I loved Rachel Maddow's excellent report last night about the tons of money right-wing groups are spending in an effort to stifle the well-deserved criticism of Paul Ryan's morally irresponsible budget proposal.
I just got done checking the web site of one of the groups Rachel cited in her report, the "60-Plus Foundation." I'm about to approach 60 years old at the end of this year, and if these nutheads at 60 plus think seniors like me support Ryan's proposal, they should seriously have their heads examined.
The outright lies and disinformation peddled by this organization makes me wonder whether these guys really think we're stupid. How can they claim that Ryan's proposal to gut Medicare and replace it with a voucher system that places seniors (and seniors to be like me) at the mercy of private insurers "saving" Medicare?
More below.
Here's one of the claims made by the 60-plus group as it praises Republican Rep. Jaime Beutler (WA-3) for his vote favoring Ryan's gutting of Medicare:
OLYMPIA, WASH. – The 60 Plus Association, nationally recognized as the conservative alternative to the liberal AARP, today launched a new campaign in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, thanking Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler for protecting Medicare during the recent budget debates.
“Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler proved she is different from many in Washington,” said Jim Martin, Chairman of the 60 Plus Association. “Rep. Beutler did what she promised she would do: protect Medicare for Washington’s seniors. She voted for the House budget proposal, which strengthens and preserves Medicare, and in doing so, helped ensure the program would be available for current and future seniors. On behalf of the 60 Plus Association, I would like to thank Rep. Beutler for standing up for Washington seniors and protecting Medicare – just like she promised she would.”
The campaign, which consists of direct mail and phone calls, will begin on April 21.
The 60-plus release, which was repeated almost word-for-word for a number of other Republicans, made my blood boil. It reminded me of what I was taught as a fourth-grader about "communist double-talk," in which "democratic" meant communist, etc.
In this case, "standing up for seniors" and "protecting Medicare" is nothing more than double-talk for gutting Medicare. These guys at 60 plus should be ashamed of their efforts to mislead folks into believing that they know what's best for America's seniors (and seniors to be like me). For them to say they're for protecting seniors while fighting to gut the very things seniors depend on shows that they are a total and complete fraud.
They know absolutely nothing about seniors' needs, and those who peddle the garbage on their web site should be asked to give up their health insurance so they can see for themselves what it's like to have to really fend for themselves when illness strikes.
They and their right-wing Republican allies can spend all the money they want to spread their lies, but if they really think they're going to be successful at putting lipstick on the pig called the Ryan bill, they are badly mistaken. I applaud Rachel Maddow for reporting on the lies and disinformation being spread by right-wing groups like the so-called "60-Plus Foundation," and I hope every available buck will be spent to defeat the anti-senior politicians the 60-plus group supports.
I also hope that folks will think twice before spending their bucks to join such an organization that doesn't give a rat's a-- about seniors despite their claims to the contrary.