Ryan Sees Medicare Issue As Opportunity

Paul Ryan addressed Medicare in a stump speech for the first time, saying the debate is one "we will win." But Vice President Joe Biden offered a very different view of the Republicans' Medicare plan, calling it a "voucher system."  

Los Angeles Times: Ryan Hits At Obama Over Medicare In Ohio
It was a strange place to talk about Medicare -- not a nursing home or before a group of seniors, but at a college campus where students beginning the school year may have different things on their minds. But Paul Ryan returned to his alma mater, Miami University of Ohio, on Wednesday to reminisce about his days on campus and attack the president over cuts to a Medicare program that he once supported (Semuels, 8/15).

The Washington Post: Paul Ryan On Medicare: 'We Will Win This Debate'
Paul Ryan spoke about the issue of Medicare for the first time since being tapped as Mitt Romney's running mate, telling a crowd of about 3,000 people Wednesday night at his alma mater, Ohio’s Miami University, that the conversation is one that Republicans welcome. "The president, I'm told, is talking about Medicare today," said Ryan, who graduated from the school in 1992 with a B.A. in economics and political science. "We want this debate. We need this debate. And we will win this debate" (Sonmez, 8/16).

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Paul Ryan Ventures Into The Medicare Debate
Medicare has become a flashpoint in recent days, with both campaigns arguing that the other would gut the program. The proposed changes in Mr. Ryan's budget blueprint touched off the debate, but until Wednesday, he had not mentioned Medicare on the stump during his solo campaign events (Nelson, 8/15).

The Associated Press: Ryan On Medicare: 'We Will Win This Debate'
Facing what is emerging as a defining issue, Mitt Romney running mate Paul Ryan on Wednesday invited debate over his controversial proposal to overhaul Medicare and predicted the GOP would win the argument. "We want this debate. We need this debate. And we will win this debate," Ryan told hundreds of supporters gathered on the campus of his alma mater, Ohio's Miami University (Peoples, 8/16).

Politico: Paul Ryan Uses The 'M' Word
For the first time since he was minted as his party's vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan used the "M" word in his stump speech as he campaigned Wednesday night on the campus of his alma mater. That is, he talked about Medicare, the federal health program for senior citizens that he has proposed - in the future - to turn into a voucher program for some people (Summers, 8/15).

The Hill: Ryan On Medicare: 'We Want This Debate'
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan said Wednesday that he's more than ready to defend his controversial Medicare plan. Democrats have made Ryan's Medicare proposal a cornerstone of their attacks on Ryan and presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Obama criticized the plan earlier in the day, saying it would "end Medicare as we know it." Ryan, in a speech at Miami University in Ohio, said Republicans won't back down (Baker, 8/15).

CNN: Ryan Hits Obama On Medicare Accusing His Campaign Of 'Anger' 
Rep. Paul Ryan on Wednesday called President Barack Obama's criticisms of his Medicare proposal a "distraction," and picked up a line from his running mate Mitt Romney that accuses Obama of running an election "based on anger and division."… Ryan's proposal to change Medicare, which he has pitched as a way to prevent the program from going bankrupt, has became a prime target for Democrats after Romney introduced the House Budget Committee chairman as his running mate on Saturday. In recent days, surrogates and supporters of Romney have stepped up their defense of Ryan, but the candidate has steered clear of addressing the issue at public events - until he took to this stage at Miami University of Ohio, his alma mater. Some have suggested the issue could prove a liability among current Medicare recipients and those approaching eligibility (Shepherd, 8/15).

ABC: Returning To His Alma Mater, Paul Ryan Goes On Offense On Medicare
Paul Ryan had a second homecoming Wednesday, returning to his alma mater, Miami University, where he took on the issue of Medicare, which Democrats are hoping will derail Mitt Romney's campaign now that Ryan, the House budget chairman, has joined the ticket. But Ryan is playing offense (Walshe, 8/15).

Los Angeles Times: Biden Sticks To Script, Goes After Ryan Plan On Medicare
A light moment – when he got a big chuckle from the audience to a line in his stump speech mocking the Romney campaign's distinguishing "outsourcing" and "offshoring" – put him back into a more feisty form, just in time to hit the message of the day: Medicare. "They make massive changes in Medicare, turning it into a voucher system," Biden warned of the Republicans (Memoli, 8/15).