as possible. Their dream is to have lines of starving folks singing their praises and begging for scraps. My slogan was entirely tongue in cheek.

JE Bush's plan is simple- the 99.99% are to work longer, harder, for less, and when you get too old or hurt to work, die penniless in misery. What a vision for America.

[randys1]

10. ACtually he and the corporatist terrorists who support him know exactly why we have it

and that reason infuriates them

FDR and LBJ saw poor people in need, many of them not white, and did something about it.

Cons hate poor people, especially if they arent white, but they hate the white ones too.

Jeb Bush has just announced he will KILL you once you are 65 if you elect him.

Oh, they want to destroy soc sec too

[lark]

65. Oh, he understands, it just doesn't matter one bit to him.

He wants all our retirement savings to be at the whim of the banks and brokers so they can steal it all and everyone will be forced to go back to work for catfood wages. That's the Repugs wet dream.

Go on, Jeb, keep spouting that line. You will merely ensure that you will never be elected president, and that's a really good thing.

[steve2470]

6. If the Democratic Party pushes this relentlessly, JEB IS FREAKING TOAST

How is he going to get elected pissing off the Medicare and soon-to-be Medicare vote ? Not gonna happen.

[Octafish]

7. Jebthro sounds more like Pruneface every single day.

From 1961, when Pruneface and Co. worked to stop JFK's healthcare plans in their tracks.

[Godhumor]

8. Huh. Fulfill the needs of those currently on Medicaid, just not those in the future

Manages to tell the retirees that this will not hurt them, just the younger generations. Old people are happy. Young people don't vote Republican, so who cares what they think. 100% pander job to the older white people who make up the Republican constituency. "We need to change the system! But don't worry, not for you guys. You guys are cool."

I fucking hate these people.

[Stellar]

11. It's time to phase his monkey butt out! nt

[0rganism]

12. the downside of Trump's bloviating...

...is that crap like this floats under the radar and appears "reasonable" by comparison.

or at least so boring that very few people can be bothered enough to give a crap.

[awoke_in_2003]

55. That is the plan, methinks. nt

[TBF]

13. I'll give you the leftist response Jeb! -

1. Remove the cap on taxable earnings (2015 - $118,500). Currently anyone who makes over that amount does not pay SS on the rest of their income. This is a regressive tax and needs to be eliminated.

2. Take the money you've earned from removing the cap and use it to lower the age at which social security is obtained. I think 55 would be a good retirement age, especially since it's harder than H**l to get a job in this country if you're even over 40 much less 50. So, we'll compromise and say 55 for now.

3. What if removing the tax does not give us enough $$$ to do that? Then we make some more changes as follows: tax on every investment transaction, raise taxes on capital gains to where they were pre-Reagan (that's right - tax them just like any other income), start closing overseas bases & other cuts to defense (I'm targeting here because it is where most of our money goes).

4. Immediate lock box for Social Security - no more borrowing out by Congress to fund their pet projects.

5. Any questions? I can keep going.

[n2doc]

17. Well, he's talking about medicare, not SS

But I suspect the same will be pushed for SS as well.

My response is, we can somehow afford to spend 1 trillion on a fighter jet that doesn't dogfight, and 15 billion a pop for aircraft carriers. So we can definitely afford to keep medicare and SS going if we are unwilling to raise taxes to cover shortfalls. Which would kill more people, ending medicare and SS or ending building new military hardware?

[TBF]

18. Same response for medicare -

with caveat that "medicare for all" - the next logical step after ACA - would solve the issue.

[steve2470]

14. please, everyone, keep this thread KICKED.....

I firmly believe Jeb just made himself TOAST. What a freaking idiotic thing to say.

[LongTomH]

15. Expect the other Republican candidates to come out with similar policy statements.

Wrecking the social safety net by privatization, especially Social Security and Medicare has been part of the Republican party's unspoken platform for years; now they're just being more vocal about it.

[Johonny]

16. Jeb! the guy pushed off the cliff is us joining in. Your plan to end medicare is basically the same

If you don't like our response... we don't care because it is calling out the truth. Ending medicare program ends medical practicing on the elderly for nearly all Americans. It just does. There is no solution but socialized medicine. Period. The other option is painful, pointless deaths.

[Sunlei]

19. I do not understand how millions of older republicans would even vote for a 'no more medicare Pres.'

republicans have never even shown a replacement plan for when they strip Obamacare(tm) from millions of Americans.

[n2doc]

21. So long as they have theirs.....

And Slime like JEB always talk about their plans as a way to 'save' medicare for the old farts. "See, we are going to have to end medicare for YOU UNLESS we take it away from THEM"

[Warren DeMontague]

24. It's still a third rail topic.

If he continues to seriously push this, It very well could cost him the election.

