Down-ballot Blues shift GOP message masters

Within hours of the GOP VP announcement, Frank Luntz released a directive to campaign strategists on how to handle the inevitable field day they anticipated media and democrats would be hosting over Medicare and Social Security policy.  It went something like this:  Do not say: “entitlement reform, privatization, or every option is on the table.”  The NRCC wants those phrases scoured from stump rhetoric and replaced with less innocuous visions, such as depicting an agenda that will “strengthen, secure, save, preserve, and protect” the immensely popular, yet endangered, programs.  The under-55 electorate was also suddenly scoured from permissible cohorts of focus, supplanted by the “you-got-yours” mantra directed at older voters.  I guess that huge majority has been relegated to the "small-minded" pile.  GOP candidates are to keep “credible third-party validators,” like moms and pops and token seniors, in tow at all times, a ploy Rep Mark Amodei R-NV and his mom dutifully put to task in his new campaign ad release.     

A day or two later, we saw this playing out over GOP-fiendly media and, most recently, in Ryan’s “emotional” appeal to a seniors gathering in Florida, where he trotted is own mom out for inspection.  Privatizing social insurance for profit got nary a mention.  Neither did the choiceless end of Medicare for the erased electorate.  Voucherization was hush-hush, but we did see a lot of cagey side-steps around the intent to shift all costs and risks from the government to individual elders. 

This did not seem to quell the alarm bells going off down-ballot.  Scott Brown R-MA wasted no time hedging his bets by pointing out he voted against the plan twice.  Yay-voter Allen West R-FL was immediately targeted with an anti-Medicare smear ad after polls in his district reflected “major Medicare concerns” for 61% of undecideds and 58% of independents.  One would imagine this placed that district on the emergency voter suppression surgical ICU strike list.  Brian Bilbray R-CA, and Nan Hayworth R-NY, faced similar poll outcomes.   George Allen R-VA has a near identical voting fiscal record to Ryan, which has not escaped his democratic challenger, who has been vigilant in exposing Allen’s false claims about how safe MC and SS are in GOP hands.  Linda McMahon R-CT is locking horns with her opponent in similar ways. 

GOP NY election contenders Maggie Brooks and Chris Collins refuse to accept any responsibility for the Ryan Plan.   Rep Jeff Flake R-AZ voted for the plan, so he plans to not talk about his vote, but to concentrate on the falsehood that democrats have no plan.  After John Tierney D-MA tied his opponent, John Tisei R-MA, to the Ryan plan, all he could do with to promise not to “rubber stamp” GOP agendas, taking the red dog approach, specifically stating he does not support inflicting control of Medicaid onto the states.

I wonder what week #2 has in store?