Attesting to the value of fighting off Republicans' efforts to cut Medicare in the debt ceiling negotiations for Dems, Priorities USA has launched tv ads in five swing states attacking Republicans for voting to abolish Medicare.
The ads, which will run in Iowa, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Colorado for the next two weeks, are designed as a response to commercials put on the air in 10 states late last week by Crossroads GPS, a conservative-minded organization, that attacked President Obama’s handling of the economy.
They also mark the first significant spending by Priorities USA, a group formed in the aftermath of the 2010 election with the specific purpose of rebutting Republican outside expenditure efforts. The ad buy is $750,000.
That's hardly a drop in the bucket compared to Rove's Crossroads GPS spending, but it's a start, one that's likely to bring on calls of hypocrisy. But as Greg Sargent says, Dems have to be willing to bring guns to this fight: "Dems have not changed their position on secret outside money: They would halt these ads tomorrow if the other side agreed to do the same. Not responding in kind would amount to unilateral disarmament."