[OldHippieChick]

45. As an older American, it

always gets my bloomers in a twist when Republicans think we will be selfish and say - "well, I got mine. I don't care about my kids and grandkids." WTF? Even Repubs have kids and grandkids. They know what would happen to them if they didn't have medicare.

[n2doc]

52. I agree, most Seniors care about others

I think the JEB types only consider the tea bagger "I got Mine" types. The ones who always write letters to papers complaining about having to pay property taxes to support 'other people's kids'.

[DawgHouse]

68. Exactly!

[London Lover Man]

20. JEB! JUST ELECT BERNIE!

[Warren DeMontague]

22. Run on that, dude.

Arent old people like the last reliably Republican demographic?

[Hoyt]

23. Truthfully, plenty of room for improvement with Medicare and Medicaid. Of course, I don't think

that is what idiot brother has in mind.

[OldHippieChick]

25. The repukes continually

state we need to "phase" this or that plan out and replace it, but they never talk about how or what they are going to do. Who, in their right mind, wealthy or not, truly believes we should phase out medicare? My brother was quite wealthy and had good insurance before he turned 65. However, he contracted cancer after he turned 65 and could not stop talking about how grateful he was for medicare.

[kimbutgar]

26. Unfortunately the fox loving seniors who have their tv's on fox propaganda channel everyday will never hear

Bush's comments, nor will fox allow the anti bush people to air the commercials on their network exposing his plans.

[SheilaT]

27. The reason people like Jeb Bush want to get rid of Medicare

is that no one he knows depends on it for their health care coverage. Same with Social Security. He doesn't know anyone for whom SS is an important percentage of their income. But for many millions it is.

[steve2470]

28. +1 nt

[dem in texas]

30. Vote against him - We must keep Medicare

I just finished a long stint for treatment of cancer. Without Medicare, we'd be bankrupt!

[RobinA]

63. Anybody Over 65

who has worked or who is married to someone who worked depends on Medicare. It isn't a choice.

[lpbk2713]

29. Walmart needs more door greeters.

So what if they have to hobble with their walkers in the rain to the bus stop to get to work.

If enough of them apply for the job then the Waltons can lower their pay to $1.25 an hour.



... if really needed.

[Cleita]

31. I move to phase out Jebby. But I think Trump is succeeding at doing that

already.

[Rex]

32. Can we 'phase out' the Bush family from politics? I am thinking a nice jail cell in a foreign nation

Throw away the key.

[47of74]

82. I was think the middle of the Anartic

Totally alone and attended to only by robots.

[Vinca]

34. The GOP has a hard time remembering why Medicare was necessary in the first place.

What we should be doing with Medicare is giving it to everyone.

[Gothmog]

35. This is a very dumb proposal

Jeb is opening pandering to the Kochs

[JDPriestly]

37. OK. What is the Republicans' alternative for funding the expensive care that seniors need?

Here is mine: single-payer for all. In other words, just make it Medicare for all.

We should pay the cost of our insurance in the last years of our lives beginning in our healthiest (for most of us) years.

We are one. We are America.

Let's stand united for each other. Healthcare for all.

Without Medicare, far more older Americans will be homeless and sick.

Without Medicare, only the very rich will be able to leave anything at all to their children.

This is a direct attack on the middle class.

[KansDem]

38. I remember that ad!

...a TV ad of a guy that looked just like Paul Ryan … that was pushing an elderly person off the cliff in a wheelchair...

[TRoN33]

40. Hey Jeb!, suck my dick.

[secondwind]

42. ahaha!

[secondwind]

41. Looks like Jeb forgot that seniors are the most reliable voting bloc

[Hoppy]

46. Wrong ! He understands. That is why his proposal lets existing recepients continue receiving

medicare.

Its called, divide and conquer..... or in the idea of Clinton Democrats, Triangulate.

[stevenleser]

49. Not sure seniors will care about that bit of nuance. I think they will hate on anyone proposing to

end Medicare.

[TheNutcracker]

48. Exactly. But...his is what the elite are up to. Why do the Koch Broth. give a shit???

[forest444]

43. Vouchers = toilet paper.

If they ever manage to get undo Medicare, that's how it'll happen.

[Punx]

44. Remember

Jeb has already proposed privatizing Social Security during one of his speeches this year as well. Christie has also said stuff along these lines.

Nothing we have is safe from these people if they are given enough power.

[IHateTheGOP]

47. God I'm so fucking sick of republicans.

[B Calm]

50. Thousands of baby boomers retiring every week and Jeb Bush thinks this is a winning strategy to

the white house. LOL

[madamesilverspurs]

51. Yup.

[Warpy]

53. Now there's the best reason in the world to avoid another member of THAT family.

They're wrecking balls, the whole lot of them, trying to destroy this country for the rest of us so they can get a little richer.

There would be NOTHING to replace Medicare. Insurance companies didn't insure people over 65 in 1966 and they sure as hell aren't going to start insuring us now. The first spouse to get sick will beggar the other one unless they get a quickie divorce and even then, the well spouse is likely to end up in a studio apartment in a bad area with Social Security and nothing else.

Oh, wait, Jeb! wants to do away with that, too. All the more for HIM, shouted the pig!

[steve2470]

54. kick nt

[Gothmog]

56. The destruction of Medicare is a Koch brother priority

The eventual GOP nominee will also support this policy

[emsimon33]

57. Simple solution: Single payer, government run healthcare

[EndElectoral]

58. Wow..get this in an ad now!

VOICE OVER: "Here's Jeb Bush's position on Medicare:"

JEB: ""WE NEED TO PHASE OUT THIS PROGRAM"

[LibDemAlways]

59. I suppose Jeb is looking forward to an America in which

hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of homeless, sick senior citizens bankrupted by medical bills wander the streets until they die. That's exactly what he's proposing.

[sendero]

60. As long as we are replacing it with..

... a true single payer system available to all, like practically every other developed nation in the world, I'm on board. If it is to be replaced with "you're on your own", well then FUCK YOU.

[Beacool]

61. Keep talking Jeb.

If you become your party's nominee, Democrats can use that quote in an ad. I'm sure that it will go real well with senior citizens.

[47of74]

81. Some senior citizens....

....are the cut off your nose to spite your face types. As long as they can destroy President Obama's legacy they'll vote for a Republican even if he guts the program's we paid in to.

[Beacool]

85. Those seniors are fools.

[RobinA]

62. I Think The Operative

words here are "...because they’re not going to have anything." We saw what you did there, Jeb.

This guy must be trying to lose. "Work longer people, and by the way, when you do retire? No healthcare for you." He's always supposed to have been the smarter one, but I'm starting to wonder. Maybe he's just as dumb as Jr., but with the advantage of being able to speak a known version of English.

[4dsc]

64. Let's make this his 47% moment in the campaign

this should make for a great campaign ad if by hook or crook he is the GOP presidential candidate.

[steve2470]

67. +1 nt

[vlyons]

70. Wall St wants to "privatize" SSI

Wall St is drooling all over their shirt fronts and power ties to get its greedy dirty little hands on SSI money for their shady investments and 30% administration fees. We all know that raising SSI payroll contributions from the wealthiest is the way to go. Republicans really do not care, who they marginalize, piss off, and rob. Having created enmity with AAs, Hispanics, women, youth, students, workers, farmers; well old white seniors is all that's left. Republicans cannot be embarrassed. They are sociopaths.

[americannightmare]

71. If we weren't already...

an oligarchy, I would wonder what demographic he's going after here, since we here so often about how rethugs are dying off...

[Jeb Bartlet]

72. Ahh, the old

right wing bait and switch. "Medicare is going to run out of money so we need to phase it out and enact a private system...one that my rich banker buddies will be able to profit off of."

Jeb is an ass. Medicare is the most successful Government program in US history with the highest satisfaction rate of any medical care provider. In fact it's so dam successful that congress has regularly been raiding it to fund other programs. Why can't Republicans ever speak without lying through their fucking teeth?

[Scalded Nun]

73. I agree, let's phase it out

As we transition to single-payer and rename it Americare. Easy-peasy.

[SunSeeker]

75. No, let's expand it with just a one-number edit: Change the minimum age from 65 to 0.

No need to rename. Easier peasier.

[SunSeeker]

74. Yup, it's on video.

&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

76. I notice he's vague on the "new system"

Because, of course, he doesn't have an alternative to propose.

[n2doc]

77. Or he knows people will hate it

I am sure his 'new' system is the same one that has been proposed by Ryan and others, vouchers to buy insurance. Everyone who has ever had to buy insurance knows that won't work, especially for elderly folks with health issues.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

78. OK, let me rephrase what I said

He does not have a realistic alternative.

[greymattermom]

79. My take on this

is that they're realized they can't govern and don't want to win. They just want to take all the campaign funds they can from the Kock brothers and be done with it.

[area51]

80. "Jeb" is taking a page from crazy one Michele Bachmann.

"But basically what we have to do is wean everybody else off. And wean everybody off because we have to take those unfunded net liabilities off our bank sheet, we can’t do it. So we just have to be straight with people. So basically, whoever our nominee is, is going to have to have a Glenn Beck chalkboard and explain to everybody this is the way it is."

[47of74]

83. 47of74: Fuck him.

[LeftOfWest]

84. Tax Cuts for Birth Lotto Winners

at all costs. Gotta fund the born to it never earned it somehow percent.